Matt Dawson: No more nice guys - scene set for us in history

Matt Dawson

This is not a position I or any Lions player or supporter wanted to be in.

But from adversity comes greater glory. History will tell you that few teams have come back from a first-test defeat on a Lions tour. But the ones that have, have been recalled as among the greatest.

That, surely, is another huge incentive.

We've been trying to blot out the game, even after the coverage it has had daily, but the aches and pains we felt in that changing room surpass any tackle, punch or kick dished out by the All Blacks.

When you look into the eyes of your team-mates you should always be able to hold your hand aloft and say you gave everything, win lose or draw.

Twenty-two Lions could not say that, which, added to a fine error-free performance from the opposition, resulted in a New Zealand victory.

By all accounts the conditions tonight will be perfect for both teams to express themselves in their own styles, so I can assure you the team in red are out to play some real rugby.

No looking back, no ifs, no buts, just a straight-talking performance is the preferred remedy to the mess we created last weekend. A majority of the questions posed this week have been regarding our approach to the game and whether it has varied from pre-Christchurch.

Without a shadow of a doubt the week has been by far the best on tour.

Bearing in mind it started with arguably two of our best players no longing taking part and the media spraying negative headlines at every opportunity, Gareth Thomas and Brian O'Driscoll have steadied the ship admirably.

Training has been short and sharp with the focus on showing not only onlookers but ourselves that we have a strategy capable of succeeding against the All Blacks. Possibly the biggest disappointment we felt was the inability to prove why we were selected to come on this trip in the first place. The Six Nations championship saw some tremendous, skilful, abrasive rugby which whetted all our appetites for the summer; Jason Robinson dancing around defenders, Dwayne Peel sniping through gaps and Paul O'Connell soaring above the lineout.

It would be a crime to leave all those months of training and playing back home. The determination will be there for all to see.

Naturally the large number of changes in the squad meant that there were a few players who would have been devastated to miss out.

In all previous tours the reaction of the squad to the test selection is vital to its harmony, and it is no different here. To a man the whole party has had a massive input into this monumental clash.

The lads involved in that scintillating victory against Manawatu fronted up for training on Wednesday morning, no gripes or moans and even when they called for the most important session of the week, the set-piece, nothing but enthusiasm.

No secrets there, if I say we were given a lesson by Messrs Williams and Jack so everyone realised the necessity to practise under live pressure. I was just a spectator alongside the medics but we all commented on what was the highest quality session yet. So, fingers crossed.

I'd be lying if I said the tour was going to plan because the rugby comes first and no matter how good a bunch of friends I've made here it's all in the winning, and so far the scales are not in our favour. To read articles questioning our passion and desire by people who don't have a clue how it is to be a Lion makes my blood boil. To note comments by ex-players from either side of the world doubting our dedication is nothing more than fuel for our fire.

Yes, we made mistakes last week, and plenty of them, but one thing is for certain: We ooze pride and when others stab at that it really hurts.

The Lions will be 10 times the outfit they were at Jade Stadium, not because of the personnel on the pitch but because of the personnel in the entire party.

No more nice guys, the scene is set for our place in history and if I have anything to do with it, 22 souls will be left out on the field whatever the result.