O'Driscoll demands instant response in second Test

Published on Friday 26 June 2009 10:01

BRIAN O'DRISCOLL has demanded the British and Irish Lions come out all guns blazing against South Africa in tomorrow's second Test at Loftus Versfeld.

The Lions were caught cold last week and the Springboks built a commanding 26-7 lead early in the second half on the back of a dominant forwards display.

Once the Lions found a foothold in the game they managed to launch a late fightback – but it was too little, too late and the Boks held on to win 26-21.

O'Driscoll insisted the Lions must set the tempo right from the off in Pretoria tomorrow afternoon if they are to keep the Test series alive.

"Some of the rugby played at the weekend showed some confidence and that we can play the game we want to. We have to bring that out from the kick-off this weekend because we can't afford to give them a 19-point lead and chase it back," said O'Driscoll.

"Hopefully, we can play earlier in the first half tomorrow, cut off the Springboks and make them work for their scores a little bit more than we did last weekend. Obviously we were hopeful to win that game but it's done now and we are out to win Test two and three, and it is as simple as that."

All the focus this week has been on the forwards battle and whether the Lions can match the powerful Springboks pack.

Adam Jones, Matthew Rees and Simon Shaw have all come into the forwards to combat the South African threat both in the scrum and the rolling maul – two areas which proved costly last week.

But captain Paul O'Connell warned the Lions not to get too bogged down in the tight exchanges and to remember what made them such a dangerous animal against the Golden Lions and the Sharks.

"We have to go out and play. That is when we have been at our best, when we have retained the ball and put it through the hands. That is when we have really put teams under pressure," he said.

In a bid to sharpen the Lions' cutting edge, Luke Fitzgerald has replaced Ugo Monye on the wing while Rob Kearney starts ahead of Lee Byrne, whose tour ended yesterday with an injured thumb.