Lions diary, day thirty-two

So the award for most charmingly nervous, plain-speaking interviewee among the Lions goes to: none other than prop Adam Jones.

So the award for most charmingly nervous, plain-speaking interviewee among the Lions goes to: none other than prop Adam Jones.

Jones is not at ease in front of a microphone, he's fidgety and struggles to find a space where he is not looking someone in the eye.

Yet he answers questions with a refreshing dollop of honesty and lack of fluff, which provides a healthy source of humour during the interminable 'mix zone' sessions.

It's the honesty that provides the humour for the day. Asked what he was doing the last time the Lions were in South Africa, Jones replied: “I was down Abercrave rugby club,” and then there was a brief pause.

“Drinking a few underage beers.”

Asked how to counter the Beast should he attempt to pop Jones up or drive him up in the first scrum on Saturday, Jones' reply was without hesitation or pause for thought.

“Go down,” he said, completely deadpan. “If someone's trying to drive you up, you should try and go down.”

Finally, at the end of an interview marked with one-phrase answers such as the above, Jones was quizzed at the end about the chocolate biscuit he was reported by The Guardian to have had in the aftermath of the first Test, whereupon he gave the most eloquent answer of the day.

“Ahhh, yeah,” he said with relish.

“Chef after the last game gave me this massive slab of chocolate (and here he blew a kiss from his hand in the finest Italian chef style), I was very happy, I was bouncing after that.”

That chocolate represented a break from a tight eating regime whipped up by Dave Campbell, revolving largely around chicken, with an occasional ostrich and buffalo thrown in, and a huge variety of salads.

The regime – including weighing the players every morning – has relaxed as the tour has neared its end, with fish and chips dished up on Monday as the players have reached their fitness targets and get into maintenance of weight levels. But the benefits for the management so far have been tangible – Gerald Davies has shed a stone!

Matt Dawson remains as effervescent as ever. Ian McGeechan shuffled out of the press conference yesterday with most deferring to his demeanour and either mumbling a 'good luck for Saturday' or simply getting out of his way (Geech did not look like a happy man yesterday).

Not Dawson. The former Lions scrum-half took a well-aimed swing at McGeechan's backside with his boot, followed by a wink and a smile. He's not lost his sense of mischief then…

The award for the 'I wish I hadn't been so open and friendly' face goes to Stephen Jones (the Welsh fly-half, not the Times writer, who could neither be described as open or friendly).

Jones was nearing the end of a marathon session of interviews when he was confronted by a young local journalist asking for just a minute for a few quick questions. Jones replied: “of course” and then glanced down at the long list of scribbled lines on the journalist's notepad.

“Oh,” he said, looking up a little crestfallen. “You have got quite a few down there haven't you?”

A few more tour stats as we head into the second Test and the final week:

Kilometres spent following the Lions: 9,758 – including the ridiculous timetable that takes us from Durban to the Cape and then back up to Johannesburg.

Free drinks from the sponsors: 58 beers, 9 bottles of wine, and half a bottle of the local brandy.

Restaurant of the tour: The Wijnhuis in Newlands, Cape Town. Magnificent steak in red wine sauce, delectable seafood and a wine list with over 400 wines to choose from, to suit all budgets. Some do need airing before consumption though.

Longest answer given in any one press conference: The six and a half minutes taken by James Robson to outline the protocols surrounding James Hook's concussion