The Shane Event

IT WAS billed as a two-way shoot out for a place in the Lions' first-choice back three. By the end there was only one man standing.

On another day England's Jason Robinson could be satisfied after getting his name on the score-sheet in a much-needed confidence booster after Saturday's first-Test mauling. Not today.

Robinson's solid showing paled into insignificance alongside the dancing feet of Shane Williams, who crossed five times as the Lions smashed their 64-5 record win against a New Zealand provincial side.

"I played the type of game that I wanted to play and I haven't let myself down and hopefully that will be enough to win a Test spot," said Williams.

"If it isn't then it isn't - there's nothing much else I can do. I'm just enjoying this experience and if I do get chance to be part of it on the field this weekend or on the bench then I will be a happy man.

"I knew I had to give 100 per cent tonight and if I'm picked on Saturday then I will give the same effort again.

"But if I'm not chosen then I will be happy with this performance and will be cheering the boys on.

"We wanted to go out and give a good performance and we certainly did that.

All credit to Manawatu - they never gave up till the dying minutes and made a great game of it.

"We picked our heads up from the weekend Test defeat and we were willing to go out and throw the ball round and play some rugby. And the set pieces went very well - that's what we were counting on.

"And you can add the defence to that. It was a great defensive effort - you can count how many missed tackles there were on one hand."

A threat every time he picked up the ball, Williams' quick hands, electric pace and ballet-dancing feet will make him hard to ignore when coach Clive Woodward picks his side for Saturday's second Test.

But let's not get carried away. The Lions' 17-try romp was secured against a side of NPC Second Division part-timers - and on this showing they won't be in a hurry to give up their day jobs.

It took the Lions just four minutes to unlock a pitiful hosts' defence - Martyn Williams feeding Shane Williams, who crossed for his first try.

If the first touchdown owed heavily to Celtic influences, the second was made in England - Martin Corry doubling the lead with a simple run in.

Williams burst through a lacklustre Manawatu defence to underline his claims for a Test berth with the game's third try on 24 minutes.

The Ospreys winger muscled his way through a host of weak tackles to run in from 15 yards, with Geordan Murphy getting his name on the scoresheet just three minutes later.

Murphy then danced his way under the posts from the right wing after good hands from Michael Owen, Corry and Robinson.

A clinical burst from the ever-impressive Cusiter then set up Robinson, who dived over in the corner to give Clive Woodward a nudge.

But no-one was nudging quite as hard as Shane Williams.

The Ospreys winger crossed for his hat-trick in the left-hand corner after a stunning offload from the impressive Ollie Smith to put the tourists 38-3 ahead by the break.

Two Jonathan Hargreaves penalties were all a second-rate Manawatu side had to show for the first half, and it was no less than they deserved.

The Lions rang the changes at the break - Brent Cockbain making his Lions' bow as one of three substitutes, with forgotten-man Gareth Cooper coming on for the ever-impressive Cusiter at scrum-half.

And Cooper had a hand in two tries within five minutes of coming on - Charlie Hodgson crossing under the posts a minute after the break and Ollie Smith going over shortly afterwards.

The floodgates soon opened after Williams crossed for his fourth with a simple finish on 47 minutes.

Neil Back, Gordon D'Arcy, Cooper, Ronan O'Gara (2) and Mark Cueto (2) all got in on the action in a hopelessly one-sided second half.

Fittingly Shane Williams brought up the ton with his fifth try in the closing stages but even his five-star display will fail to stop the Lions hierarchy questioning exactly how much they can have learned from this mismatch.

"I didn't want to speak to a New Zealander when I came in the ground," said Lions midweek coach Ian McGeechan. "We were ready for Manawatu and I couldn't have asked anymore of the team.

"The players actually played like a team which was a great thing. Against Southland I was disappointed that we had been too individual and we knew that.

"You never get good team performances without good team thinking and tonight we were excellent."