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All Blacks survive Lions scare in 12-try thriller at Ellis Park MATCH REPORT: The All Blacks claimed their fifth South African scalp, beating the Lions 41-35 at 10Bet Ellis Park on Tuesday evening. New Zealand came into the Johannesburg showdown oozing confidence following their 33-16 win over the Springboks last weekend. However, it was anything but smooth sailing for the visitors as they were forced to work hard for their victory, unlike in their wins over the Sharks and Bulls. *To recap all the action CLICK HERE!! Dave Rennie’s men suffered a late injury blow as Ofa Tu’ungafasi was ruled out with illness, with Xavier Numia replacing him on the bench. And it might have stifled the visitors’ momentum. However, they still managed to produce a victory, scoring seven tries to the Lions’ five. The Lions were boosted by the return of Springbok duo Boan Venter and Quan Horn and were brave from the outset as they made a flying start. They scored three tries to take a 21-17 lead into the break. The Lions also scored the most points against the All Blacks on the Greatest Rivalry tour so far. The hosts made a promising start, showing accuracy with their set-piece while also asking questions in open play. They stood solid in the scrums, which provided the perfect platform for the Lions’ opening try. Steyn sold a dummy before dotting down, with Chris Smith adding the conversion for a 7-0 lead. In less than two minutes, the Lions extended their advantage. Siba Mahashe intercepted a loose pass from Noah Hotham after a lineout and raced to the try line. Smith converted again to make it 14-0. It took 10 minutes for the All Blacks to hit back. Emoni Narawa made a break, finding the Lions’ defence napping, before sending Hotham over for the try. Beauden Barrett added the conversion to bring the All Blacks within seven points. It was an erratic display from the All Blacks as they struggled to be clinical. Narawa and Fehi Fineanganofo linked up well, while Barrett also got his hands on the ball but could not find a way through to the try line. Timoci Tavatavanawai then produced one of his trademark powerful runs before the All Blacks shifted the ball wide to Narawa, who had an easy run-in to the try line. Barrett missed the kick, leaving the All Blacks trailing by two points. With just eight minutes remaining in the half, the Lions extended their lead. Steyn drew in a few defenders before sending Kelly Mpeku over in the corner. Smith kicked his third conversion to make it 21-12. The All Blacks responded immediately, with Ethan Blackadder rounding off a well-worked team try. Barrett missed another conversion, leaving his team trailing by four points. Fineanganofo appeared to have crossed for another All Blacks try, but referee Angus Gardner spotted a forward pass in the build-up. The Lions then had the final say of the first half. They won the lineout and opted to kick to touch, bringing an exciting first half to an end. The hosts picked up where they left off after the break, with Mahashe showing incredible pace and skill as he managed to keep his feet inside the line amid Rieko Ioane’s tackle. Erich Cronje then kicked the ball through and collected it for the Lions’ fourth try. Smith added the conversion to make it 28-17. It was the most points the All Blacks had conceded on the tour up to that point. It was end-to-end stuff as the Lions piled on the pressure but were held up over the line. They eventually got their reward from a powerful scrum, with captain Franke Horn powering over for the fifth try. Smith added the extras to extend the Lions’ lead. But All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane produced a brilliant passage of magic, slicing through the Lions’ defence before dotting down. Mo’unga took over the kicking duties and added the conversion. Steyn then made way for Hashim Pead before Ioane produced an interception to score his second try of the evening. The All Blacks finally took the lead in the 62nd minute when Blackadder linked up with the backline before going over for his second try of the match. With minutes left on the clock, the All Blacks won a powerful scrum and went wide before Narawa dived over in the corner. Mo’unga missed the conversion, but the All Blacks had done enough to secure a hard-fought 41-35 victory. Player of the Match: For the Lions, Nico Steyn and Siba Mahashe were the standouts. Steyn dictated play, while Mahashe’s strong runs proved lethal – any one of them could’ve easily bagged the award. Ethan Blackadder deserves a mention for his work in the All Blacks squad. However, our nod goes to Rieko Ioane, whose individual brilliance changed the game. He scored a brilliant individual try before rounding off his performance with an interception try. The scorers For Lions: Tries: Steyn, Mahashe, Mpeku, Cronje, Horn Cons: Chris Smith 5 For New Zealand Tries: Hotham, Narawa 2, Blackadder 2, Ioane 2 Cons: Barrett, Mo’unga 2 Teams: Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Erich Cronje, 10 Chris Smit, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Boan Venter, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Boeta Chamberlain New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Fehi Fineanganofo, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 11 Emoni Narawa, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Noah Hotham, 8 Semisi Ta’eiloa, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 4 Sam Darry, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Siale Lauaki Replacements: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Saula Ma’u, 19 Jamie Hannah, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown. Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia) Watch Rugby's Greatest Rivalry LIVE Two rugby giants collide. Stream live, replays and highlights free on RugbyPass TV.