Finding the positives from the phoney war

Four games in and despite the fact that three of the Lions’ ‘contests’ had nothing like the competitiveness Warren Gatland is craving, his test side is beginning to take shape in Australia.

After the adrenaline rush that accompanied that classic contrast of styles in Brisbane last Saturday when the Reds asked some interesting questions of the tourists, it was back to the shadow boxing in Newcastle yesterday against a Combined Country side which was completely out of its depth. It didn’t help either that, in an attempt to reveal nothing to the forensic analysis that fuels the Australian management, the Lions revealed nothing by way of back line moves and lineout options.

If the Lions go on to win the series against the Wallabies over the next few weeks, and all the early evidence suggests that they are more than capable of doing that, then they will have done so despite the best efforts of the Australian Rugby Union to dilute the value and significance of the games leading up to the opening test.