The Lions jinx strikes early

LEST anyone was in any doubt, Saturday’s game in Rotorua provided the perfect preparation for what the British and Irish Lions can expect over the next five weeks.

With just one All Black amongst their ranks in former full back Adrian Cashmore, last season's provincial semi-finalists provided a searing test for the Lions.

While Clive Woodward will be happy with this opening tour victory and the early show of character in subduing a rampant Bay of Plenty effort, victory has come at a huge cost.

History repeated itself with the Lions losing a player to injury in their opening game. Last time out, Simon Taylor was the unlucky victim. On the back of Malcolm O'Kelly's withdrawal during the week, Lawrence Dallaglio's loss to the tour as a result of a dislocated ankle is a massive blow.

The fact that Dallaglio was appointed both vice-captain and pack leader for Saturday's game was an indication of his worth to the squad. In terms of leadership, character, experience and will to win, he was the one forward the Lions could ill afford to lose. Injuries have played a huge part in derailing Lions squads in recent series. Once again, the jinx has struck early.

On any tour of this nature, it is vital to start with a win. Even with the lack of preparation, the quality of the Lions' performance in the opening period was breathtaking. Three quality tries in the opening ten minutes says a lot about their mental preparation. If anything, it lulled them into a false sense of security. That said, their ability to recycle and put width on their game made the hosts look distinctly ordinary early on.

In order to subdue New Zealand teams, it is imperative that you lay down a marker up front. Given the early success of their passing game, the Lions were guilty of failing to engage the Bay of Plenty forwards in a physical confrontation. As a result, their pack became increasingly influential at both scrum and lineout as the game progressed. It was a measure of the quality in the home side that they overturned a 17-point deficit to draw level at half time.

Throughout the Super 12 series, all the New Zealand sides produced quality back-row forwards. This was further in evidence at the All Blacks trial on Friday. Throughout Saturday's game, the Bay's back row trio turned over a considerable amount of Lions possession. Given the quality of their midfield backs, this proved fatal.

If the Lions are to succeed in the test series, it is imperative that they protect possession at the breakdown. The All Blacks will run from turnover ball and with pace to burn, they will be devastating. Over the years, Dallaglio has been outstanding at slowing opposition ball at this phase. His influence will be sorely missed in that context.

The one positive to emerge in this area was the performance of Richard Hill. He missed the majority of the domestic season due to a knee ligament injury and only returned to action with Saracens in April. On Saturday's evidence and in Dallaglio's absence, he now has a huge role to play.

Given that the business end of the tour has now started, the Lions coaches have plenty of meat with which to work on the training field. In this respect, one suspects that defensive coaches Phil Larder and Mike Ford will be demanding more time to improve defensive communication. While the Lions close-in defence was excellent at times, they missed too many one-on-one tackles. Given the upper body strength of all the New Zealand sides and their ability to off-load in the tackle, the Lions must improve in this area. While Ronan O'Gara enjoyed a productive opening game, he will no doubt be subjected to a severe debriefing with Larder for two costly defensive errors. One hopes that it doesn't cloud his overall positive contribution. It is also clear that the combination of Brian O'Driscoll and Gavin Henson in the centre will require time to bed down.

Impressive displays from Josh Lewsey, Dwayne Peel, Paul O'Connell and Hill have reaffirmed their hold on test positions. Lewsey, in particular, was outstanding. Quite why England play him on the wing and Jason Robinson at full-back is a mystery. It is clear that both players are more comfortable when their roles are reversed. With both Robinson and Gareth Thomas finally arriving this week, the Lions will be afforded even more attacking options out wide.

Over the next seven days, the Lions face a tricky assignment against Taranaki and a massive physical confrontation against the New Zealand Maori side. They got their preparations for that game off to an excellent start with a victory over Fiji in Suva on Friday. With at least six additional players to be added to their team for next Saturday's clash, they are ready and waiting as they attempt to defeat the Lions for the first time in their proud history.

Also of interest to the Lions management over the weekend was the All Blacks trial. While a number of the bigger guns were missing Tana Umaga, Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter there was sufficient quality on view to suggest New Zealand will have an embarrassment of riches behind the scrum. In this respect, none did better than Ma'a Nonu and Fijian sensation Sitiveni Sivivatu. Once again, New Zealand has been ruthless in robbing talent from their Pacific island neighbours. Nonu looks equally comfortable in midfield or on the wing and it seems that he may be held back as an impact player off the bench. What a luxury to have.

Up front, the lineout options available to Graham Henry are limited and the returning Ali Williams failed to impress in the second row. However, he still looks set to play in the test series.

Much of the Lions focus since their arrival in New Zealand was on creating a charm offensive for their hosts. From here on in, they will need to let their rugby do the talking.