Makeshift Lions fail to make Test case

Act Brumbies 14 British & Irish Lions 12

All talk of going unbeaten for the entire 10-game tour was forgotten as the Lions head coach tried to quickly draw a line under this lacklustre, ragged performance before the malaise spreads to the Test squad he hopes can front up against Australia in the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday.

It was the right thing to do. The Lions had suffered a first defeat to a provincial side since Northern Transvaal won in 1997 and if Gatland was to draw any comfort from that it was clearly that predecessor Ian McGeechan’s squad went on to win the Test series with South Africa, the last touring party to return home to these islands victorious.