Lions Tour: The Lions continued their charm offensive in the impressively appointed North Harbour Stadium in Auckland yesterday when a crowd of about half the anticipated 10,000 turned up for their first of only two open "training sessions" on this ultra-modern, highly professional tour.

Emerging from their ring-fenced private sessions at the Onewa Domain ground in Northcote, the slick, perfectly choreographed 45-minute "demo" was followed by an autograph session for the predominantly young audience.

After the video introduction of each player, the full, uncut version of the clever Adidas television advertisement filmed in London last March with Lions and All Blacks was shown on the big screen. Due to be broadcast in Ireland and Britain in about two weeks, it shows members of the two squads having a riot of a time on a training ground playing "Last Man Standing", a tag game with an imaginary ball.

On another day with three seasons compressed into it - and to include summer would be stretching things - the squad then emerged to go through warm-ups and skills drills, as well as kicking, lineout and defensive practice.

Nothing for the All Blacks to get their teeth into there, and little for the media to drum up controversial headlines with either, as Sky's Miles Harrison and Stuart Barnes conducted interviews with the watching New Zealand pundit Murray Mexted and the Lions' coaching staff on the side of the pitch.

As is custom hereabouts and even back in Britain and Ireland, Mexted questioned the validity of such an extensive playing and management staff.

Clive Woodward retorted by politely suggesting that the former All Black was missing the bigger picture.

An often unconsidered aspect of Lions tours is the extent to which the coaches and management from the four contributing countries learn from each other, he pointed out. "There's a much bigger picture. The Lions is very special and we've equipped it accordingly."

He rejected the criticism that the Lions had too many coaches, saying there were two separate management teams: one for midweek and one for Saturday games. "If you add up the New Zealand coaches and times that by two, that is what we have got.

"But I also want everyone involved, be it the doctors or the players, to come back from this Lions tour a far, far better person in terms of their knowledge. We're trying to take the Lions to a bigger plane, which I think I've already achieved," claimed Woodward, before adding, as ever, that the success or otherwise will be determined by the results of the Test series especially.

Woodward said that whereas England's World Cup triumph was the product of four years work, the comparatively shorter time in planning and partaking in a Lions tour made this a far more challenging task. However, he slightly modified his earlier stance that winning the series would be a greater achievement.

"If the Lions were to win the Test series it would be just as big an achievement as winning the World Cup."

Amid this week's phoney war, even the media briefing with Lawrence Dallaglio, who is more match hardened and in form than most, and likely to be a key figure on this tour, and Dwayne Peel, the starting numbers eight and nine for the Lions against Bay of Plenty on Saturday in Rotarua, was a relatively sanitised affair.

Extolling the virtues of yesterday's event and utterly at ease, the wily Dallaglio was only once moved to break from an almost prepared script when it was put to him that his good friend John Mitchell, the former England forwards and All Blacks coach, was less than complimentary about this Lions' squad's chances in the next six or seven weeks.

"That may be slightly different from the conversation I had with John Mitchell," he said, somewhat irked.

You sense the Bay of Plenty game can't come quick enough now. "The first game of any tour is very, very important," said the former England captain.

"I'm sure any touring side will tell you that getting off to a winning start is paramount. In Lions tours you are judged on what happens in a Test series, but each of the games is a building block towards that Test series and it is about momentum, and hopefully getting better and better with every performance before then trying to peak for the Test series. That's what this group is trying to do and it starts on Saturday."

Needless to say, Dallaglio didn't countenance the notion of keeping the Lions' powder dry for the Tests.

"Trying to win a Test place is about taking your opportunity, and we've been fortunate enough to be given the first opportunity on this trip. Far from keeping anything hidden away, I think Lions' tours are about giving everything you've got quite frankly in every game.

"Yes there are things that both sides will want to save for the Test series, but we've got some very, very tough games before the Test series and it's about getting through each obstacle we face. We're very excited about Saturday."

All of the squad took part in yesterday's public exercise, except for the injured trio of Matt Dawson, Malcolm O'Kelly and Simon Taylor, as well as the France-based Welshmen Gareth Thomas and Stephen Jones.

O'Kelly would resume training in the afternoon, although the picture with regard to Taylor was less clear, as the multi-talented Scottish backrower is on the 10th day of a 12-day recovery programme which was still to be assessed.

Jones hooked up with the rest of squad yesterday after being released by Clermont Auvergne after the conclusion of the regular French Championship, but the Lions were "in negotiations" about Thomas with Toulouse, who are due to play Stade Francais in the championship semi-finals this weekend.

Given these negotiations will probably be along the lines of Guy Noves saying he'll release Thomas when the Toulouse coach is good and ready, the Welsh captain could be unavailable for almost another two weeks.