OPINION: "The Lions Club" is not a big stick with which to beat those impostors from Britain and Ireland, although by all means, "get in there son and give it some," if the fancy takes you. The Lions Club is a fortnightly forum to discuss what's right and wrong in New Zealand rugby as the country prepares to lay waste to the invading Red Menace and its evil threat to our bio-diversity.

THE BACK FIVE

We usually call it the back three, but the All Blacks have so many current threats coming out of the backfield, the number just has to be higher. It has been a joy to see the new honed Julian Savea start to approach the devastating form of a few years ago when most of the rugby world were left lying at his feet.

GETTY IMAGES Waisake Naholo runs midfield lines better than anyone.

Israel Dagg put on a couple of sublime pieces of skill in the opening win over the Brumbies. Nehe Milner-Skudder still looks to have the best step in the game. Waisake Naholo runs those midfield lines better than anyone. Damian McKenzie is happy to be who he is again, rather than listen to the All Blacks coaches tell him who he needs to be. Only Ben Smith is missing, another victim of concussion, and worryingly unable to even train last week after being knocked out jumping for a high ball which brings me to the weekly rant…

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GO TAKE A RUNNING JUMP

PHOTOSPORT Israel Dagg showed some sublime skills against the Brumbies.

This business of jumping for the ball in the air and the laws around it are insane. We know that rugby people are incapable of honestly managing concussion. If you don't believe me, go take a look at this week's action from the La Rochelle versus Toulouse game in the Top !4. Oh, and by the way, La Rochelle, featuring Victor Vito and Jason Eaton, are unbeaten since the start of December and top of the Top 14, showing an almighty finger to the big plutocrats and player traffickers of French rugby.

Anyway, a Fijian centre Levani Botia, who La Rochelle have cunningly slipped onto the flank completely levels Alexis Palisson, the international wing, whose head bounces on the turf like a watermelon on the trottoir. Sparko. The bloke tries to get up and then staggers into the assistant referee and falls to the ground like a student at O week.

And guess what? Palisson passes the quite redundant HIA and is permitted back onto the pitch. So what are you going to do about it World Rugby? And what are you going to do about this absurdly dangerous business of manned space flights in order to catch a rugby ball. Because it's a problem, and it's going to be a problem on the Lions tour. Most of the refs haven't a clue and nor have the TMOs.

GETTY IMAGES Aaron Smith has some of his cockiness back.

Take the game between the Highlanders and the Crusaders. In the first half Lima Sopoaga, beetling along in his own world, completely takes the legs of Jordan Taufua who is jumping for the ball. Taufua crashes to the ground. It's a choice between a yellow card or a red, because there was "not a fair challenge" and "no contest", and it's marginal whether Taufua's shoulder hit the ground (red) or just his side and back (yellow). But referee Paul Williams, who ignored a number of assaults in the opening twenty minutes, does nothing, just as he fails to act when Waisake Naholo's legs are taken in the second half. But when Malakai Fekitoa leaves the ground in an effort to contest the ball, and gets his fingertips to the ball despite the efforts of an obstructing Crusader whose interference turns out to be dangerous, the TMO and ref rule that there was no fair contest for the ball (what??!!??) and issue a yellow card. Jerome Kaino was also bewilderingly let off at the weekend by a law that is applied with zero consistency.

This one has legs, because part of the Lions gameplan will be to wage an aerial battle and if we don't sort this law there will be mayhem and potentially some bloke like Ben Smith will tragically end up in a wheelchair.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

We need better refs, the sort of officials who understand the tackle law and who are prepared to offer Aaron Smith some of the protection he did not receive on Saturday night despite being targeted by the Crusaders. But happy news, after a confused early run and shocking pass, the Nugget started to gleam again and had some of the cockiness back which makes him the player he is. Over in Chiefs land Aaron Cruden made his opening statement in his case to be a starting All Blacks against the Lions, but I fear the jury is prejudiced. And the big beasts of the forest, Brodie Retallick and Dominic Bird, were huge at the lineout, hard in contact and soft with the ball in hand.

Not such a good weekend for Steven Luatua whose ridiculous off the ball challenge verged on assault. And we can really do without all the platitudes – "I don't think there would have been intent," "I feel sorry for Steven," "he's not that sort of player" – as the victim lies squirming on the ground. Breaking news – New Zealand rugby players do sometimes do bad things. Cue the entrance of Owen Franks and Joe Moody, both of whom were subbed by Scott Robertson at halftime, I hope by way of punishment for their violent conduct. Moody speared Gareth Evans at a ruck, a move that has arguably cost the All Blacks a test match and which does not go unpunished at international level. Is he a slow learner? And Franks continues with his ridiculous tackle technique prompting the commentator to observe, "I would love to know the last time Owen Franks has used his arms in a tackle."

Sorry, this column doesn't have the answer to that one.