Lions warned against taking law into own hands

The British & Irish Lions will go into today’s clash with Western Force with a warning from Warren Gatland not to react to provocation.

Head coach Gatland, who spoke of the need for players to “take one for the team” in response to the way fly-half Owen Farrell was drawn into a dust-up with Schalk Brits during Saturday’s tour opener against the Barbarians in Hong Kong, yesterday repeated his caution as quotes emerged from the Western Force camp that the Perth-based side were ready to give the tourists a feisty welcome to Australia today (11am Irish time).

“We want to go at them and let them know what it’s going to be like,” Force scrum-half Brett Sheehan said. “We don’t want to hold anything back.