AFTER a first look at the Lions that prompted a hearty "meh", the biggest winner of the Hong Kong adventure appears to have been the ARU.

It is a little-known fact that the ARU banked half-a-million dollars for the Lions tour opener, which was a fixture originally due to be played in Australia.

The Daily Telegraph understands when the deal was struck for this Lions tour several years ago, it was for 10 games.

The necessary fee to the Lions was paid by the ARU. But big-spending Lions sponsor HSBC wanted a game in its home town of Hong Kong and went to the ARU with a weighty chequebook. A Barbarians game was born.

The ARU took the "compensation", given a seventh tour match in Australia against a selection XV wouldn't go close to a $500,000 profit.

Resultant criticism of the Honkers stopover has since seen a new narrative spun, in which Australia only wanted nine games and an extra one had to be found.

In any case, it came to pass that the Lions and Baa-Baas sweated it out on Saturday night in a game that gave a masochistic twist to the term "warm-up".

Unsurprisingly, attendees said the atmosphere felt like a giant corporate box - muffled appreciation with the occasional corner of beer swilling. Albeit a corporate box situated inside a sauna.

The hot and humid conditions made life difficult and combined with a Barbarians side with no emotional investment, the game didn't provide Lions or Wallabies coaches with huge amounts of intelligence for the tour proper.

There were glimpses, notably in the quality of several standout Lions.

Halfback Mike Phillips showed he's dangerous running laterally from quick rucks, and Jonathan Davies at No.13 is hugely underrated. Don't be shocked to see him keep O'Driscoll and Tuilagi out of the Test team.

Some stood out for wrong reasons. Even accounting for slippery handling, Owen Farrell had a poor night at No.10. He never looked settled, or marshalled his side into any discernible shape against a so-so defence.

After the Schalk Burger punch, commentators said Farrell's capacity to be flustered will see him targeted by Wallaby niggle. Forget that. Fast line speed in defence would do that job quicker.

Toby Faletau and Justin Tipuric were good in the backrow, while lock Paul O'Connell may be on his umpteenth tour but he hits rucks as hard as ever.

Scrums were mostly a farce, but it was hard to tell how much was the strength of the Lions and how much was the Baa-Baas' poor showing.

What was clear was Adam Jones's power - and threat to Australia - at tighthead; highlighted by the fact that after he went off, the Barbarians actually won a few.

Tactically, Robbie Deans wouldn't have gleaned much. Warren Gatland looks to want fast recycle as a weapon, and will encourage offloading, but only in the Wallabies' half.

Pressure will be tactically applied. That half a dozen high balls were hoisted above the heads of the open Baa-Baas winger won't have gone unnoticed.The set piece will also be relied upon near the Wallaby line, but Australia will feel confident they can match it if Benn Robinson holds Jones.

In the end the game blew out, and fitness and structure provided most of the final scoreline.

It's folly to judge much from it. Both teams were full of new combinations and had had bugger-all training, although nine Welshmen in the Lions side could justify claims they went way too long to pick apart a Baa-Baas team who'd only met a week earlier - in a pub.

Real evidence of the Lions' mettle will come against the Western Force on Wednesday night in Perth. They'll be just as fit, and arguably better structured. Let the real tour begin.

Originally published as Lions' Baa-Baa mauling a gift for ARU