Gatland all smiles as Lions run amok

Warren Gatland knows there will be tougher days than the one his British & Irish Lions faced in Western Australia yesterday, starting this Saturday in Brisbane, yet you could not blame the head coach for feeling a little pleased with the ruthless way his team dispatched their opponents.

The Force was not strong at Patersons Stadium, certainly nowhere near strong enough to derail a completely new Lions 15 from chalking up a second win of this fledgling tour with nine tries and some outstanding place-kicking from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny, who succeeded with 11 kicks from 11 and contributed 24 points with nine conversions and two penalties.

Gatland’s vow to give every member of his 37-player squad a start in the first three games has already revealed some winning combinations and judging by the performances of yesterday’s back rowers Tom Croft, Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip, the expected all-Welsh Test trio is far from a done deal.