Lions hoping to 'raise the bar' against Cheetahs

The British and Irish Lions had a declared intention of “raising the bar” in their third South Africa tour game at Vodacom Park.

The Lions produced a scintillating midweek display by crushing the Golden Lions 74-10 in Johannesburg.

And they looked to improve on that performance against a Cheetahs side that finished last in this season’s Super 14 competition.

Paul O’Connell led a Lions team that featured several first-time tour starters, including wing Leigh Halfpenny, centre Luke Fitzgerald, fly-half James Hook and lock Donncha O’Callaghan.

And there were six starters from the side that struggled to hold off a Royal XV in Rustenburg last Saturday, with centre Keith Earls back in action after suffering a shoulder injury during that match.