The Lions' opponents were not so much an hors d'oeuvre as an aperitif, but there are still issues for Warren Gatland to address
Western Force was not an apt name for the Lions' first opponents in Australia. The weakest of the country's five Super 15 teams were not at full force because of Wallaby call-ups and the absence of a number of regular starters who were being rested for the weekend encounter against the Waratahs.
Playing against the Lions in the build-up to a Test series has a cache, but no meaning. They have gone the way of county matches against touring cricket teams in Britain, not so much an hors d'oeuvre as an aperitif.
Ian McGeechan rounded on the Australians in his capacity as a Sky analyst on Wednesday for not proving more meaningful opposition in the warm-ups, but when the point was made to him in 2009, when he was the head coach on the tour to South Africa and preparing for provincial teams who were the equivalent of a lower-half Premiership club, he was more diplomatic in his response.
The Lions went into the opening Test in South Africa suffering from New Zealand World Cup syndrome, a condition brought about by a lack of oven heat in the early skirmishes leaving the subject undercooked when the competitive action starts. The All Blacks had a breeze of a pool in 2007, facing Scotland's reserves in the one game they thought would provide some sort of test, and they lost to France in the quarter-finals.
The romp against Western Force was not a worthless 80 minutes because there were issues to be addressed, such as indiscipline, especially at the breakdown, and a defensive fallibility around the fringes of rucks, but at no stage was the outcome ever in doubt.
The team that thrashed the Barbarians in Hong Kong last Saturday had the advantage of being together for two weeks and it was underpinned by nine Wales players. Wednesday's starting line-up largely consisted of players who joined the squad the day before the party flew out of London, and if Warren Gatland looked, in part, to offset unfamiliarity by including six players who had been involved in 2009 and having familiar combinations at 8/9/10 and the second row, there was an understandable lack of cohesion at times.
The Lions were dismissed as slabs of red meat by the Australian media when the squad was announced, but they have not looked to grind down the opposition in their opening two games. They have not needed to with possession plentiful, although they conceded 16 penalties and free-kicks on Wednesday to give the Force access to their 22, but they have taken the opportunity to play with pace.
Their clear-out at the breakdown was initially excellent, allowing quick ball to be moved with alacrity, although Conor Murray at times opted to set up another ruck and give the Force the chance to slow down possession. A problem with blow-outs is that they can hamper the selection process because individual and collective weaknesses are not exposed and exploited, but the back division the Lions started with may not be far from the one that lines up in the first Test.
Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Jonathan Sexton will take some shifting, while Tommy Bowe and Brian O'Driscoll are probables, facing the not inconsiderable challenges of Alex Cuthbert and Jonathan Davies. Manu Tuilagi did not look out of place at 12, using his strength, like North, to commit tacklers and keep the ball alive, but Jamie Roberts did the same in Hong Kong and is proven in the position. Murray may have a similar style to Mike Phillips, but he lacks the Welshman's experience and decision-making.
Tuilagi and North may not have been among the try scorers, but they created havoc. North has become less of a finisher for Wales – he has scored three tries in his past 18 Tests – as a provider for others. He roamed the pitch like a midfielder in football and took such stopping that there were holes around him. O'Driscoll's two tries came after busts from North and Tuilagi that were supplemented by deft off-loads, and while it is one thing to show sleight-of-hand against outclassed and outgunned opponents and another to do so in the intensity of a Test match, the Lions are approaching this tour as they did 2009 when they outscored the Springboks on tries.
Gatland will hope that the Queensland Reds have more to them on Saturday than a determination to keep going, although they will also not be at full-strength. The coach will use training sessions as a pointer for selection more than the warm-up matches, starting next week, because he needs to see how players perform under pressure and there are a number of combinations he has not looked at yet.
They include the half-backs Sexton and Phillips. Ben Youngs will start against the Reds, leaving Phillips and Sexton having potentially one match together before the first Test, against the Waratahs next week. The back row combination may not even have that luxury, an area of such immense strength for the tourists that any of three formations would do.
