Australia beware – Jonny can be even better

This was an awesome performance by the Lions, particularly in the first half. But we should not get carried away. Queensland may be Super 12 semi-finalists, but yesterday they were under strength and did not play as well as they can. That said, nobody should belittle the tourists' achievement. Encouragingly, there was not a single poor showing; significantly, the main man was Jonny Wilkinson.

We always suspected that he would be one of the key players of this tour and he is showing us why. He's taken his chance well and I would have thought that he will now be first choice for the Test berth ahead of Neil Jenkins and Ronan O'Gara. This was a solid showing, not least because it was his debut in the red shirt, but he's not the finished article yet. There is still work for him to do before he comes face-to-face with the Wallabies' half-backs, Stephen Larkham and George Gregan, and Jonny is level-headed enough to know it. To make sure he's ready, he needs at least another game under his belt and I would guess he'll play in one, if not both, of the next two outings.

Bearing in mind the fact that Jonny is not yet fully match-fit, having missed the last six weeks because of injury, I think that his all-round performance, particularly in the first 30 minutes when the Lions were under real pressure, was impressive. He varied his passing and dictated play throughout. No one should be too surprised, though. Jonny may be a young man, but he already has a lot of international experience.

The true measure of his maturity was evident when he had the vision to kick across field and behind the Queensland defence to set up Dan Luger for the first Lions try. As soon as Jonny saw that the Queensland centres were closing him down, he had the presence of mind and quickness of foot to adjust himself and perform the perfect diagonal kick into Luger's arms. In many ways, that was a typical rugby league kick. I know Jonny watches the 13-man game and I would not be surprised if that's where he saw the move.

Like league players, Wilkinson has incredible strength. As someone who has been brought up in the modern game, you would expect him to be very fit, but he is also very brave. He's a tough cookie, who is not afraid to take on the opposition, and he proved to the Lions management, not to mention the Wallabies, that his injury had definitely cleared up.

The Lions' No 10 also showed his good handling abilities, when he somehow picked up a rare loose pass from Rob Howley before releasing Richard Hill for another try late in the first half. The Wilkinson pass was excellent but I think Hill's run should be praised too.

For me, that move perfectly encapsulated all that is good about the tourists. They are well organised, disciplined and possess frightening pace. When you put all three together, it means that there are always options available, which is all that a player of Wilkinson's calibre needs to hurt the opposition.

Another player who caught my eye was Dafydd James. The right wing position was a potential problem at the beginning of this tour, but I would say he has done enough to be given another chance in one of the next two games leading up to the first Test on 29 June. His vital tackle after 10 minutes proved that he is more than just an elusive runner. He has worked hard on the physical side of his game and I have been impressed with his recent development. His try late on in the first half was just reward for his endeavour.

Overall, the Lions will be pleased with the start to this Tour. They have strength in depth and, in Martin Johnson, perhaps the greatest lock-forward Britain has seen. The sight of Johnno holding off two of the Queensland players following the first-minute fracas, said everything about the Lions captain: strong, committed and, most crucially, in total control. He looks out for his players and right from the off yesterday his message was crystal clear: "Don't mess with my boys."