Brumbies tie offers Dawson choice to put up or shut up

A day is a long time on a Lions tour. Around tea-time on Saturday in the Gabba word was filtering through that Matt Dawson had broken ranks with a stinging critique of the Lions management in an English newspaper. Rumours were already rife of disharmony in the camp. Australia were five-point favourites to win the first Test. The ramifications were about to start.

But all has changed, changed utterly. The knives that were being sharpened have been tossed away at least for the next week, and perhaps for good. The series ain't won yet but for the time being Graham Henry, Donal Lenihan and could bask in the afterglow of a stunning Lions triumph - their 29-13 walloping of the Wallabies ranking right up there alongside the very best of great Lions days.

Of course it won't matter a whit if the Lions don't go on to win the series, but hangover or no hangover yesterday, and regardless of a busy morning which had seen Donal Lenihan accompany Colin Charvis to a disciplinary hearing before then disciplining a recalcitrant Dawson, the relaxed Lions manager could conduct a lunchtime press conference on his own. He's the Boss now.

It transpired that Dawson went to the Lions management yesterday morning with his tail between his legs and apologised for his injudicious outburst in his diary in the Daily Telegraph. Aside from the content, the timing of it five weeks into the tour on the day of the first Test angered Lenihan.

Dawson's punishment has not been made public but it's widely believed that he has been fined for breaching his contractual agreement, though he may well start tomorrow against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra, most probably as partner to Ronan O'Gara.

Whether Dawson has damaged his Test chances, only time will tell. Dawson accused the Lions management of "mindless training. Coaching staff are taking it too far. Boys are not enjoying themselves. No energy for bonding ... lot of unhappy people."

Dawson also ridiculed Henry's team talk before the Australia A defeat. "GH does team talk but doesn't inspire me at all. Too much shouting and screaming. Picked out individuals to wind them up, but all very childish."

Lenihan was criticised for having " treated us like kids", Dawson also writing: "Have flogged us for three weeks. Defeat was waiting to happen."

Speaking yesterday, Lenihan made little attempt to hide his anger with Dawson: "I've seen the comments and I spoke with Matt this morning. He came to me - as you can appreciate I've had a busy morning - and I had a coffee and I read it, and I have to say I was extremely disappointed.

"He was very remorseful, having gone through it in the cold light of day. I've spoken to him, we will deal with it internally, he knows that and he accepts that, and that's where it will stay."

Had the Lions lost on Saturday then Dawson's comments could really have opened up a can of worms. The management have clearly made mistakes, not providing enough non-rugby distractions or giving the players sufficient time off.

Yet Lenihan described as "totally untrue" and "taken out of context" Dawson's reputed claim that some players had to be dissuaded from leaving the tour.

"Let's be honest, there has been difficulties on the tour in terms of the workload we've had to put in, and I think you saw the benefit of that workload yesterday," said Lenihan, who cited night-time kick-offs, the shortness of the tour and the increased profile for the heightened intensity of Lions' tours.

"We have put our hands up and (admit) there have been times when we've had to prioritise the test team possibly to the detriment of one or two of the midweek matches, but at the end of the day the success of the tour or failure of the tour party will depend on whether we win the Test series.

"In a Lions context you have 37 players who are fully-fledged internationals who all want to be in the Test team.

"There have been some frustrations and we'd be lying if we said there weren't."

Nonetheless, while Saturday's tour turnaround has perhaps left the dirt-trackers even further adrift from the test 22, it's also raised the stakes even higher for Dawson and the other malcontents when they play the Brumbies.

Put up or shut up.