You could not script better drama than that we have been privileged to witness on this Lions tour. It is hard to imagine a more fitting finish than Matt Dawson, in the bad books all week, hitting the winning conversion with the last kick of the match against the Super 12 champions.

I was surprised at Dawson's remarks last week, as he is a fairly astute judge of the impact that media comments can have. They were born out of frustration, but he was out of order, should have kept his mouth shut and his comments left a sour taste.

His complaint that Phil Larder and Andy Robinson were in some way distant was irrelevant because this is not an England camp, it is a Lions camp. It is understandable that there should be a slight element of reserve among the authority figures.

He demonstrated a lot of verve in this match, even if his kicking was wayward, and his memorable, last-gasp conversion should have done much to restore health to the camp atmosphere.

In terms of Saturday's Test, this game was of vital importance from a psychological point of view. The midweek Lions are effectively redundant now, and it was important that they led the path towards the second meeting against Australia in spirited fashion. They closed the active part of their tour with passion and a storybook win, and it will help make them feel part of the remainder of this tour effort.

I heard talk that some of those fringe players might be allowed return home early, which I felt was absolutely ridiculous. This is a 37-man tour party, from start to finish.

The selectors will have to look hard at Austin Healey now before finalising Saturday's Test. While it might be deemed unusual to disrupt a winning force, his performance was compelling enough to possibly discommode Dafyyd James from the wing. Healey is such a competitive, lively bag of tricks, and while he runs and tackles like a high-calibre winger, there are also so many other dimensions to his game. He possesses a natural intuition for the game and consistently makes intelligent decisions. James would be unfortunate to lose out, but Healey's case is pressing and, at the very least, he should be given some minutes in which to make an impact.

His intercept try late in the first half revived the Lions at a time when they were in serious danger of being snuffed out. It was partly a gamble - he knows Pat Howard's game and probably anticipated the long pass. It worked. He also made some wonderful covering tackles, in particular one late on when he rescued a chip deep into the Lions 22, but rather than run it into touch - as most wingers would have - he fought back infield and the Lions broke clear through Gibbs and O'Gara. Healey's fingerprints were all over this win.

It was slightly annoying that Ronan O'Gara wasn't kicking and it must have been frustrating for him. I believe he would have kicked better than Dawson in this match and, overall, he could still have a say if Jonny Wilkinson gets injured.

Ronan's performance was emblematic of the team's. There was both good and bad in evidence. For the first 15 minutes, ACT were all over the pitch, with Bond, Holbeck and Gordon slicing through our centre. Tuavii and Harrison were also immense, and a few of those guys will be pushing for Aussie Test places.

I don't think the Australians will be all that discouraged by what they say. Okay, it was a devastating way to lose the game, but from the Test perspective, some of their candidates played extremely well.

That the Lions were sluggish made the Brumbies look even more polished, and once we got to grips with things, the match gradually turned around. I think on reflection they deserved the win. David Wallace's try, after neatly linking onto O'Gara's snap run, was a nice moment for Munster fans. O'Gara also made a fine break in the first half and delivered a timely pass to Scott Murray, who really ought to have scored. The outhalf's input in Healey's late try was also vital.

Wallace and Davidson did fine overall, but Mal O'Kelly must be disheartened at not getting a run. It just highlights the pressure for minutes among this touring party.

Again, Iain Balshaw's tour was clouded in disappointment. It is simply down to the fact that he hasn't really got a decent break through which to show his magic. That happens possibly because he is trying to hard. The sin-binning compounded what has been a trying month for him. If Matt Perry is passed fit for Saturday, he will almost certainly start.

The win leaves things nicely primed for Saturday and must have led to a tremendous surge of positive energy and emotion. Who would have bet last weekend that Matt Dawson would inspire such feel-good qualities among the squad? The Lions management could not have asked for a more perfect outcome. Saturday's match must be among the most eagerly anticipated rugby matches in years.