THE LIONS moved on to Cape Town for tomorrow’s final midweek game against the Emerging Springboks licking their wounds and reflecting on something of a lost opportunity in Saturday’s first Test. They’ve also supplemented their physically and mentally damaged frontrow resources and are weighing up their need to make several changes for Saturday’s pivotal second Test in Pretoria.

In the midst of all this they also cling to the hope that their comeback in the last half hour at the Absa Stadium in Durban gives them hope of scaling a mountain of Everest-like proportions in the final two Tests at altitude.

The Springboks’ power game struck clinically early in each half, and the home pack dominated the scrum, yet the Lions made a dozen line breaks to one, scored three tries to two and their scrumhalf Mike Phillips made more passes – 80-plus – than the entire Boks team put together.

All of that, however, probably reinforces the feeling that this was an opportunity missed in their only game at sea level. The Lions have rarely won two Tests on the same tour in South Africa, but have never done so in Pretoria and Johannesburg in the same tour. Not even the ’74 vintage managed that.

Encapsulating the mood, Dr James Robson began his entertaining weekly Sunday medical bulletin by declaring: “The good news is that John Hayes is fit. He arrived yesterday and looks in good fettle.”

There were then too many bumps and bruises to mention, but in the main Lee Byrne should recover from the strained foot which he picked up on Saturday, while James Hook (concussed against the Southern Kings) will have an independent scan by a neurological expert today to ascertain whether he can resume playing against the Emerging Springboks.

With Euan Murray out of the tour, England and Wasps loose-head Tim Payne has also been called up, while Phil Vickery must be so down in the dumps after his mortifying experience at the hands of The Beast that he’ll need psychological counselling.

Graham Rowntree was also hurting yesterday. The Lions scrum coach admitted that Tendai Mtawarira did a number on Vickery, accepted his own culpability and took no issue with Bryce Lawrence penalising the English tighthead at three of the eight first-half scrums.

“But it’s not about hanging individuals out to dry. It was a collective thing and that’s where I come in. I have to look at what went wrong. Phil’s a very honest guy – that’s one of his great strengths – and by his own admittance, he struggled.

“He’s upset but it’s not just about him – it’s about that whole pack. We’re all accountable. He’s sore this morning, physically and mentally, and so am I. But the guys immediately next to Vicks and those behind him have got to help him.

“But we failed to keep a lid on The Beast. He was able to get under us at the engagement. The changes we made [early in the second half] helped but that’s not pointing the finger at Phil,” added Vickery, who maintained that he had no regrets about making changes sooner.

“I think the referee was asked by both sides to reward the dominant scrum and I think they won that engagement,” he conceded. “They were going forward. Their movement was upwards but at the engagement I thought that they were quite legal and legitimate.

“So I’m not going to get into any slanging match, blaming the interpretation or whatever. We were just under pressure, they won that battle and we’ve got to take that on the chin.

“There’s plenty of it to put right and I think there’ll be changes,” added Rowntree, “but the beauty of it is is that we get the chance to put it right next week and when you look at the game there are lots of positives to take out of it.”

He said he “couldn’t rule out changes to all three rows of the pack”, and aside from probably starting Matthew Rees at hooker and Adam Jones at tighthead, the Lions’ think tank may look at bringing in Donncha O’Callaghan, Simon Shaw or Nathan Hines for Alun-Wyn Jones at lock, and look at their options in the backrow.

After the way Ugo Monye was targeted in the air and failed to finish off two chances, there will be a strong case for bringing in Luke Fitzgerald on the left wing, while the credentials of Rob Kearney and Ronan O’Gara will be considered at fullback and outhalf.

Dr Robson maintained that there was nothing suspicious in Lee Byrne running off with a physio during the warm-up, as he had forgotten to strap his left foot in the hype of the build-up. Even so, Byrne looked discommoded by either that or the ensuing recurrence of that strained foot whereas Kearney was more assured and improved what had been a poor first-half kicking game by the Lions.

Although Robson was adamant that players could front up again on Tuesday and Saturday, the announcement today of the team to play the Emerging Springboks ought to be revealing – more in terms of who they rest than pick.