THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SWEATY

One game down, and what a weird game it was. In my new Lions breakdowns you’ll get the views and news from all the Lions tests…

The Good

A 59-8 win is nothing to be sniffed at, albeit against the Barbarians. No better way to start your tour than with a crushing win, and you’d expect that effort to be maintained right up until the end.

As in all warm-up matches, the players are given a chance to impress and try and win a test squad place. A few players did not disappoint, most notably being Welsh winger Alex Cuthbert and scrum-half Mike Phillips who got a brace of tries each. Cuthbert used his pace superbly well to ghost past the Barbarians’ defence, while Phillips was quick and efficient from the back of the scrum, and took his chances well.

It was also positive for the Lions to see their scrum being so dominant at such an early stage. It was a good platform for them to build their attacks on, and it bodes well for the three tests at the end of June.

All in all, it was a good start to the tour.

The Bad

It was the Barbarians. While it’s a good game to start the tour with, it was really just for the sponsors. The Barbarians were never going to be competitive – they are a ramshackle team thrown together at short notice. If anybody expected the Lions to be run close by the invitational side then they were kidding themselves. In all honesty, if the Lions hadn’t won by such a commanding scoreline then it probably would have been a rather disappointing start for Warren Gatland.

Some of the players didn’t cover themselves in much glory either. Owen Farrell was the worst player on the park, apart from his goal kicking. But take that away and Farrell was poor all-round. Loose passes, poor kicks from hand and a bust-up with Saracens team-mate Schalk Brits epitomised Farrell’s performance – very poor. Sexton seems nailed on at 10 now. Mako Vunipola went missing around the park as well, as did Toby Faletau who will be hoping to wrestle the 8 jersey off Jamie Heaslip with a few better performances.

Where the scrum succeeded, the line-out failed. Both Richard Hibbard and his replacement Tom Youngs struggled to hit their jumpers and this is a simple thing they must get right. Best will be given his chance tomorrow, and you feel he must exploit his rivals’ failings and take that chance.

The Sweaty

Humidity reached 90% in Hong Kong during the match, and temperatures soared to just under 100°F. You have to admire the players’ fitness and resolve to play under those conditions. Needless to say, it’s good preparation for playing in the sweltering heat of Australia, however you’d like to think the conditions will be slightly more favourable in the land of Oz!

Fighting the Force

So now the Lions leave the Hong Kong heat behind and head to Perth to take on the Western Force. This game will take the same emphasis as the match in Hong Kong – with fifteen changes to the side that started against the Barbarians, it is a chance for the twenty-three players to impress in front of Warren Gatland again.

It is also very good to see that Ireland are well represented with eight players in the starting fifteen, including both Ulster representatives, Tommy Bowe and Rory Best. And by this time tomorrow we’ll have a better understanding of where those Irishmen stand in the Lions pecking order.

The Western Force won’t roll over – on their day they can provide some cracking rugby, and can beat anyone. Don’t let their poor Super Rugby record fool you, they can cause some damage. However, you would expect the Lions to have another handy win, and should they play to their full potential then there should be no problem.

Time for the Ulster Lions to roar!

British & Irish Lions vs. Western Force

Wednesday 5^th June, 11:00

Paterson’s Stadium, Perth

Warm-up match

Live on Sky Sports 1

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS

15. Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), 14. Tommy Bowe (Ireland), 13. Brian O’Driscoll (captain, Ireland), 12. Manu Tuilagi (England), 11. George North (Wales), 10. Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), 9. Conor Murray (Ireland); 1. Cian Healy (Ireland), 2. Rory Best (Ireland), 3. Dan Cole (England), 4. Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), 5. Ian Evans (Wales), 6. Tom Croft (England), 7. Sean O’Brien (Ireland), 8. Jamie Heaslip (Ireland).

16. Tom Youngs (England), 17. Mako Vunipola (England), 18. Matt Stevens (England), 19. Geoff Parling (England), 20. Toby Faletau (Wales), 21. Ben Youngs (England), 22. Owen Farrell (England), 23. Sean Maitland (Scotland).

WESTERN FORCE

15. Sam Christie, 14. Dane Haylett-Petty, 13. Ed Stubbs, 12. Chris Tuatara-Morrison, 11. Corey Brown, 10. Sam Norton-Knight, 9. Brett Sheehan; 1. Salesi Manu, 2. James Hilterbrand, 3. Salesi Ma’afu, 4. Toby Lynn, 5. Phoenix Battye, 6. Angus Cottrell, 7. Matt Hodgson (captain), 8. Richard Brown.

16. Hugh Roach, 17. Sione Kolo, 18. Tim Metcher, 19. Ben Matwijow, 20. Lachlan McCaffrey, 21. Alby Mathewson, 22. Nick Haining, 23. Junior Rasolea.

Referee: Glen Jackson (NZ)

Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (RSA), Garratt Williamson (NZ)

TMO: tba (NZ)