Was it deliberate? No.

The Herald reports:

Sonny Bill Williams made history for the wrong reasons tonight when he became the first All Black to be sent off in a test for 50 years, and the first ever in a British and Irish Lions test.

Second-five Williams was shown a red card by referee Jerome Garces in the 25th minute after connecting with his shoulder to the head of Lions wing Anthony Watson, who left the field for a head injury assessment but returned.

Garces watched several replays in slow motion before making his decision, and Williams can’t have too many complaints – but it was probably more clumsy than intentional.

I don’t think it was intentional, but it probably cost us the match.

It was probably the main reason for their defeat, their first in New Zealand of course since their loss to South Africa in Hamilton in 2009.

Not a bad home streak.