sport news DAN BIGGAR: Lions won the first test with pure grit but South Africa will come ...

sport news DAN BIGGAR: Lions won the first test with pure grit but South Africa will come ...
sport news DAN BIGGAR: Lions won the first test with pure grit but South Africa will come ...

What an unbelievable feeling. In the dressing room after that special win we all huddled up and started belting out Wild Rover. 

Jack Conan kicked off the singing, then Jamie George followed with 'Southgate, you're the one, you still turn me on, football's coming home again!' Even the non-English lads were joining in!

The music was blaring, we had a couple of beers and the boys then got into our chef Andre, asking if he could source us a McDonald's for the bus home. There are none near our hotel in Hermanus, though, so we had to ask him to make his own version!

It's an unbelievable feeling to win the first Test and the squad was in high spirits afterwards

It's an unbelievable feeling to win the first Test and the squad was in high spirits afterwards

Warren Gatland told us we've got another level after the win which came through pure grit

Warren Gatland told us we've got another level after the win which came through pure grit

Warren Gatland spoke to us straight after and said we've got another level in us. That was pure grit  — it wasn't the most thrilling game but sometimes you've just got to grind out Test wins. There were errors on both sides, it was cagey, but those are the ones you love coming out on top of.

The difference between winning and losing the first Test is enormous, so to come out on the right side is such a good feeling.

We're used to it now but it was still strange playing a Test match of this magnitude with no fans in the stadium — I'm sure Lions supporters would have been bouncing at full-time.

It's a real shame not to have the Lions supporters in the stadium but we're all used to it now

It's a real shame not to have the Lions supporters in the stadium but we're all used to it now

I tried to treat it like any other game day and continued my weird thing about not stepping on the white-wash lines when I ran on to the pitch. In the week I played a couple of games of table tennis with Louis Rees-Zammit to calm the nerves.

After the team was named we had a very tasty training session on the Tuesday. Some of the boys had a point to prove and it did get a bit physical.

Tom Curry and Conor Murray were going at each other. Tom got caught on the wrong side of a ruck so Conor gave him a taste of his studs. There was a real edge and that's what we needed going into the match.

Conor Murray and Tom Curry were part of a very physical training session earlier this week

Conor Murray and Tom Curry were part of a very physical training session earlier this week

After that session, the management had organised framed photos of all our families in each of our rooms. That was a nice perk-up following team selection.

It was an unbelievably proud moment collecting my first Lions Test jersey on Friday night. For four years my career has been geared towards that moment. There was a huge amount of relief because it was a now or never moment.

For the presentation, all our families, parents, girlfriends and wives read out each of our names, cap number and then sent

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