Lions crush toothless Sharks

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They built serenely on a 7-3 interval advantage to take charge after the break.

Hooker Lee Mears, scrum-half Mike Phillips, wing Luke Fitzgerald, full-back Lee Byrne and number eight Jamie Heaslip scored tries, while 12 points from the boot of fly-half Ronan O'Gara and a late James Hook conversion sealed an emphatic success.

The Sharks, without several of their Springbok stars, were blown away on a breezy evening alongside the Indian Ocean.

They defended manfully during the opening 40 minutes as a Rory Kockott penalty kept them in touch, but there was no stopping the Lions during a one-sided period.

For the second successive midweek game, they did not concede a point after the break, and they have now scored 176 points in four games building towards next week's first Test against world champions South Africa on the same ground.

Phillips ran the show, and he was among several players who underlined their Test team credentials.

Centres Brian O'Driscoll and Jamie Roberts again proved a solid midfield partnership, while Mears removed any doubt about his status as the Lions' premier hooker.

And the tourists now move on to Cape Town, where Western Province await on Saturday, with confidence high that they can face South Africa boasting an unbeaten record.

There were also impressive contributions from prop Adam Jones and O'Gara, which is exactly what Lions head coach Ian McGeechan wants - competition for places - before he finalises his Test line-up.