Hodgson stars for Lions

Charlie Hodgson charges the defence during the Lions win over Taranaki at Yarrow Stadium last night. Picture / Fotopress

Amid all the assumption of a Wilkinson-Jones square-off for Lions first five-eighths test selection, Charlie Hodgson put his hand up with a plaintive "oi, don't forget me" last night.

He gave a masterly demonstration of how to organise a team, especially one being put under the hammer in a testing first half, to guide the Lions past a spirited Taranaki at Yarrow Stadium.

Put your shirt on Jonny Wilkinson to figure in the test mix for Christchurch on June 25. Stephen Jones is another classy operator in prime form, the guiding light in Wales' Six Nations championship triumph.

But Hodgson did exactly what the Lions management would have hoped from the entire line-up last night; he made it clear he wants to be in the frame for Jade Stadium.

He kicked six from eight attempts, his kicking from the hand was expert, and he could have had three tries but for stout-hearted Taranaki tackling.

"Charlie controlled the game. When it was on, the right options were taken. He had a big game," mid-week coach Ian McGeechan said.

Hodgson was adjacent to most of the Lions' best work in a performance which varied from the ragged to the enterprising.

Not all his team-mates did the same and watch for some to be quietly marginalised for the important dates ahead.

By contrast to Rotorua last Saturday, where the Lions set out their stall with a sizzling opening quarter, this lot muddled their lines in the first half, which was more perspiration than inspiration.

All that did was make it abundantly clear to anyone watching, and more particularly, the Taranaki team, that they were right in the contest.

Their scrum was able to get the upper hand at times, they defended resiliently and led 7-6 at halftime, having done the simple things well and felt an historic first win over the Lions was within reach.

"I thought Taranaki played well, put us under a lot of pressure in the first half and I was pleased by the way we responded to it," McGeechan said.

"We're learning not only at training but on the pitch, and my players responded to it.

"I thought our defence was outstanding, very disciplined."

Again, as in Rotorua, the Lions got their act together and eased away, scoring three tries in a 10-minute burst near the end, having shown more cohesion and confidence as the hosts faded.

In the end, just as in Rotorua, they will be satisfied with much of what they achieved.

"A lot of our players have come from club rugby and maybe in the second half that started to tell," Taranaki coach Kieran Crowley said.

"The Lions suffocated our game and they were able to build on that."

Apart from Hodgson, several other Lions impressed.

Fullback Geordan Murphy got two tries - and would have had a third but for a forward pass - and looked enterprising.

Halfback Chris Cusiter, one heave over the Lions' dead-ball line apart, toiled determinedly, and in the pack Michael Owen and Martin Corry had their moments.

Lock Danny Grewcock provided the hard edge in the shadowy areas of the forward contest. He had time for a decent little stoush with Taranaki captain Paul Tito.

"It was pretty lighthearted. He got a few in, I didn't get many in," Tito ruefully quipped.

"It was a very tough forward battle, very physical," Tito said.

"They got stuck into us, but I thought our boys went really well, especially at scrum time."

The Lions got the break they needed seven minutes after the interval when wing Chris Woods mucked up a gather-and-return and Corry got over in the right-hand corner in a tight call.

The first two games have been all about putting pieces of a puzzle together.

But ahead lie New Zealand Maori on Saturday night. Get through that and they will feel they are right in business.