It made a change that after the match there was no clamour for Jonny Wilkinson to be picked. Sexton's ability to manage the attack from the gainline and the boot of Halfpenny – 11 kicks out of 11 in a faultless display that made it seem as if the posts were the width of the pitch – made the issue redundant, but it is only an injury away from making a comeback despite the relish with which the Lions have been attacking.
*MONEY TALKS*
The Lions are having one fierce battle with Australia, over the share-out of the proceeds from a tour. The vast majority of the profits go to the host union, with the tourists making around £4m.
They feel exploited and want the agreement with the Sanzar unions to be significantly changed when it comes up for renewal after the 2017 trip to New Zealand, seeking to have a cut of the television and gate money.
Lobbyists for the Lions have been arguing how unfair the current system is, and they have a point, as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have argued in recent years.
The three countries offered at a meeting of the International Rugby Board during the 2011 World Cup to share the profits they made from a Lions tour with the other unions, arguing that it should be part of a shake-up of how income from all Test rugby is distributed.
When England play New Zealand at Twickenham, or Wales entertain the All Blacks in Cardiff, the home sides make considerably more money from television, sponsorship and gate receipts than the New Zealand union does when hosting the two countries. The argument that there should be an equal split has been laughed at by the home unions and France.
The Lions are now arguing exactly the same in reverse, keeping a straight face in the process. The offer is already on the table for them, although they fail to factor in that the £4m they make from one tour has to be multiplied three times for the host union, who welcome the tourists every 12 years.
*COMMERCIAL BREAK*
Money seemed to be the theme of the opening match in Hong Kong, a city where the Lions' major sponsors have interests.
Neither the climate nor the opposition was up to much, but the Lions denied that the fixture against the Barbarians in Hong was a nakedly commercial affair that was not made by the four home unions.
"It was a decision taken by the Lions, and for rugby-based reasons," said their former captain and current ambassador Gavin Hastings. "Being based in Hong Kong for the initial few days was quite a good way of integrating the squad, some of whom hardly know each other, and one or two of whom only arrived in the couple of days before the game. Perhaps more significantly, the fact is that Australia could only guarantee nine matches – and the Lions wanted to have a total of 10, to allow them to have six games before the first Test.
"The rugby authorities in Hong Kong were very pleased with the way the game went, and may even hope to bid again for the opening match of future tours. But, while I'm convinced it was a useful exercise, I'm not convinced it should be repeated any time soon: apart from anything else, both South Africa and New Zealand have greater strength in depth and playing numbers than Australia, so they would be able to guarantee the tourists that extra game they wanted."
Even so, the Lions are mulling over options en route to New Zealand in 2017, although a fixture against Fiji, which would not have much going for it commercially, has been ruled out.
*WOODWARD RAGES AT LIONS' PREY*
Sir Clive Woodward was among those raging at the lack of quality the Lions will be facing in the run-up to the first Test.
"It is unacceptable and disgraceful to cobble together a weakened, second-string club team to play against some of the best players in the world on one of the great rugby tours," thundered the 2005 Lions coach in his Daily Mail column.
"Having lived and worked in Australia for five years, there is no bigger supporter of Australian sport but what on earth is going on? Can you imagine Leicester inviting the All Blacks to Welford Road and putting out a second-string side? It simply would not happen. Treating the Lions with such contempt threatens to undermine their status in the global game."
Up to a point. Leicester played South Africa at Welford Road in November 2009, beating them 24-17 with a team that was, of necessity, far from full strength, although it did feature two young players who are with the 2013 Lions, Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs.
*STILL WANT MORE?*
Find out who made the grade in our list of the 50 greatest Lions players of all time.
An A to Z history of the Lions, featuring punch-ups, glass eyes, stoats, a charging rhinoceros and wrecked hotel rooms.
Some interesting news this week: former dual code international Henry Paul has been given the task of converting American football players to union for the American Barbarians team to take on London Irish.
And to subscribe to the Breakdown, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Reported by guardian.co.uk 13 hours ago.
