The Lions expected nothing else here and they were not disappointed

The Lions expected nothing else here, and they were not disappointed as Otago ripped into the rucks, recycled the ball at high speed and loaded the bullets for their excellent half-backs, Danny Lee and Nick Evans, to fire. Suddenly, the continuity that had patently been lacking in the defeat by the Maori and the leaden-footed victory over Wellington blossomed forth as Charlie Hodgson, Will Greenwood and Geordan Murphy put their sophisticated wares in the shop window. Then there’s Martyn Williams, and his chances, and those of Stephen Jones, would only be improved if the Lions decided to play with a Welsh accent.For Woodward, though, it is not only a question of back to basics but back to the players who have been there and done it, which explains why, despite the emergence of Ryan Jones, the loss of Dallaglio is such a blow.Brian O’Driscoll’s mission is to match the achievement of John Dawes, the Wales centre who in 1971 became the first and last Lions captain to win a series in New Zealand.”There is a degree of confusion as to what type of game the Lions want to play,” Dawes told the Independent on Sunday, “but they’re building towards a team laced with the remnants from England’s World Cup victory Woodward knows what they are capable of. In the 19-13 loss to the magnificent Maori in Hamilton last weekend, Corry was absent from the back row, and the bemused Lions forwards were herded into a corner.”That defeat has made us more determined,” Sir Clive Woodward said.

“We were beaten because of the way we played rather than because of things we couldn’t control, and that means there are aspects of our game we can put right. When we’re really playing for keeps our strongest side will be on the field.”Against the Maori the Lions were in so much trouble at the breakdown they could have done with an AA recovery truck on the touchline. The loss, through injury, not only of Dallaglio but Simon Taylor, a dynamic performer on his day, has altered the back-row equation, but the replacements, Simon Easterby and Ryan Jones, have stepped up to the mark.As swaps go this hasn’t worked out too badly at all, and yesterday Jones gave the selectors something to think about by playing a blinder. His dovetailing – or Osprey-tailing – with Shane Williams turned the match in flashes which were reminiscent of Wales’s approach in the Six Nations. Will it influence Woodward’s approach for the First Test in Christchurch? Probably not.The head coach is likely to favour Corry flanked by Neil Back and Richard Hill. Back, at 36 the longest-toothed Lion, was outplayed by Joe Worsley (remember him?) in the Premiership final between Leic-ester and Wasps. In the absence of blazing a trail to the try-line in New Zealand the Lions will attempt to do the next best thing, and that is deny the All Blacks possession and kick them into submission.

It may not win many marks for artistic merit, but if the end justifies the means, so be it.
Even when the Lions put Wellington, supposedly the second-best provincial side in the country, in an armlock last Wednesday there was precious little sign of a brilliant cutting edge, although in much better conditions the tourists enjoyed an excellent second half in yesterday’s victory over Otago in Dunedin.In Wellington, the Lions fielded the nucleus of their Test side, with Dwayne Peel and Jonny Wilkinson at half- back, Gethin Jenkins and Julian White propping an impressive scrum and Martin Corry emerging as the leader of the pack in the absence of Lawrence Dallaglio. Substitutes used: Seuseu, Godwin, Wild, Tomkins.Referee: I Smith (Oldham).. The best form of attack is defence. Substitutes used: Lauiti’iti, Poching, McGuire, McDermott.Wigan: Brown; Carney, Aspinwall, Botham, Melling; Moran, Coyle; Guisset, Newton, Sculthorpe, Hansen, Tickle, Allen. What was worrying to see, though, was how little encouragement they seemed to be getting from some of their senior players during Leeds’ second-half demolition job.Leeds: Mathers; Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai; Sinfield, Burrow; Bailey, Dunemann, Ward, McKenna, Jones-Buchanan, Ellis.