Heroic Holah in class of his own

The first clue came last Saturday, the second on Wednesday and then last night we knew for sure - the 2005 Lions are mince and potatoes billed as exotic fare.

Their tour is in serious danger of coming off the rails and the challenge now for Sir Clive Woodward is to somehow ensure last night's defeat proves to be cathartic rather than catastrophic.

That task would be made a whole lot easier if Maori openside Marty Holah could be released by the All Blacks and made available for the Lions.

Everyone knows what All Black first choice Richie McCaw is all about, but Holah was class and arguably the big difference between the two teams last night.

He was strong and wonderful at the breakdown. It has to be a concern for Woodward that Martyn Williams, his only genuine fetcher, was trailing in Holah's shadow.

While he is asking Graham Henry for a loan of Holah, he may as well suss out whether Carlos Spencer is available too.

The Aucklander added the spice that was missing from a dour first half when he came on after the break. His first touch was to throw a blind inside pass and from there he ducked and dived better than any geezer at Basildon market.

With the game so tight for the first 60 minutes, it only needed one spark to put daylight between the two teams.

It came from Leon MacDonald when he somehow managed to crash through five defenders and thrust an arm over the chalk.

That it came from the Maori was never really in doubt. Until Brian O'Driscoll slipped over late in the piece, the Lions never once threatened the tryline.

But Woodward needn't despair just yet. Now they have faced their first serious challenge we can safely say they are a spirited bunch, capable of using their passion to hide a few glaring shortfalls.

They can tackle, no doubt about that. They also kick intelligently and accurately. Their lineout was steady, with the hope of it getting slicker in the weeks to come. They also, and in their previous two outings this was highly questionable, have a front row that doesn't come up for air when the squeeze comes on.

Sadly, those sorts who get off on watching large men try and compress each other's spines, had their enjoyment of last night's scrummaging watered down by referee Steve Walsh's handling of the engagement.

There were too many aborted attempts and too many scrums were never set properly. It made it hard to evaluate the merits of loosehead Andy Sheridan. That and the fact the Englishman was yellow carded just before halftime for a punch.

He didn't return after his spell on the sidelines which was probably a huge relief to Maori tighthead Carl Hayman, who was beginning to slip into Sheridan's pocket.

But take out the diminutive and electrifying Shane Williams and they don't have an ounce of flair.

He'll probably miss out on a test spot for fear his tiny frame may simply bounce off black shirts, even if thrown recklessly into contact.

It's a pity as his running was joyous and his ability to break the tackle a never-ending source of astonishment. A couple of times he stepped so magically, defenders were left taking cartoon-style swipes at thin air.

Still, he can console himself with the knowledge that if they ever re-make Saturday Night Fever, he will be in line for the lead role.

Some of their forwards must be agoraphobic given their fear of open spaces. The instant one of the Lions' behemoths got over the surprise of being in possession, he'd plough into the nearest black shirt. Solace, it seemed, could always be found at the bottom of a ruck.

Such lack of enterprise will not make them many friends but that is not the object of their mission.

They are here to win a test series, and while we love to mock their lack of enterprise and ambition, they could still have the last laugh.

As England showed in 2003, pragmatism can go a long way.

But that seems a long time ago now. The game has moved on and the All Blacks are unlikely to crack against a grinding, kicking game.

If only the transformation from catastrophic to cathartic was literal rather than metaphorical. That way it would require the addition of a few consonants and the swapping of a few vowels.

It really isn't going to be that easy, though.

NZ Maori 19 (L. MacDonald try; D. Hill 2 pens; L. McAlister 2 pens, con)
Lions 13 (B. O'Driscoll try; S. Jones 2 pens, con)

- HERALD ON SUNDAY