LIONS BEWARE

ALL BLACKS coach Steve Hansen watched his side tear Samoa to shreds in their first match for nearly seven months then told Lions head coach Warren Gatland he is “running out of time” to find his Test line-up.

New Zealand ran in 12 tries against Samoa to win 78-0 at Eden Park yesterday in a chilling display of their attacking prowess.

And Hansen suggested he does not expect the Lions to add an extra dimension to their play for the first Test a week today.

He said: “Do I expect them to do something different? Well Warren keeps telling us he’s got something up his sleeve other than his arm so we’ll wait and see, won’t we?

“He’s started running out of time to get the practice. Once you have the style that works for you, you usually stick with it, so it’s going to be a big move if he changes.

“We’re finished for the weekend and we’ve come out with no injuries and we get to sit down and get really excited about what’s ahead of us.

“We wait 12 years for them to come around so we don’t want to

miss it and we now get to watch them play the Maori, who will throw the kitchen sink at them. “It’s a big game for the Lions again and then all the banter’s out of the way, isn’t it? We’re into it and I can’t wait.” Lions playmaker Owen Farrell is a serious injury doubt for the first Test after suffering a quad strain but if he is passed fit Hansen believes the Saracens man could line up at inside-centre with Johnny Sexton, who starts at No10 against the Maori All Blacks this morning, keeping his place. “He’d be a massive loss. He’s a world-class player and right up there,” said Hansen of Farrell.

“Where do I think he will play? Probably

at 12. Gatland has said he’s got something else up his sleeve and that might be one of them.

“It doesn’t matter where he plays, he’s a good player and we just have to deal with whatever the Lions decide to do with their selections. But he’s a world-class player and there’s a lot of respect for him in our group.”

The filleting of Samoa last night was an exceptional performance given the All Blacks had not played since November, but Hansen claimed they are far from the finished article. In what felt like more of a warning against complacency to his own players than a threat to the Lions, Hansen said: “There was a fair amount of rust and lack of cohesion at times but, as the night went on, their rhythm and connections got better and it was not a bad hit out for the first one.

“We were forming new formations and combinations. And with our lineout we sped it up a bit later on and it tightened up, so you’ve got to be happy.

“We have been in these situations before and been a lot rustier than that, so it was a nice start. Are we the finished unit yet? Of course we’re not. We have a lot of work to do. And we look forward to watching the Maoris go into the Lions and we get our chance the following Saturday.”

Full-back Ben Smith, who captained the Kiwis for the first time, pinpointed a need for improvement on the set-pieces ahead of the clash at Eden Park next week.

“I’m sure the forwards will go away and have a good look at scrums,” he said.