Saturday 1st July, 2017. A date that will forever be etched in the Lion’ illustrious 129-year history. It was an evening where records tumbled as fast as the odds for a Lions victory after Sonny Bill Williams thuggishly drove his right shoulder into the face of a defenceless Anthony Watson. Lest we forget, SBW, a role model all over the world, became the first All Black to be sent off in New Zealand and only the third player in its history – the last being the great Colin Meads in 1967. It was also the first time the All Blacks have failed to score a try in a Test at home since 1998 against South Africa, and don’t forget it was the first victory in the Land of the Long White Cloud for the Lions since 1993. It was that sort of night. Of course, like any good blockbuster, the Lions made a meal of executing a victory, with New Zealand down to 14-men after 25-minutes, gifting the All Blacks a nine-point cushion with 20 minutes on the ticker. Despite their heroics, the Lions contrived to flap, fumble and panic their way to the big ‘W’ but they did it through the nerveless Owen Farrell, who guided the ball between the uprights on 75 minutes, after an excitable Kyle Sinckler was upended taking the ball in the air by Charlie Faumuina. For all the guff about the Lions being an endangered species, it was their loyal, well-fuelled fans who made a marked difference. From the first minute, the famed sea of red, made the Westpac feel like a home game, lustrously welcoming their gladiators onto the slippy turf, in a biblical downpour. They made themselves hoarse, belting out ‘Lions, Lions’ and it reached a crescendo when Maro Itoje scragged Aaron Cruden for a turnover with Alun Wyn Jones, screaming at him in adulation and whacking him on the rump of his backside. The stadium erupted with ‘oh, Maro Itoje’, to the ture of the Seven Nation army, and the Westpac PA helped add to the acoustics with a heavy layer of bass to ramp up the already feverish atmosphere. After giving away seven consecutive penalties in the second-half as the visitors penalty count sky-rocketed north –  hitting the red-zone of double-figures – the supporters still kept the faith, with fingernails gnawed elsewhere. The tone was set from the off, however. When Warren Gatland demanded an upping in passion and intensity in the week, his pack offered a bone-crunching riposte. In the second minute, Mako Vunipola and Alun Wyn Jones thundered into an onrushing Owen Franks with such ferocity that pre-match earthquake warnings seemed like they’d need to be heeded. FOR THE LATEST SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS, CLICK HERE Then the rest of the burly band got in on the act. Tadhg Furlong, the farmer’s son from Campile, tore into the men in black, either with the ball or without, showing his piano’s shifter’s strength and pianist’s hands. As for Maro Itoje, his was a … Continue reading Lions 2017: Warren Gatland’s men silence the doubters to set up Auckland decider