Joe Worsley has admitted he felt like a “zombie” in his first Lions match and vowed to make a bigger impact against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The London Wasps flanker played in the stuttering opening tour win over the Royal XV last Saturday when altitude and the heat affected all the team. The players are now accustomed to the conditions and the England international is ready to prove his true worth.

He said: “There was a lot of travelling before that first game and along with the altitude I felt like a zombie during the match and when your legs are struggling it really affects the rest of your game.

“There is a really great spirit in the squad and a lot of respect and we want to register a third successive win on tour tomorrow.”

The Lions' 74-10 destruction of the Golden Lions on Wednesday gave the squad a massive boost and now they have been challenged by head coach Ian McGeechan to repeat that display.

However, this will be a much tougher challenge for captain Paul O'Connell and his big pack who are supported by one of the smallest Lions back divisions with Leigh Halfpenny, Keith Earls and Shane Williams 5ft 10ins or smaller.

Naka Drotske, the Cheetahs coach, is promising a reality check for the Lions and said: “They should not be allowed to build up momentum through the non-Test games and we want to do the Boks a favour.”

Lions (v Cheetahs): L Byrne (Wal); L Halfpenny (Wal), K Earls (Ire), L Fitzgerald (Ire), S Williams (Wal); J Hook (Wal), H Ellis (Eng); A Sheridan (Eng), R Ford (Scot), E Murray (Scot),
D O'Callaghan (Ire), P O'Connell (Ire, capt),
S Ferris (Ire), J Worsley (Eng), A Powell (Wal).
Reps: M Rees (Wal), A Jones (Wal), S Shaw (Eng), N Hines (Scot), M Blair (Scot), R O'Gara (Ire), G D'Arcy (Ire).

Boys on tour

The current Lions squad are dominated by Irish players, with 12 of the Six Nations Grand Slam winners on tour. But in South Africa in 1997, the make-up was very different with 18 Englishmen, eight Welsh, five Scots and four Irish.