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The Lion King
Matt Stevens is desperate to
sample more success on his second taste of British and Irish Lions action.
The Saracens prop was part
of the 2005 Lions squad that fell to a 3-0 Test whitewash at the hands of New
Zealand.
Stevens is currently vying
for a place in Saturday's team to face the Barbarians in Hong Kong, before
jetting to Australia.
He hopes the tour Down Under
will be a more enjoyable experience upon the pitch than that of eight years
ago.
"We weren't very successful
when I last toured in New Zealand and I'd like to turn that round and be successful
this time," said Stevens.
"It was a wonderful
experience for me at the time because I was so young and I was playing with my
heroes. But it was a disappointing tour overall.
"We lost all three
Tests which was a huge blow but I did learn a huge amount from it. Having
played for England since I know how important it is to be a very tight knit
squad and that's one thing Warren is really trying to do.
"The boys are really
buying into it and are very open to building firm connections. Everyone is
mucking in."
But the former England star,
who will battle current Red Rose incumbent Dan Cole and Wales' Adam Jones for a
Test spot, is well aware of the challenges the Lions face against Australia.
"It's going to be
massively tough," added Stevens. "You're playing across the other
side of the world, it's a long trip, you've got to deal with all of that.
"You have to deal with
the Aussie team who are a fantastic side and there are a lot of different implications
when you're touring.
"There are so many
different games - you have the internationals and the midweek games - it's a
tough test."