Those who query the Lions’ future would have been well advised to consult Owen Farrell on the eve of the first Test. As a player on his second Lions tour, about to face the sport’s ultimate challenge, the fly-half has seldom sounded more motivated. Top players relish big occasions and few come bigger than this.

From where Farrell sits all the players feel the same way; he thinks it is “very strange” some doubt the Lions concept. “When you see the hype around it, how much the players enjoy it and how much everybody involved loves it … it seems like everybody grips on to it when it’s happening so I don’t see why anything negative is said about it. The buy-in and how much players look forward to it is huge.”

The glint in his eye, in short, is entirely unforced. Even as a rugby league-playing nine-year-old, Farrell remembers being struck by Brian O’Driscoll’s slaloming try in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba in 2001, the sea of red in the crowd and the general sense of special moments on the other side of the world.

Sixteen years later that thrill is still there, with the assistant coach Rob Howley optimistic about the squad’s chances on the eve of battle: “Test-match rugby is about winning and we feel we’ve got Test-match animals. The confidence of the players showed this morning in training. I think they believe they can win.”

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For Farrell, as always, the roaring legends and memories will count for little. Opposite him will be Beauden Barrett, who is easily quick and talented enough to carve out his own slice of Dan Carter-style history. “It is exciting but what you’ve got to remember is not to play the occasion,” Farrell said. “It’s a game of rugby. You can’t be thinking what other people are thinking about or getting excited about external things. It has to be about the team and what we need to do to win. You obviously go into the game with a plan but things can change pretty quickly so you have to be prepared.”

Having earned the nod at No10 ahead of his one-time mentor Johnny Sexton, he is also not about to start fretting about the All Blacks’ 23-year-long unbeaten record at Eden Park. “They’re a fantastic team and they’ve got a fantastic record, especially over here; no one is questioning that.

“But if you go in thinking about past games, you’re thinking about stuff that probably doesn’t matter. You’re trying to convince yourself rather than just playing what’s ahead of you. You are better off doing your preparation then forgetting about it and going in with a clear mind; that allows you to see what’s in front of you. In attack you want to play to the space, whether that be kicking, running or passing. You have to make decisions constantly; if you are making good ones throughout the game, then hopefully you are doing your job right.”

Somewhere beneath the stern game face and narrow-eyed stare at distant goalposts, even so, will be a sizeable measure of family pride. With father Andy in charge of the aggressive defence system that has become such a feature of the Lions’ trip, the All Blacks will be extremely familiar with the Farrell mind-set by the end of this tour.

For Owen only the Father’s Day messages sent by other team-mates to their dads were a slight source of embarrassment. “I didn’t know when to say it to him because I didn’t want to say it in front of anyone else. Everybody got some video messages but they didn’t ask me to do one so I was a bit gutted about that. I don’t think I’ve spoke to him this tour as my dad.” So, no big match father-son pep talk? “I’ve never had one before, so no!”

As ever in the Farrell family, winning is what matters.

Lions tour manager Spencer assaulted in Auckland

The Lions will not revise their interactions with fans after the tour manager John Spencer was abused and assaulted in an Auckland restaurant. Spencer said he was accosted at a city centre venue called The Depot on Thursday night. A fellow diner asked for a photograph but a New Zealander became aggressive, abusing and shoving the 69-year-old. Spencer pushed the man away and asked to be left alone. The Lions have not made any complaint, and remain disappointed but unfazed by the incident.

“I’ve spoken to John, it’s an isolated, disappointing incident,” Howley said. “We’ve had a fantastic welcome, the New Zealand public have been fantastic with their welcome. “Unfortunately in sport there’s always a minority, it’s not the majority, but the experiences and welcomes we’ve had have been quite unbelievable.”

The Lions will start the three-Test series with New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday, with thousands of fans flooding into Auckland for the fixture. Howley said the one-off incident with Spencer will not knock the Lions off their stride.

“The New Zealand public have embraced us,” he said. “It was only last night we went out to the Viaduct [a waterfront entertainment complex] as a squad and management and we had a lot of Kiwis coming up to us. There’s been banter but that’s all part of it. But coming back to John, it’s an isolated incident, and it’s the minority, not the majority.” Agencies