A tense match against the Free State Cheetahs was the preparation the Lions needed for tougher tests ahead writes Brian O'Driscoll in the Observer.
You learn a lot when you are pushed to the limit, far more than in an easy win. We were defensively strong against the Cheetahs and our set-pieces worked well, but we suffered from turnovers again and we have work to do at the breakdown, which is such a key area of the game.
We thrive on quick ball and the Cheetahs managed to slow a lot of our possession down. A unique feature of this tour is that some of the warm-up games are being controlled by referees from Britain and Ireland, starting with England's Wayne Barnes yesterday.
Some may have thought that would work in our favour, but we struggled with his interpretations at the breakdown more than we had in the games controlled by South African officials. It made it tougher for us and, again, that gave us something positive to take from the game."
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