So much for a clean sweep! Yesterday's lecture in Gosford leaves us poised for an absolutely fascinating Test series. I think Graham Henry will be pleased with the manner in which the Lions almost forced a result from a fairly unpromising position. And when one looks at the big picture, it has to be acknowledged the tourists fielded more or less a shadow side yesterday.

The Lions were back-pedalling for all of 60 minutes. We had all sorts of problems in the lineout, where poor Robin McBryde underwent the proverbial nightmare. (Gordon Bulloch's throwing was far from exemplary, but at least his introduction coincided with a bright period).

Perhaps as a consequence, our locks never really settled; they were ineffective in the loose and utterly outplayed by Bowman and Harrison of Australia A, both of whom I thought were terrific.

Our crispness on the ball was disappointing, particularly when compared to Saturday's performance. When we took the ball into contact, the recycling of possession was sluggish and limited. I felt for Neil Jenkins, who had the option of either kicking or off-loading to his team-mates. That said, he was the architect of his own demise to a large extent, fairly pedestrian and caught out defensively a few times. Mike Catt's tour seems over, he has wrenched the same calf again and I was disappointed for him, having known him from my time at Bath. At least the selectors have plenty of cover in that position. Elsewhere, the cover looks more threadbare.

On yesterday's showing, it would appear Keith Wood is an absolutely integral part of the front three. I happily declare my relative naivety regarding the nuances of front-row play but without Wood, the unit lacked drive and command. The Lions could face serious bother if Woody gets injured.

Overall, the fundamentals were simply not executed yesterday in so many areas and that is what cost us. We defended all right, much as the Australians ran at us, their backs didn't really threaten until Ben Cohen's missed tackle facilitated their first try.

Nathan Grey and Scott Staniforth looked sharp, but I felt Australia really should have ran more scores up before the Lions rallied.

The positional switches really changed the momentum of the game. I suppose the fact Healey was preferred as alternative outhalf to Ronan O'Gara suggests the latter won't feature much again. But he is young; just being here is an experience and it is not inconceivable he will get a run in the next two games to showcase his talent.

Lawrence Dallaglio finds himself with a case to prove now and he will have to show big next time out. It didn't really happen for Mal O'Kelly; Quinnell was mediocre. It was tough for Will Greenwood to be associated with this performance and Mark Taylor and Davidson did well in limited minutes.

There are a lot of permutations to be sorted regarding the Test side. Balshaw at full back. I would have Dan Luger and Austin Healey on the wings, because I feel Healey is worth his place somewhere. His presence and vitality contributed significantly to the late surge yesterday. And my centres would be Henderson and O'Driscoll. Jonny Wilkinson is a cert at outhalf.

It is as well this loss occurred now. In 1989, the Lions coasted through the early games only to be stuffed 30-19 in the first Test. This defeat should invoke a fresh wave of motivation and bring us closer to an intriguing Test series.