Lions v New Zealand Maori.

The tour starts on Saturday in Hamilton when the Lions will be given their first really serious examination by a side who crave the distinction of becoming the first Maori team to defeat the Lions

Forget what has gone before, the tour starts in earnest on Saturday in Hamilton when the Lions will be given their first really serious examination by a side who crave the distinction of becoming the first Maori team to defeat the Lions.

Up to this it has been a case of professionals against passionate part-timers and once the passion had dissipated the part-timers of Taranaki and Bay of Plenty were running on empty for the final quarter of their respective games. Easy pickings in the end.

And while there’ll be nothing easy for the Lions at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, Sir C will expect his side to win. Because with a near full strength side, the rationale will be, if they cannot beat the Maori, they cannot beat the Blacks.

Consider this. In preparation for this game the Maori played Fiji and won 29-27. On Friday, the Blacks played Fiji and won 91-0.

Now accepting that the Maori will be more ‘up for’ this one, it still leaves a huge abyss between them and the Blacks. So this game, dubbed the ‘unofficial fourth Test’, is hugely important to Lions morale.

On the team news front, Simon Taylor has pulled out and his place gone to Michael Owen with Owen’s place on the bench taken by Simon Easterby.

Lions: J Lewsey (Wasps and England); T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues and Wales), B O’Driscoll (Leinster and Ireland, capt), G D’Arcy (Leinster and Ireland), S Williams (Ospreys and Wales); S Jones (Clermont Auvergne and Wales), M Dawson (Wasps and England); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks and England), S Thompson (Northampton and England), J White (Leicester and England), S Shaw (Wasps and England), P O’Connell (Munster and Ireland), R Hill (Saracens and England), M Williams (Cardiff Blues and Wales), S Taylor (Edinburgh and Scotland). Replacements: S Byrne (Leinster and Ireland), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues and Wales), B Kay (Leicester and England), M Owen (Newport Gwent Dragons and Wales), D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets and Wales), R O’Gara (Munster and Ireland), S Horgan (Leinster and Ireland).

New Zealand Maori: L MacDonald; R Gear, R Tipoki, L McAlister, C Ralph; D Hill, P Weepu; D Manu, C Flynn, C Hayman, R Filipo, S Hohneck, J Gibbes (capt), M Holah, A MacDonald. Replacement: S Linklater, G Feek, D Braid, W Ormond, C McGrath, C Spencer, N Brew.

Referee – S Walsh.