Western Force was not an apt name for the Lions' first opponents in Australia. The weakest of the country's five Super 15 teams were not at full force because of Wallaby call-ups and the absence of a number of regular starters who were being rested for the weekend encounter against the Waratahs.
Playing against the Lions in the build-up to a Test series has a cache, but no meaning. They have gone the way of county matches against touring cricket teams in Britain, not so much an hors d'oeuvre as an aperitif.
Ian McGeechan rounded on the Australians in his capacity as a Sky analyst on Wednesday for not proving more meaningful opposition in the warm-ups, but when the point was made to him in 2009, when he was the head coach on the tour to South Africa and preparing for provincial teams who were the equivalent of a lower-half Premiership club, he was more diplomatic in his response.
The Lions went into the opening Test in South Africa suffering from New Zealand World Cup syndrome, a condition brought about by a lack of oven heat in the early skirmishes leaving the subject undercooked when the competitive action starts. The All Blacks had a breeze of a pool in 2007, facing Scotland's reserves in the one game they thought would provide some sort of test, and they lost to France in the quarter-finals.
The romp against Western Force was not a worthless 80 minutes because there were issues to be addressed, such as indiscipline, especially at the breakdown, and a defensive fallibility around the fringes of rucks, but at no stage was the outcome ever in doubt.
The team that thrashed the Barbarians in Hong Kong last Saturday had the advantage of being together for two weeks and it was underpinned by nine Wales players. Wednesday's starting line-up largely consisted of players who joined the squad the day before the party flew out of London, and if Warren Gatland looked, in part, to offset unfamiliarity by including six players who had been involved in 2009 and having familiar combinations at 8/9/10 and the second row, there was an understandable lack of cohesion at times.
The Lions were dismissed as slabs of red meat by the Australian media when the squad was announced, but they have not looked to grind down the opposition in their opening two games. They have not needed to with possession plentiful, although they conceded 16 penalties and free-kicks on Wednesday to give the Force access to their 22, but they have taken the opportunity to play with pace.
Their clear-out at the breakdown was initially excellent, allowing quick ball to be moved with alacrity, although Conor Murray at times opted to set up another ruck and give the Force the chance to slow down possession. A problem with blow-outs is that they can hamper the selection process because individual and collective weaknesses are not exposed and exploited, but the back division the Lions started with may not be far from the one that lines up in the first Test.
Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Jonathan Sexton will take some shifting, while Tommy Bowe and Brian O'Driscoll are probables, facing the not inconsiderable challenges of Alex Cuthbert and Jonathan Davies. Manu Tuilagi did not look out of place at 12, using his strength, like North, to commit tacklers and keep the ball alive, but Jamie Roberts did the same in Hong Kong and is proven in the position. Murray may have a similar style to Mike Phillips, but he lacks the Welshman's experience and decision-making.
Tuilagi and North may not have been among the try scorers, but they created havoc. North has become less of a finisher for Wales – he has scored three tries in his past 18 Tests – as a provider for others. He roamed the pitch like a midfielder in football and took such stopping that there were holes around him. O'Driscoll's two tries came after busts from North and Tuilagi that were supplemented by deft off-loads, and while it is one thing to show sleight-of-hand against outclassed and outgunned opponents and another to do so in the intensity of a Test match, the Lions are approaching this tour as they did 2009 when they outscored the Springboks on tries.
Gatland will hope that the Queensland Reds have more to them on Saturday than a determination to keep going, although they will also not be at full-strength. The coach will use training sessions as a pointer for selection more than the warm-up matches, starting next week, because he needs to see how players perform under pressure and there are a number of combinations he has not looked at yet.
They include the half-backs Sexton and Phillips. Ben Youngs will start against the Reds, leaving Phillips and Sexton having potentially one match together before the first Test, against the Waratahs next week. The back row combination may not even have that luxury, an area of such immense strength for the tourists that any of three formations would do.
