FMG Stadium, Hamilton -- The midweek side made their mark on the 2017 tour with a commanding 34-6 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton. The Chiefs, without a host of their frontline players due to international commitments, were second best in nearly every area of the match as the Lions left their mark on Warren Gatland's old stomping ground.
It was an emotional occasion for Gatland but his Lions were magnificent despite knowing that they faced an uphill battle to force their way into the Test team for Saturday's game against the All Blacks.
A number of players acquitted themselves well as the Lions scored four tries. Attention now shifts to Auckland and the first Test, but this was a key match for the Lions as the tourists continued to build momentum after their triumph over the Maori All Blacks last weekend.
Nowell arrives on the tour
After a quiet tour and some uncharacteristic errors, Jack Nowell stepped up in Hamilton. He was a constant menace to the Chiefs' defence and scored two tries for his efforts. The first was a close range effort after Dan Biggar took the ball forward and the second was a wonderful sweeping move which ended with him darting through flailing Chiefs arms.
Liam Williams also played well with his offload to Jared Payne for his try a lovely touch. But will it be enough for either to feature on Saturday? Probably not. That both ended up playing 80 minutes with Elliot Daly replaced after the hour suggests it is he who is in the mix to be on the bench alongside Jonathan Joseph for the first Test. But another impressive showing against the Hurricanes and Nowell may have done enough to prove to Gatland, who is a fan of his talents, that he is worth a shot against the All Blacks.
Courtney Lawes makes barnstorming return
Though he gave away a couple of penalties, Lawes was one of the Lions' key protagonists against the Chiefs. He started by pinching one of the opposition lineouts and his work was also impressive away from the set piece. He made a key tip-tackle in the first half and backed that up with strong work on the ground to snaffle up loose balls.
Iain Henderson, who also played well, looked set to be the biggest challenger to Alun Wyn Jones for a spot in the 23 for Saturday's game -- Maro Itoje and George Kruis are favourites to start -- but Lawes was brilliant against the Chiefs. He had time out of the game in the second half for an HIA, which he passed, and continued to have a big influence on the game. His versatility and ability to play at blindside will aid his Test claims.
Dan Biggar ensures three's a crowd
With Owen Farrell set to be the starting fly-half against the All Blacks and Johnny Sexton in line to be the No. 10 cover from the bench, Dan Biggar clearly felt he had a point to prove, which perhaps explained his high hit in the first half. He was outstanding for the Lions. In the build up to Nowell's first try, he made a key pass to keep the move shifting and then made the dart to tee up the score, but it was his all-round game management which was so impressive.
He frequently kept the point of attack shifting and worked well running off the back of scrums and as the link man in phase play. He also kicked well out of hand and constantly shifted the Chiefs around. This was hugely impressive and Warren Gatland now has a welcome headache for fly-half options for the rest of the series.
The infamous six
Gatland added six new players to the squad last week, and admitted they were brought in on geographical proximity. The decision provoked outcry from Lions of the past and all six were on the bench for the match in Hamilton. Allan Dell got the first taste of action after 13 minutes when Joe Marler was sin-binned and played a key role in winning a scrum penalty. The others remained on the bench for the entirety of the game with Gatland using Jones and Daly as replacements for HIAs.
Gatland's point about blocking rings true
Jerome Garces held the whistle and he will referee the second Test in Wellington. Gatland will be pleased that after his concerns over the amount of blocking his team had been subject to, Garces awarded two penalties against the Chiefs for this infringement.