Lions push All Blacks to the brink before Rennie's men escape 41-35

Had it not been for a few slipped tackles by the Lions, lightning quickly exploited by the likes of speedster Rieko Ioane, we could've had headlines this morning to the effect of something like: “The revenge of Ellis Park.”

But the All Blacks are a quality team, and even when they're under the pump and trailing by a substantial margin, they often find ways to win – and last night, they once again did.

Speaking of his team's come-from-behind 41-35 victory, Kiwi coach Dave Rennie was full of praise for the Lions, the last URC team from South Africa to face the visitors during Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series.

“They came to play tonight,” Rennie said.

“They got off to a good start. They got the crowd into the game, and at 35-17 we were under a bit of heat.”

He said he was really impressed with the team's composure, especially under captain Patrick Tuipulotu, to tough it out for a narrow victory.

What looked like a potential surprise win for the Lions at one stage certainly proved to be the toughest contest for the men in black so far during RGR – if the end-whistle margin is anything to go by.

For Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, it must be a lose-win situation, as the Lions' gutsy performance showed that if you play rugby in the All Blacks' faces, keep them on the back foot, and are rock-solid on defence, the Boks can equalise the series this Saturday.

What is certain at this stage is that the Boks' talismanic skipper Siya Kolisi appears to be fit for the second Test of the series on 29 August.

As per standard requirements, for a player to be in contention for an upcoming Test, a full practice session on the Monday beforehand is required.

Erasmus said Kolisi went full steam ahead with his teammates on Monday and Tuesday.

“He's a very inspirational person,” Erasmus said.

It seems that some of Kolisi's magic will come in handy when the Boks attempt to level the series on Saturday.