It made a change that after the match there was no clamour for Jonny Wilkinson to be picked. Sexton's ability to manage the attack from the gainline and the boot of Halfpenny – 11 kicks out of 11 in a faultless display that made it seem as if the posts were the width of the pitch – made the issue redundant, but it is only an injury away from making a comeback despite the relish with which the Lions have been attacking.
*MONEY TALKS*
The Lions are having one fierce battle with Australia, over the share-out of the proceeds from a tour. The vast majority of the profits go to the host union, with the tourists making around £4m.
They feel exploited and want the agreement with the Sanzar unions to be significantly changed when it comes up for renewal after the 2017 trip to New Zealand, seeking to have a cut of the television and gate money.
Lobbyists for the Lions have been arguing how unfair the current system is, and they have a point, as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have argued in recent years.
The three countries offered at a meeting of the International Rugby Board during the 2011 World Cup to share the profits they made from a Lions tour with the other unions, arguing that it should be part of a shake-up of how income from all Test rugby is distributed.
When England play New Zealand at Twickenham, or Wales entertain the All Blacks in Cardiff, the home sides make considerably more money from television, sponsorship and gate receipts than the New Zealand union does when hosting the two countries. The argument that there should be an equal split has been laughed at by the home unions and France.
The Lions are now arguing exactly the same in reverse, keeping a straight face in the process. The offer is already on the table for them, although they fail to factor in that the £4m they make from one tour has to be multiplied three times for the host union, who welcome the tourists every 12 years.
*COMMERCIAL BREAK*
Money seemed to be the theme of the opening match in Hong Kong, a city where the Lions' major sponsors have interests.
Neither the climate nor the opposition was up to much, but the Lions denied that the fixture against the Barbarians in Hong was a nakedly commercial affair that was not made by the four home unions.
"It was a decision taken by the Lions, and for rugby-based reasons," said their former captain and current ambassador Gavin Hastings. "Being based in Hong Kong for the initial few days was quite a good way of integrating the squad, some of whom hardly know each other, and one or two of whom only arrived in the couple of days before the game. Perhaps more significantly, the fact is that Australia could only guarantee nine matches – and the Lions wanted to have a total of 10, to allow them to have six games before the first Test.
"The rugby authorities in Hong Kong were very pleased with the way the game went, and may even hope to bid again for the opening match of future tours. But, while I'm convinced it was a useful exercise, I'm not convinced it should be repeated any time soon: apart from anything else, both South Africa and New Zealand have greater strength in depth and playing numbers than Australia, so they would be able to guarantee the tourists that extra game they wanted."
Even so, the Lions are mulling over options en route to New Zealand in 2017, although a fixture against Fiji, which would not have much going for it commercially, has been ruled out.
*WOODWARD RAGES AT LIONS' PREY*
Sir Clive Woodward was among those raging at the lack of quality the Lions will be facing in the run-up to the first Test.
"It is unacceptable and disgraceful to cobble together a weakened, second-string club team to play against some of the best players in the world on one of the great rugby tours," thundered the 2005 Lions coach in his Daily Mail column.
"Having lived and worked in Australia for five years, there is no bigger supporter of Australian sport but what on earth is going on? Can you imagine Leicester inviting the All Blacks to Welford Road and putting out a second-string side? It simply would not happen. Treating the Lions with such contempt threatens to undermine their status in the global game."
Up to a point. Leicester played South Africa at Welford Road in November 2009, beating them 24-17 with a team that was, of necessity, far from full strength, although it did feature two young players who are with the 2013 Lions, Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs.
*STILL WANT MORE?*
Find out who made the grade in our list of the 50 greatest Lions players of all time.
An A to Z history of the Lions, featuring punch-ups, glass eyes, stoats, a charging rhinoceros and wrecked hotel rooms.
Some interesting news this week: former dual code international Henry Paul has been given the task of converting American football players to union for the American Barbarians team to take on London Irish.
And to subscribe to the Breakdown, just visit this page and follow the instructions. Reported by guardian.co.uk 13 hours ago.