Brian O'Driscoll carries the fight to the Springboks in yesterday's 26-21 first test defeat in Durban

They couldn't find the British and Irish Lions for the first half yesterday, so they sent the lambs out to the slaughter instead.

And that's what it was as the world champions bossed the show, with captain John Smit going over unchallenged for the first of two tries to lead 19-7 at half-time. From the off, the visitors' scrum was in all sorts of trouble and Tendai Mtawarira, affectionately known as The Beast, had Phil Vickery aiming skywards more often than Ryanair in those opening 40 minutes.

Whether by accident or design, the real Lions came out in the second half, won the lion's share of possession and came within a whisker of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to tries from Tom Croft, who also went over in the first half, and Mike Phillips.

It was a strange game, but losing 26-21 was a lot better than it looked like it might be at half-time.