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Here is inevitably a battle to be won every time the British & Irish Lions visit Heat Jersey the New Zealand stronghold of Canterbury. In the past Ray McLoughlin were invalided out of the 1971 tour after the infamously dirty 
encounter at Lancaster Park. These days it is more of a mental challenge, arguably tougher than any other examination outside the Test arena.The all-powerful Crusaders no longer rely on their fists to intimidate their opponents. Instead they can simply point to this season’s Super Rugby table; the best provincial side in New Zealand are unbeaten in the competition and have been too good for all comers. A Lions victory would cause supporters on all sides to sit bolt upright and reconsider how this tour might pan out.Inside the Lions’ den, accordingly, there has been no effort to downplay the significance of this particular fixture in the wake of Wednesday’s frustrating 22-16 loss to the Blues at Eden Park. In the social media age everyone already has an opinion about these tourists and the virtual noise is tricky to ignore. “You definitely hear it,” said the Wales and Northampton wing George North, preparing to enter the fray for the first time. “You get it Authentic James Johnson Youth Jersey and that’s one of the reasons why the Lions tour is so difficult. You have a number of games in close succession; having to ride that rollercoaster of emotion up and down every few days is a massive task.”North speaks with some authority, having played a prominent part in the Lions 2013 series victory over Australia. By the end of that tour he and his team-mates were conquering heroes, but there were assorted ups and downs in between. Listening to the 25-year-old freely admitting this squad needs an on-field boost – “We need to start kicking on now” – is to be reminded that no one cares more intensely than the players about this expedition’s outcome.Crusaders v Lions: five things to watch out for in third tour match That is certainly North’s belief – “When the boys don’t play as well as they can and don’t get the result there’s no one who feels worse than them” – having watched the Lions splutter rather than surge Blues Youth Jersey forwards in week one. The solution has to be collective but, equally, the time has come for the Lions’ big beasts to stir. It has been a while since North carried Israel Folau around on his shoulders for fun; now would be a timely moment to reproduce the form that, on his day, still makes the big Welsh wing an irresistible force.By the sound of it Warren Gatland has been making that point to all concerned since their arrival on the south island. The Blues would not have won without Ihaia West’s memorable late try, cleverly created by Sonny Bill Williams, and a glimmer or two of star quality behind the scrum would not go amiss between now and the first Test in Auckland on 24 June. “I don’t think Warren’s put it on any one individual, he’s put it to us as a squad,” said North, whose scoring rate for the Lions stands Kevin Shattenkirk Jersey at four tries in seven appearances.George North, pictured tackling Israel Folau, played a key role in the Lions’ successful 2013 tour against Australia.Facebook Twitter Pinterest George North, pictured tackling Israel Folau, played a key role in the Lions’ successful 2013 tour against Australia. Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images“If you come to New Zealand you know you’re going to get a lot of X factor coming back at you and we have to deliver some ourselves. We know the challenge is huge and the games are tight. I was touring with Wales last summer and we saw how tough it can be, especially in those last 10 minutes. If we can stay strong in our defence and hold them out then sometimes you need that little bit of X factor either to win games or turn games around.In her spare time Jelena 
Ostapenko likes to go ballroom dancing and read detective novels. But even her favourite author, Agatha Christie, might have considered the plot lines that have run through this year’s French Open as too outlandish for publication.Coming into this event she had never been beyond the third round at any of the grand slams. On Saturday the 20-year-old plays Romania’s Simona Halep for the French Open title and if she wins she will be the first player to win their first Tour title at a grand slam since Gustavo Kuerten did so on 8 June 1997, which just happens to be the day Ostapenko was born.
encounter at Lancaster Park. These days it is more of a mental challenge, arguably tougher than any other examination outside the Test arena.The all-powerful Crusaders no longer rely on their fists to intimidate their opponents. Instead they can simply point to this season’s Super Rugby table; the best provincial side in New Zealand are unbeaten in the competition and have been too good for all comers. A Lions victory would cause supporters on all sides to sit bolt upright and reconsider how this tour might pan out.Inside the Lions’ den, accordingly, there has been no effort to downplay the significance of this particular fixture in the wake of Wednesday’s frustrating 22-16 loss to the Blues at Eden Park. In the social media age everyone already has an opinion about these tourists and the virtual noise is tricky to ignore. “You definitely hear it,” said the Wales and Northampton wing George North, preparing to enter the fray for the first time. “You get it Authentic James Johnson Youth Jersey and that’s one of the reasons why the Lions tour is so difficult. You have a number of games in close succession; having to ride that rollercoaster of emotion up and down every few days is a massive task.”North speaks with some authority, having played a prominent part in the Lions 2013 series victory over Australia. By the end of that tour he and his team-mates were conquering heroes, but there were assorted ups and downs in between. Listening to the 25-year-old freely admitting this squad needs an on-field boost – “We need to start kicking on now” – is to be reminded that no one cares more intensely than the players about this expedition’s outcome.Crusaders v Lions: five things to watch out for in third tour match That is certainly North’s belief – “When the boys don’t play as well as they can and don’t get the result there’s no one who feels worse than them” – having watched the Lions splutter rather than surge Blues Youth Jersey forwards in week one. The solution has to be collective but, equally, the time has come for the Lions’ big beasts to stir. It has been a while since North carried Israel Folau around on his shoulders for fun; now would be a timely moment to reproduce the form that, on his day, still makes the big Welsh wing an irresistible force.By the sound of it Warren Gatland has been making that point to all concerned since their arrival on the south island. The Blues would not have won without Ihaia West’s memorable late try, cleverly created by Sonny Bill Williams, and a glimmer or two of star quality behind the scrum would not go amiss between now and the first Test in Auckland on 24 June. “I don’t think Warren’s put it on any one individual, he’s put it to us as a squad,” said North, whose scoring rate for the Lions stands Kevin Shattenkirk Jersey at four tries in seven appearances.George North, pictured tackling Israel Folau, played a key role in the Lions’ successful 2013 tour against Australia.Facebook Twitter Pinterest George North, pictured tackling Israel Folau, played a key role in the Lions’ successful 2013 tour against Australia. Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images“If you come to New Zealand you know you’re going to get a lot of X factor coming back at you and we have to deliver some ourselves. We know the challenge is huge and the games are tight. I was touring with Wales last summer and we saw how tough it can be, especially in those last 10 minutes. If we can stay strong in our defence and hold them out then sometimes you need that little bit of X factor either to win games or turn games around.In her spare time Jelena Ostapenko likes to go ballroom dancing and read detective novels. But even her favourite author, Agatha Christie, might have considered the plot lines that have run through this year’s French Open as too outlandish for publication.Coming into this event she had never been beyond the third round at any of the grand slams. On Saturday the 20-year-old plays Romania’s Simona Halep for the French Open title and if she wins she will be the first player to win their first Tour title at a grand slam since Gustavo Kuerten did so on 8 June 1997, which just happens to be the day Ostapenko was born.
The Wall