What a let down. To say that the Lions' first performance on tour was disappointing would be an understatement.

	There was no sign of any ticket touts at the Royal Bakofeng Stadium © Getty Images

The omens were there. The media bus was late arriving and reports suggested the wi-fi at the stadium was problematic - perhaps someone was trying to tell us something.

Thankfully for the Lions there weren’t that many people there to witness the game. An official figure of 12,352 was reported but I would be surprised if there was even half that! The ground was so empty I was sure I could hear the lineout calls from my position high up in the main stand.

Rows and Rows of empty seats in the 42,000 capacity stadium - including in the press box that can hold over 300 - greeted the Lions. It was a shame the occasion clashed with the Bulls' appearance in the Super 14 Final down the road in Pretoria where a rampant home side would later run riot.

The stadium announcer did his best to fill the void using a powerful PA system but he could have simply raised his voice a little to get his message across. His enthusiasm reminded me of a bad wedding DJ desperately trying to lure partygoers onto the dance floor.

The Lions struggled for much of the game against a scratch side featuring players from what is South Africa's second division - only a handful of these players had Super 14 experience, and limited experience at that.

A huge upset was on the cards with the Royal XV in control of the game deep into the second half but at no point did I think the Lions would lose - not sure why. Perhaps I have been exposed to too much Lions propaganda? The comeback was pretty clinical and at least highlighted some battling qualities that will be required throughout this tour.

The door was wide open for those aspiring to a Test berth but few took the opportunity. Fullback Lee Byrne, wing Shane Williams and lock Paul O'Connell were the pick of the bunch.

The post-match views and body language emphasised the disappointment with the quality of the performance rather than the relief at making a winning start.

And if the Lions needed a further reminder of the need to raise their game significantly in the coming weeks, the Bulls obliged with a sublime performance to sweep the Chiefs aside. The travelling journalists present gathered around TVs in the media room and jokes about the lack of tackling soon gave way to total respect. The fanatical Loftus Versfeld crowd made for a super-charged atmosphere which made our sideshow appear as just that. The second Test in Pretoria is guaranteed to be pretty special.

Make no mistake, South Africa are big favourites to exact revenge on the Lions for their series defeat 12 years ago. And the Bulls, packed with in-form Springboks, rammed that fact home with a clinical display including moments of brilliance. Du Preez, Habana, Steyn and co are likely to give McGeechan a few sleepless nights over the coming weeks.

Suitably impressed the gathered media boarded the bus back to Jo'burg - with apologies from officials for the earlier delays and a few crates of beer as a gesture of goodwill. And all was forgiven and forgotten - except the Lions performance that is.