Taranaki v The Lions: The tour must go on, with or without 'Lol', and the Lions roadshow moves on to New Plymouth today for the second game of the tour against Taranaki tomorrow.
Defeat to the black and amber hoops might eventually not amount to much more than an historical footnote to the tour, but in the week that's in it, it would be a psychological foot in the nuts with the Maoris looming on Saturday to further kick the Lions when they're down.
The tourists need a pick-me-up after the loss of Lawrence Dallaglio's huge presence, which rumbles on in discussions, press conferences, press cuttings, on radio and television, and if the effect is to at least be diminished, the Lions need to maintain a winning momentum.
At the very least, Saturday's opener will have been a very real and practical reminder to the tourists of the fired-up and ultra-physical challenge they can expect in every match. If they let their level of intensity dip, especially in the collision area and when clearing the ball out at ruck time, the Lions will quickly find themselves on the back foot.
Taranaki, the surprise early pacesetters in the NPC, were the leading try scorers in that competition with 43 in nine games, but they fell away badly to just miss out on the top four play-offs after conceding a half-century to Auckland and over 70 to Wellington.
Like the Bay, they are full of hard, straight runners with particularly dynamic ball-carriers in All-Black hooker Andrew Hore, flanker Chris Masoe and elusive fullback Scott Ireland, who looks destined to make an impact on the Lions, even if his name is only to the power of two.
The 'midweek' Lions management of Ian McGeechan, Gareth Jenkins and Mike Ford, along with the players, have talked up Taranaki, making much of them putting 50 points on Bay of Plenty last season. Yet those in the know point out this was with a weakened Bay team who had just twice defended the Ranfury Shield and Taranaki are not, in fact, as good as Bay of Plenty.
Against that, this Lions outfit looks potentially a good deal more brittle than Saturday's line-up in Rotorua, or at any rate one that doesn't look to have the kind of potential to reimpose themselves on a game if it starts to slip away from them.
Individually, the stakes are huge, of course, not least for John Hayes and Donncha O'Callaghan - who may yet emerge as the best outside Irish bet to press for a Test spot along with Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell.
You sense, too, that Denis Hickie, back on his more customary left wing, could have the opportunities to dip his bread and show what a top quality finisher he can be.
"We're expecting a very physical game, we've seen a lot of their videos," said Hickie. "They're a very direct team, they've a few key players. A bit like the Bay of Plenty, they've a few talismans, but they play very direct, are big around the tackle area which is a feature of New Zealand rugby, I think.
"We've got to play our own game as well. When you're trying to build like we are you really have to focus on your own performance first.
"I think it's going to be a very tough game, not dissimilar to Saturday, if anything even a level up. That's what we're expecting as the tour goes on, with each game as hard as the next, if not harder.
"I was thrilled when I was picked, and I don't mind saying it. It really is a fantastic honour. Like everyone you just hope when you're picked to play you take your chance and you do it justice," he adds with a wry chuckle.
"It's the pressure you have and it's the pressure you want. Certainly I feel the pressure and it's a good pressure."
TARANAKI: Scott Ireland; Sailosi Tagicakibau, Mark Stewart, Chris Woods, Lifeimi Mafi; Sam Young, Craig Fevre; Tony Penn, Andrew Hoare, Gordon Slater, Scott Breman, Paul Tito (capt), John Willis, Chris Masoe, Tomasi Soqueta. Replacements: Phil Mitchell, Hamish Mitchell, Jason Eaton, Richard Bryant, Mathew Harvey, Brendon Watt, James King.
LIONS: Geordan Murphy (Ireland); Shane Horgan (Ireland), Ollie Smith (England), Will Greenwood (England), Denis Hickie (Ireland); Charlie Hodgson (England), Chris Cusiter (Scotland); Graham Rowntree (England), Andy Titterrell (England), John Hayes (Ireland), Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland), Danny Grewcock (England), Martin Corry (England, capt), Lewis Moody (England), Michael Owen (Wales). Replacements: Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Shane Byrne (Ireland), Ben Kay (England), Martyn Williams (Wales), Gareth Cooper (Wales), Jonny Wilkinson (England), Gavin Henson (Wales).
Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand).
Previous meetings: (1908) Taranaki 5 Lions 0; (1930) Taranaki 7 Lions 23; (1950) Taranaki 3 Lions 25; (1959) Taranaki 3 Lions 15; (1966) Taranaki 9 Lions 12; (1971) Taranaki 9 Lions 14; (1977) Taranaki 13 Lions 21; (1993) Taranaki 25 Lions 49.
Betting (Paddy Powers): Taranaki, Draw, Lions. Handicap odds (= Taranaki +18 pts) 10/11 Taranaki, 16/1 Draw, 10/11 Lions.
Forecast: The Lions to win, but inside the handicap.
