Rugby: Lions locks make case to play All Blacks

Courtney Lawes of the Lions makes a break. Photo / Getty

The result wasn't quite right for the Lions but once again they will have taken what they wanted in regard to seeing who might be ready to break into their test team.

Just as happened last week against the Chiefs, individual Lions put their hands up and made their claim to be included in the test side to play the All Blacks on Saturday.

No one was more emphatic in that regard than Courtney Lawes. The big England lock was a player much admired in New Zealand before the tour began.

He's athletic and abrasive, mobile enough to play at six but attends well to his core roles at lock.

He'd do well playing out here and he showed that against the Hurricanes. He was full of energy - always ready to carry the ball and go forward. He competed well at the lineout and tackled everything that came down his channel.

The fact he was taken off early in the second half may have signalled that he's a possibility to be involved on Saturday.

The Lions coaches will certainly have all areas of the first test team under scrutiny and lock is a particular area of review for them. It is a position where they have strength in depth and with their test tight five so comprehensively outplayed by the All Blacks at Eden Park, the Lions will have to be asking if they got it right by starting with Alun Wyn Jones and George Kruis.

There were already strong murmurs ahead of the Hurricanes game that Maro Itoje, who was used off the bench in Auckland, may be elevated to the run on team and that could see one of Kruis or Jones drop to the bench or be omitted from the 23.

Neither Kruis nor Jones gave the robust, dynamic performance the Lions needed. They weren't able to make their influence be felt at scrum, lineout or collision and neither enjoyed much success with their ball carrying.

While there will be an argument to give the same personnel a chance to make amends, Lawes' performance will increase the temptation to make changes at lock as will that of his partner in Wellington, Iain Henderson.

The Irishman may have been the villain on the night - picking up a yellow card as he did - but his work up until them had been impressive.

"He carried fantastically well," said Lions coach Warren Gatland of Henderson. "It was a big moment in the game...the yellow card. That was the game really, well the draw. It's disappointing because we were in so much control. We had 68 per cent territory and possession to 25 per cent after that so it was a significant swing.

"I thought Courtney Lawes carried well in the first half. Lock is a position right from the start that we knew we had a lot of strength in. It will be a toss up in terms of selection.

"Those two guys [Henderson and Lawes] had really strong games tonight to give us some food for thought."