Public go cold on Lions

Lewis Moody tosses a tackle pad during the British and Irish Lions public training session at QEII Park in Christchurch. Picture / Fotopress

Has New Zealand gone cold on the Lions?

Any of the 1000-strong crowd gathered in bone-chilling cold at QE II Stadium here today for the tourists' second and final public training session of their rugby tour might have thought so.

Rather than the bright "meet the Lions" atmosphere of the first such event at North Harbour Stadium two weeks ago, this was more like a public wake, the visitors perhaps still wallowing in their defeat at the hands of New Zealand Maori last Saturday.

Only about one third of the numbers from Albany were on hand and the Lions responded with about one third of the effort.

Gone was the stirring music and big screen footage of great Lions moments.

Instead, the sounds of mournful rock band Radiohead played quietly over the sound system as the players ambled in from a distant entry point to where a muted crowd waited in the grandstand.

A highlight came halfway through the near two-hour session when coach Sir Clive Woodward addressed the crowd, blessing them with the repetitive Lions-speak journalists in the North Island have soaked up over the past fortnight.

Those "lucky" enough to hear Woodward through the echoing sound system thanked him with a subdued round of applause.

Woodward waved in response, perhaps relieved with the reception from an audience better known for tearing shreds off visiting teams to Jade Stadium.

Children were outnumbered by the Christchurch retired set, many straining to identify players stretching and performing basic training drills a good 50m away.

And those who sought autographs later would have been horrified to find no Jonny Wilkinson.

The champion goalkicker and most of the other likely Lions test stars who are playing in Wellington on Wednesday were all doing some proper training, elsewhere and behind close doors.

The British media, many of whom slammed the North Harbour session as meaningless, stage-managed and PR pulp, were noticeably absent.

The Barmy Army were sadly missed. One desperate British radio reporter, seeking reaction from those in the crowd wearing English soccer jerseys or tops with any hue of red, found they were all locals.

It was the most disappointing British display at the venue since Dick Tayler left a host of athletes from the mother country in his wake to win the 10,000m gold medal at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

- NZPA