Bay of plenty

The Lions’ tour of New Zealand got off to a less-than-perfect start against local side Bay of Plenty at the Rotorua International Stadium. Former England captain, Lawrence Dallaglio, was outstanding for the opening 20 minutes, during which tries from Josh Lewsey (2) and Mark Cueto built a 17-0 lead. A tour-ending ankle injury to the powerhouse then saw a reversal of fortune as the home side levelled the score by half time. In the second half, the Lions roared back: Ronan O’Gara found his feet and Tom Shanklin, Dwayne Peel and Gordon D’Arcy ran in three more tries to give the scoreline a respectable look at 34-20. The opening and closing spells by the Lions were brilliant. If they can maintain that level of play for a whole game, there is serious hope for the Tests to come, but not for the unfortunate Dallaglio.