WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE LIONS’ IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE CRUSADERS

WE needed that, admitted Warren Gatland after watching his Lions tourists roll up their sleeves and claim a significant 12-3 victory over Super Rugby big guns the Crusaders in Christchurch.

It was an attritional, tryless contest, which Gatland’s men thoroughly deserved to win courtesy of four penalties from the boot of Owen Farrell, a tenacious defence and a powerful forward platform.

ROB LLOYD looks at the big talking points to emerge from game three of the tour. THE LIONS TEST XV IS STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE SO, three matches in and Gatland has kept to his word of giving each of his squad members a starting spot to stake their claim to face the All Blacks.

Even before kick-off in Christchurch you sensed this selection was coming close to the look of the XV that could be running out at Eden Park on June 24.

The all-round performance wasn’t spectacular by any means and there will again be questions raised about the Lions’ lack of try-scoring prowess, but in a game that had been dubbed ‘the fourth Test’ this was more like it.

Owen Farrell, Conor Murray, Mako Vunipola, Tadhg Furlong, Alun Wyn Jones and Taulupe Faletau are favourites to provide the spine of Gatland’s line-up, while others like Ben Te’o, Anthony Watson and CJ Stander are putting in strong claims.

But with three matches to go before facing the All Blacks, there are some huge calls to be made, particular in the second and back row

Who starts at lock — Alun Wyn, Maro Itoje or George Kruis? And what about the back-row combo? Faletau appears to be a shoo-in at eight, probably alongside Stander at blindside, but does Itoje also come into the mix at six and can Sam Warburton overcome his ankle injury to stave off the challenge of Justin Tipuric and Sean O’Brien. CHANCES ARE STILL GOING BEGGING PHYSICAL, direct, abrasive, resilient, the Lions are living up to their billing.

Yet with just two tries to their name from their opening three matches, they aren’t exactly winning hearts and minds as the great entertainers.

They created more against the Crusaders than they did against the Blues, but while Gatland will be delighted with how his forwards are dominating, there will be a concern that chances aren’t being picked off.

The tone was set in the opening minute when Jonathan Davies’s try-scoring pass to George North was intercepted and there were other golden opportunities after the break, notably when Owen Farrell threw a needless miss pass wide to North instead of pushing the ball through the hands.

There were other half chances too — Te’o’s hands let him down on a couple of occasions, while CJ Stander knocked on an inside pass from Sexton with the line beckoning.

Those must.be grabbed if the Lions are to upset the odds in the Test series. LIONS PUT THE SQUEEZE ON THE much-hyped Crusaders have been averaging five tries a game going into this encounter, but were made to look distinctly average by a suffocating Lions defence.

The greasy conditions weren’t conducive to the free-flowing easy-on-the-eye rugby that the Super Rugby high-flyers are used to playing, but they were clearly rattled by the line speed and physicality of the Lions’‘in-yer-face’ defence.

With their set-piece spluttering, they were harried into uncharacteristic errors and finished the 80 minutes try-less for the first time in 38 matches.

Alun Wyn Jones led the way, Mako Vunipola also threw his weight about, while Taulupe Faletau was imperious again, producing the tackle of the match on opposite number Jordan Taufua just inches from his own line in the first half. INJURIES PROVING A HEADACHE THE Lions picked up two more head assessments to add to Dan Biggar’s early exit against the Blues.

Stuart Hogg was sliced open by a stray elbow from his team-mate