The British Lions kicked off their tour to South Africa with an unconvincing 25-37 comeback victory against a Royal XV in Rustenburg.
Wilhelm Koch and Rayno Barnes crossed for tries for early tries for the hosts - considered by some margin the poorest team the Lions will face on this tour - leaving the tourists rocking 18-3 down at one stage.
Bees Roux also scored for the Royal XV but tries from Lee Byrne, Alun Wyn-Jones and Ronan O'Gara clinched victory for the misfiring Lions.
The bright spots for the Lions included an eye-catching display from Lee Byrne at full-back, while Jamie Roberts produced some elusive running in the centre alongside Keith Earls.
Earls had a poor game however while the forward pack struggled to get any momentum early on.
This tour will not be played with any ELVs, meaning the more powerful Lions could lean on the rolling maul more and more as the game wore on.
Byrne's second half try was an outstanding individual effort and the Lions' superior pyhsical fitness won out in the end - but they will have to improve at least tenfold to stand any chance in the test series.
