British & Irish Lions winger Shane Williams insists Monday night’s tour opener against Argentina will have little relevance when the squad arrives in New Zealand.
Sir Clive Woodward’s men were held to a 25-25 draw by the Pumas in the Millennium Stadium but livewire Wales back Williams has played down the significance of the performance.
"What happened on Monday has no bearing on the Test series to come. It’s going to be a long tour and by the time the Tests arrive we will have gelled as a squad and should be playing some great rugby," he said.
"There were a couple of good performances against Argentina. I think a couple of the boys will have proved their worth and I’m sure they’ll be looking to do that again. It’s early days yet – we’ve only been together since last Tuesday.
"The first game of the tour is over and we need to focus on the next match against the Bay of Plenty. We were disappointed not to beat the Pumas but we can’t dwell too much on that.
"We should have done better with the talent we have in the squad but now we must pick ourselves up and work on the things we need to. We must move forward with a positive attitude."
He added: "Gelling together was the main issue against Argentina. Many of the boys hadn’t played together before. It does take time and it’s hard work trying to do it after three or four sessions.
"But Argentina were very aggressive – they are a strong side with a very powerful pack, as they showed in the set pieces. A lot of teams have slipped up against them in the past and I think we did well."
