The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace prepares to host the opening match of the tour as the Lions face a Royal XV in Rustenburg in the north of South Africa
The familiar red shirts of Lions fans are in evidence in a sparse crowd in Rustenburg as they await kick-off in the opening clash of the six-week tour
Welshman Jamie Roberts is in the thick of the action early on as he attempts to make an instant impact on his Lions debut
Ireland lock Donncha O'Callaghan and his captain Brian O'Driscoll watch events unfold in the shade of the stands as the Lions begin poorly
The Lions are plagued by errors and fall 18-3 behind after tries from Willhelm Koch and hooker Rayno Barnes give the Royal XV a shock lead inside the opening 30 minutes of the match
Lions winger Tommy Bowe gives the Lions hope on the stroke of half-time, scoring a try between the posts. Ronan O'Gara slots over the extras as half-time arives with the Lions trailing 18-10
The hosts lead 25-13 after Bees Roux piles over but the tourists respond as the impressive Lee Byrne scores for Lions with O'Gara adding the conversion to make the score 25-20
The momentum shifts and late tries from substitute Alun-Wyn Jones and O'Gara move the unconvincing Lions ahead as they narrowly avoid an embarrassing defeat
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