: Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:47 pm
The lessons from the Royal XV game seemed to have been learned very quickly - don't take the ball into contact and give the opposition chance to compete, don't kick aimless ball away (are you listening Ronan, you're not at a wet, cold Thomond Park kicking it into the corners now), make your first up tackles.
Jamie Roberts looks like being a star on this tour if he can keep this form up. Even taking into account the level of the opposition he's been breaking tackles and giving his forwards a target in both games.
Croft, Stephen Jones and Mike Phillips all put their hands up for the Test side big style yesterday - the Lions need to have pace and dynamism right across the park rather than big lumbering forwards clogging up the middle.
If I was picking the first Test side now, I'd have to go with:
Byrne, Bowe, O'Driscoll, Roberts, S.Williams, S. Jones, Phillips, Jenkins, Mears, Sheridan, AW Jones, O'Connell, Croft, M. Williams, Powell