TOLL STADIUM, Whangarei -- If the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians were meant to be the most straight-forward opponents the British & Irish Lions will face, then the tourists have been served a stark reminder over just how hard this series will be.
The Lions opened their 2017 tour with a nervy 13-7 win in Whangarei, a match they were expected to win comfortably. Though they only arrived on Wednesday, there will be no excuses from Warren Gatland. They looked sluggish in the opening exchanges and failed to capitalise on solid try-scoring opportunities against a group who played well above their status as Super Rugby nearlymen.
The Barbarians played with real heart, steered brilliantly by Bryn Gatland. He brought an all-court arsenal to the game as he pressed and prodded the Lions with deft kicks. In the end they ran out of puff but stayed with the Lions for the full 80. They have set the bar high, with the five franchises and All Blacks lying in wait.
The Lions will be relieved to have got the tour off to a winning start, but will have to learn and gel quickly with sterner tests on the horizon. Here are some lessons learned from their tour opener.
Wrap Taulupe Faletau in cotton wool
Faletau is the most important player in the Lions' squad. With Billy Vunipola injured, Faletau is their premier option at No. 8 and showcased just why he is so indispensable with a standout performance amid the gloom of this tour opener.
He carried brilliantly and would have dominated the half-time highlight reels after he made a key try-saving tackle on Inga Finau who had the tryline beckoning.
If the Lions are to play with a directness, then Faletau will see plenty of ball. He has wonderful hands but marries that with set piece brilliance. He is absolutely key to the Lions.
Accuracy needs work
The Lions squandered four first-half opportunities with passes finding the ground or touch. The set piece was also less dominant than expected with the Barbarians pack matching what the Lions offered. This will improve with time and understanding but the wastefulness needs to be sorted in time for the Blues match. Just one try was a poor return.
They also need to address how they deal with receiving kicks. Twice in the first half restarts went to ground -- the opening kick-off from the Barbarians nearly led to a try -- while Bryn Gatland's brilliant game management caused the Lions all sorts of difficulty as his ability to kick high, long and short resulted in confusion from those in red.
Form is king
The Lions shifted up a gear when Owen Farrell came on for Jonathan Sexton. The Ireland fly-half is struggling for form and lacked his usual assuredness. He made uncharacteristic errors in the 48 minutes he spent on the field and while nerves and jet-lag can perhaps explain his early missed shot at the posts, Farrell made an impact in steadying the ship.
Stuart Hogg will also need to make up ground after a shaky defensive performance. Though brilliant heading forward, the Barbarians got plenty of change out of him in the first half.
On the flip side, Ross Moriarty put in a solid showing in the back row. He did his chances of featuring in the Tests no harm.
Test rookies impress
They have started just one Test between them, but the performances of Ben Te'o and Kyle Sinckler were two positives for the Lions. Te'o was the centrifugal point for their attacking game, and was their best option at breaking the line. His offloads from the turf were also at the perfect height for the rampaging forwards to pick off.
For a tight-head, Sinckler's hands were exceptional and you can see that he began life in the backs. He was clearly fired up for this match and despite having never started a Test, he looked right at home in the red jersey. The only blot on his copybook will be his second-half decision to quick tap a penalty and then immediately concede one a few paces later.