A number of people came up to me after our victory in Melbourne and asked what Rod Macqueen had put in our tea at half-time.

The truth is he didn't have to put anything in our drinks or utter even the tiniest word of encouragement.

The entire squad were still smarting from the defeat in the first Test and desperate to prove that they could match the Lions stride for stride.

The first Test was a match which left most of the team very disappointed and anxious to prove to the world that Australia are still the best on the planet.

Our second half performance proved exactly that - although the job is far from complete.

The essential difference between the side which went out in Melbourne compared to the one appearing in the opening Test was the mental attitude.

We knew we hadn't done justice to our abilities and were more than aware that if we didn't step up our performance then the series would be dead before we had even set foot in Sydney.

That would have been a disaster.

That was why everyone was prepared to work so hard, regardless of how much energy it sapped.