The Lions now have to win in Wellington next weekend to keep the series alive, but Gatland believes they can still push the world champions as they try to keep alive their dream of being the first Lions side since 1971 to win a series in New Zealand.
“We switched off for two tries, and we missed a number of opportunities, but they are things we can fix,” said Gatland.
“We created some chances and shifted things pretty well. We were looking to get the upper hand up front, but in fairness to them they got that.
“We have got to be much more aggressive in hitting past the ball and, defensively, we have to come in a bit harder at close quarters. There are no excuses about the result because they deserved that.
“But there are definitely things we can work on and improve. We gave away a few penalties, which was disappointing, and we didn’t get much of a return from our line-out drive.”
Opposite number Steve Hansen described Sean O’Brien’s first half try for the Lions as “one of the best tries
scored in the history of test rugby”. And the All Blacks skipper, Kieran Read, was also full of praise for the Lions.
“It was a hell of a Test match – we got really tested in the first half and just after half-time. The Lions played outstandingly well and we had to work really hard for the win,” said Read, who was playing only his fifth game in seven months.
“It means the game in Wellington is a one-off, which makes it very dangerous. We know we will still have to work hard for it.”
