Paul Ackford insists the Lions were listless and uninspiring in their opening tour victory over the Royal XV, read his thoughts in the Sunday Telegraph.
"If the Lions took any plusses out of this match, they came in the shape of Lee Byrne and Jamie Roberts who had fine matches. Byrne, in particular, was magnificent. His solo effort, when the Lions were behind 25-13 with 10 minutes to go, rescued his side. Roberts provided the physical presence, dragging defenders over the gain line, which the Lions were seeking, and there were some fine touches by Shane Williams who enjoyed the space the Royal XV’s kicking game offered him.
"But that was about it. The rest was very mediocre and, cruel thought it might seem, some players’ tours may already be over in the sense that they ruled themselves out of consideration for the Tests. Keith Earls fits neatly into that category. The youngest Lions in the party had a shocker, making four big mistakes inside the first 20 minutes. Earls rallied later but, with only five games to go before the first Test, that may have been his best opportunity to impress."
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