Putting a positive spin on this one would have tested even the best spin doctors and about the only encouraging signs Graham Henry could cling to were the three to one try count and the relative endgame improvement that went with it.

More eyebrow raising was the claim by the Lions coach that last night's forward selection hadn't had enough time together, given the squad assembled over three weeks ago and Australia A a dozen days ago. On what has been a fairly assiduous and serious tour, if anything there has been whispers from within there had been too much coaching.

"The line-out was obviously not acceptable," Henry admitted. "We turned over a lot of ball at kick-offs. I felt our basic sharpness wasn't there, particularly early on, although I think we got better as the game went on. There were a lot of negatives but in saying that we scored three tries to one. This may be the baseline we required to really have total focus and know what the tour is all about. Reality has set in," observed Henry.

"I just think we need some more quality time to work on the line-out with the throwers. We need to work out the opposition and which are the best options. I thought there was a bit of panic there tonight. We were disappointed with that and they are too. If we can learn from this result and how we played then that might be a big positive in the long-term."

Having pointed out the dozen Lions forwards on duty last night "had only one training run together" Henry seemed to be thinking aloud when estimating that: "We might just have to concentrate on the Test matches rather than the other games to some extent. We need some quality time in there with the pack. Hopefully, we'll be able to handle the Tuesday games as well."

The somewhat taciturn Eddie Jones, small in physique if not in stature, could luxuriate in a job well done. "It is probably the first time they (the Lions) have played a side that had the ability to test them in those areas, namely the tackle and the lineout. But they'll probably learn from that and I don't think this should be seen as a great disappointment for the Lions. I am sure they will bounce back on Saturday. They showed at the end of the game they are a quality side, even if they struggled to win their first phase possession."

Aside from clever advance planning, it was also something of a bloodless coup for Jones, whose pre-match mind games forewarning everyone of the Lions' dirty deeds may have contributed to the tourists' slightly supine efforts.

Looking ahead to the Test series, Jones said: "I don't think it gives a psychological advantage one way or the other. It probably gave the Lions the little kick they needed to work a bit harder in training. For Australia, it shows they are beatable and maybe shows some areas they might be able to exploit."

Meanwhile, though his position looks ominous, Mike Catt had not been ruled out of the tour last night. He aggravated his troublesome calf strain again. Mark Taylor suffered a bang on the knee yesterday, Scott Quinnell hurt his left shoulder and Matt Perry suffered deep cuts in the mouth which required stitching.