No test in the comfort zone

It looks very rosy for the Lions at the moment but there is a slightly unreal sense about the tour. The opening matches have been just a little too comfortable and you can sense that some tough moments lie ahead.

There is little to say about yesterday's handsome win that is not already self-evident. The touring side struggled in the first half, partially because the Queensland selection were so fired up and also because many of the Lions were playing together for the first time and that lack of familiarity was painfully apparent from the kick-off.

Of particular concern was the consistent failure to maintain possession after bringing the ball into contact. Many of the backs were guilty of that during that early, pedestrian period. But once they got the basics smoothed out, they sharpened up considerably in the second half and running up 73 unanswered points in 40 minutes was a fairly impressive feat.

As with the opening match, certain reputations were enhanced but all commendations have to come with a degree of reserve. After Colin Charvis burst home for the early try after half-time, the visitors were essentially playing within the comfort zone and it seemed that the Queensland resolve faded significantly after that.

However, within the context of the match, several players will be quite happy, not least Rob Henderson. He converted his chances well and his second try was very inventive. I was initially surprised to see that they played Will Greenwood again but ultimately they had no choice as Mike Catt was still suffering from a slight knock he picked up.

Jason Robinson's confidence will be bubbling after his performance. He had a tough first half. It didn't go so well for him and a number of times he took the ball into contact only to turn it over. He was also dumped in spectacular fashion but that was just a good hit; it could happen to anyone. Once the space opened up, however, Robinson demonstrated his lethal speed and strength. The flowing, open last quarter suited him.

I thought both Charvis and Martin Williams were especially effective and Austin Healey looked a live wire when he was brought in. Dafydd James was reasonable but I retain my misgivings and would still be happier to see Denis Hickie out there. Jeremy Davidson was a bit unlucky; he grafted but was never very prominent in the loose or in the lineout. Then Malcolm O'Kelly came in and did well, galloping over for a try that he obviously enjoyed.

The Queensland selection attacked Neil Jenkins successfully early on and for the first half-hour the match did not go well for the Cardiff outhalf. His defensive vulnerability was partly attributable to the fact that he was playing in front of Henderson and Greenwood for the first time. He also missed a few early penalties and although he was popping them over comfortably as the Lions ran the score up, it was not his happiest outing. But I'm not sure that it will necessarily propel Ronan O'Gara ahead of him in the pecking order. Graham Henry knows and obviously holds Jenkins in very high esteem and won't let one ordinary performance in what was a facile match infringe on that viewpoint.

In any case it is much too early to begin assessing the likely Test side. Some players are deemed certainties, of course, but it is against the Super 12 teams that the fringe candidates will have to make their arguments, not against limited opposition such as this Queensland side.

However, virtually all the players have minutes behind them now, they have amassed impressive looking score-lines and the fabled old-squad spirit ought to be emerging now. A fine start but really, this first week has been little more than a lap of honour for the visitors.