Gatland: 'It was a tough day at the office'

Post-match reaction after the British and Irish Lions lost 14-12 to Super 15 side Brumbies in Canberra, Australia on Tuesday (18th June).

Warren Gatland, British and Irish Lions Coach:“I just felt we didn’t have the urgency and the intensity that we needed in that first half. We were bit better in the second half, but obviously a bit disappointed.”

“Full credit to the Brumbies they played well they frustrated us and, you know, it was a tough day at the office.”

“I think it’s part of being on tour isn’t it, re-group and you get a bit of a knock, you take your disappointment and it’s how you respond to it, how this group of players responds to it for the weekend. I think a lot of us have experienced it in the past and it’s happened before where you’ve had a knock and just getting back on the horse again.”

“The Brumbies were really effective with what they did. You know like I said they didn’t play any rugby, they just kicked a lot of the ball and competed really hard at the breakdown and tried to frustrate us and that was successful. There was not a heck a lot in the game and they’ve come away victors. You know it’s important that we learn from that experience and we make sure that we’re better for that for the next time we have a hit out.”

Rory Best, British and Irish Lions Captain:“We’ve seen certainly in the (Queensland) Reds and (New South Wales) Waratahs games there has been a lot of physicality there and, you know, we’ve been able to re-group after maybe five or ten minutes and bring our own edge to the game and, you know unfortunately tonight especially in the first half we weren’t really able to do that.”