OPINION: Step aside, Wayne Barnes.

Make room in that special corner of Kiwi hearts reserved for you after 2007 and the World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff.

A French referee called Mathieu Raynal was on fire in Christchurch on Saturday night.

GETTY IMAGES Mathieu Raynal watches the play unfold. At least that's what he appears to be doing.

We discovered he doesn't appear to recognise the difference between a scrum being overpowered and a scrum being illegally turned.

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1 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES The difference maker! Owen Farrell's boot guides the Lions to victory over the Crusaders. 2 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES A chance goes begging as CJ Stander drops the ball cold on the break. 3 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Seta Tamanivalu gets back on defence to scrag Anthony Watson down from behind. 4 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Lions winger Liam Williams attempts the chip and chase over Richie Mo'unga. 5 of 22 JOHN DAVIDSON/PHOTOSPORT Daylight! Jack Goodhue breaks through the Lions line in the second half. 6 of 22 JOSEPH JOHNSON/THE PRESS A Lions fans disagrees with the referee's decision the match. 7 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Anthony Watson manages to escape the grasp of Codie Taylor. 8 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Ben Te'o looks for a gap in the Crusaders defence. 9 of 22 Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images Israel Dagg shows a safe pair of hands as the Lions bomb up an up and under. 10 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Liam Williams tries to escape the tackle of Seta Tamanivalu. 11 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Bit of argy-bargy in there as a scuffle breaks out during the first half. 12 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Lions fullback Stuart Hogg leaves the pitch for treatment to a nasty cut above the eye after running into a teammates elbow. 13 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Sean O'Brien of the Lions attempts to squeeze his way through the combo of Richie Mo'unga and Sam Whitelock. 14 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES First points of the night come through the boot of Owen Farrell. 15 of 22 JOHN DAVIDSON/PHOTOSPORT Luke Romano takes the ball up the middle and is met by Lions prop Mako Vunipola. 16 of 22 MARTIN HUNTER/PHOTOSPORT The Lions requested Super Rugby sides perform the haka on this tour, so the lead in to games is akin to what they expect in the tests. 17 of 22 DAN SHERIDAN/PHOTOSPORT A fierce Israel Dagg during the Crusaders haka. 18 of 22 KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES The Crusaders perform their haka prior to the match. 19 of 22 DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES Captain for the day Alun-Wyn Jones leads the Lions out onto the field with the team's mascot in hand. 20 of 22 JOSEPH JOHNSON/THE PRESS Injured Crusaders midfielder Ryan Crotty watches on as the two sides warm up. 21 of 22 KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES Lions fans donning their war paint for the game. 22 of 22 KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES Lions fans, complete with kilts, gather prior to the match at AMI Stadium.

The stunning season the Crusaders have had to date was based first on their set pieces. Raynal was responsible for taking the scrum card out of their hand.

Five minutes from halftime he allowed Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones to pull down a promising Crusaders maul near their line. At the least it was a penalty. It wasn't far off being a yellow card. Raynal ignored it.

Owen Farrell had a chance to advance the lead to 12-3 three minutes into the second half. Thirty seconds earlier there should have been a penalty to the Crusaders when a Lions forward illegally kicked the ball through.

JOSEPH JOHNSON/FAIRFAX NZ Mathieu Raynal's interpretation of the scrum infuriated the Crusaders.

Liam Williams knocked the ball forward three metres, in a move that went close to being a try for Anthony Watson, and it took the television match official to point that out to Raynal.

Not that all the early problems were posed by strange refereeing. This was the worst game the Crusaders have played all season.

Did the Lions deserve to win? Yes, they did. Absolutely no question about that.

Did they win ugly? It depends on which part of the world you're looking from.

The Barmy Army would have loved the fact they won in the time honoured northern way. No tries, but a swag of penalty goals.

To New Zealand eyes, used to the way the All Blacks, and our Super Rugby teams play, it was a trip back in time to the black and white newsreels of our rugby in the 1950s, when an All Black, Ross Brown, could play 80 minute of rugby in a test with South Africa, and only touch the ball two or three times.

GETTY Scott Robertson had a right to be frustrated.

"And I," as he would say in wonder 50 years later, "was the first-five!"

You yearned for some flashes of the counter attacking brilliance an on-song Crusaders side can provide. Instead they were jittery at the start, and never really found their groove at any time.

Pressure in sport can be a cruel, weird beast.

JOSEPH JOHNSON/FAIRFAX NZ Alun Wyn Jones says the Lions needed a rest ahead of the deciding test.

Ask Greg Norman. Double check with Dean Barker. And, if you dared, you might have asked the Crusaders on Saturday night.

You couldn't blame Raynal for the lineout woes. Or for the trouble they had trying to clean up their kickoff reception. You might have applauded the Crusaders for looking to start the point of attack from the back of the lineout, but it not only looked risky from the start, it proved to be a real problem.

The most enjoyable part of the Crusaders' game this year has been their counter attacking, with men like Israel Dagg, George Bridge, and David Havili not only elusive, but also accurate, in their passing, and in the air.

PHOTOSPORT Matt Todd of the Crusaders is tackled by Sean O'Brien of the Lions.

Saturday night? Players who never spill the ball were dropping it. And the way the Lions play, which largely, we now see after Eden Park and last night, is based on kick and chase calls for complete competence, if you're to deal with it.

Of the many Lions who played extremely well, the key man was Conor Murray, the Irish halfback, whose kicking at the base of breakdowns and scrums was absolutely superb.

Before the tour started Sean Fitzpatrick suggested Murray would be one of the most vital players in the Lions' squad, and if he continues this form he certainly will be.

Not far behind him was Owen Farrell. Farrell, we already knew, is a superb place kicker, but he was just as impressive in how he controlled the game.

The Lions looked terrible in Whangarei, better but still shaky in Auckland, but now they shape as genuine challengers. The test series now looks infinitely more interesting.

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