Lions rested and focused: Rob Howley

Rob Howley.
Rob Howley.
There is nothing left to say. Nothing left to deliver to these players.

British and Irish Lions assistant coach Rob Howley admits it is now up to 23 players to make history at Eden Park tonight.

The side can become the first Lions side in 46 years, and just the second  in Lions history, to win a test series in New Zealand.

Howley said though the scale of the game was huge it still came down to the same fundamentals.

"They [players] know how big the game is. It is a game of rugby and is it about creating history? Yes. But players play best when they are relaxed and that will
be the key message from us," Howley said.

"There is a glint in their eyes. That glint hasn’t gone away from Wellington. We can create history and that is the challenge we have.

"Players play the game. It is their game. As coaches we have challenged the players and got the best out of them.

"We are excited. When you look back at the past seven weeks and where we have come from, we have lost a few players along the way, but we have arrived here now."

Howley said the bodies were now well rested from the relaxing few days in Queenstown, earlier in the week.

"The time down in Queenstown is what everyone enjoyed. It is the focus now on the intensity and the challenge that we have got and we are looking forward to that.

"We are up against World Cup champions. We have continually improved game on game. The session this morning was intense but there was clarity. The challenge for us is to learn from last week and put pressure on All Blacks.

"We put ourselves in a bit of a hole [last week] and got our selves out of it through our experience and clarity and fitness under pressure."

Howley, the attack coach for the side, said the team had more to reveal on the attacking side tonight.

"When you look at the first four or five games I think we were held up over the line about eight times. The number of line breaks we have created, it is just that composure under pressure. We just have to get better ... through the nature of the game there are not going to be many chances. As a team we have to take them."

He said the side had to go up a notch tonight.

"The players have grasped this week, they know what needs to be done. They know how to do it and that experience is vital.

"It is about getting your processes right. That emotion will naturally come in the weekend but it is making sure we are in the right place physically.

"That was a key part of this week. To get our bodies right. Over the next 24 hours we have to get our mindset right. Rugby is an emotional game."

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