Peter Bills: Tour opener dulls Lions' expectations

Perhaps at least now the idiots back in Blighty who thought all the 2009 Lions had to do was run out on South African soil and every opponent would quake in fear, can climb back into their boxes and shut up.

Yesterday's performance by the Lions against the Royal XV, a display as rusty as a cupboard full of old, decaying nails, should at least have buried that myth. Only the arrival of the cavalry from the replacements' bench and an efficient scoring performance from Ronan O'Gara saved the Lions from ignominy.

Undeniably, these Lions will be far from a vintage crop because they don't have the world-class performers who have hallmarked the really successful Lions squads down the years.

This resulted in what we saw yesterday. The Lions don't have geniuses dotted around their team who can administer a drop or two of magic here and there. Such stars can ensure a moderate display is perceived as a great one because the class acts in the touring team are able to do things beyond the scope and imagination of all others, thereby transforming and influencing the entire game. The 2009 Lions simply don't possess that class and will have to work much harder and show greater industry and dedication to make up for that.

But equally, it is trite and absurd to write off Paul O'Connell's tourists on the evidence of yesterday's match.

Half of the Lions team hadn't played for weeks; many hadn't played in South Africa before. Keith Earls is a huge talent but the combination of big match nerves and unfamiliarity with the conditions meant that the Irish youngster looked inferior. That, I can assure you, he is most certainly not.

In my book, Earls is a huge, coming talent in the northern hemisphere game and he fully merits his surprise inclusion in this squad. His selection demonstrated vision and courage on the part of the selectors. But the boy has to learn and the opening tour match was a huge learning curve for him. No one should be surprised he made mistakes. He will come back stronger and better for the experience.

A lot of other players will, too. They will now begin to understand that the hits are harder in the South African game, the play is less formulaic and there is less time for players to dwell on the ball. Their decision making is going to have to be instant and accurate. What's more, the Lions will be starting to see the requirement for precision. Errors will be punished more heavily by sides better than the Royal XV.

However, you can never make accurate assessments on the first game of any tour. The abject can flatter to deceive, the seriously impressive can make a stuttering, faltering start. Neither means a lot, especially in this case because so many more players will step in and present their own credentials for a possible Test place.

The manner of the Bulls' rampant victory in the Super 14 final yesterday may well have made some in the Lions party shudder. For others, it confirmed that South African rugby has got high-class ability coming out of its ears. But not even the Springboks should be drawing many conclusions from the Lions opening fixture. It was simply that, a first opportunity to blow away the cobwebs and make a start. The fact that it wasn't very convincing should surprise no one, but equally no one should be passing judgment on such flimsy evidence.