GAVIN Hastings has hailed Ali Price’s performance for the British & Irish Lions on Saturday as “absolutely magnificent”, and believes head coach Warren Gatland will make few if any changes to his starting line-up for this weekend’s second Test against the Springboks.

The selection of Price ahead of erstwhile tour captain Conor Murray was one of the big talking points in Gatland’s team for the series opener in Cape Town, but the Glasgow scrum-half completely justified the decision in a game which saw his side recover from a 12-3 half-time deficit to win 22-17. Hastings, the former Scotland captain who also skippered the Lions on their 1993 tour to New Zealand, believes that Price’s national team-mates acquitted themselves just as well, and is convinced that the Lions have the strength in depth to go on and win the series.

“Ali Price had possibly his best ever game at international level - I thought he was absolutely magnificent,” said Hastings, speaking on behalf of Land Rover, an Official Sponsor of the Lions Tour to South Africa. “His box-kicking was terrific, his passing was sharp, his decision-making was good - I really thought Ali was terrific. 

“Duhan van der Merwe thoroughly justified his position, as did Hoggy [Stuart Hogg], who I thought did very well indeed - he showed a lot of maturity and chose his decisions well. And up front I thought Rory Sutherland did well in his time on the field, and was a bit unlucky not to have been in the original starting line-up prior to Wyn Jones’ injury.”

Those four Scots all started, while Hamish Watson replaced Tom Curry in the second half. Hastings believes that Gatland and his assistant coaches could consider starting Watson, but in general thinks that some of the players selected as replacements are best suited to coming off the bench rather than starting.

“They will also look at whether Hamish should start, for example. But there’s no doubt that when you can bring the likes of Mako Vunipola [who replaced Sutherland] on for the last 20, 25 minutes, that’s a massive boost to any team. He’s so capable of doing that job.

“The subs came on and made a big difference, and the fitness at the end was the difference, maybe because the Lions have played a bit more than the Springboks have recently. It was a tremendous result, obviously.

“It’s difficult to see where the Lions might improve, and it will be interesting to see whether they change their team all that much. The old adage says never change a winning team, but I think one or two people might come into the squad.”

Someone who will unquestionably keep his place is the captain, Alun Wyn Jones, who played alongside man-of-the-match Maro Itoje for 80 minutes just four weeks after dislocating his shoulder. “Unbelievable,” Hastings said of the Welsh lock. “His ability to play 80 minutes yesterday was nothing short of incredible, and both second rows playing 80 minutes is almost unheard of. 

“For Alun Wyn to be one of those second rows after playing very little rugby in the last six months . . . . producing a performance like that is unbelievable. That’s almost the only word you can use to describe it.”

Hastings played for Scotland alongside current national head coach Gregor Townsend, who is one of Gatland’s assistants on this tour and won a Lions series in South Africa back in 1997. The decisive second Test was televised on Saturday morning, and it inspired Hastings to get in touch with his old team-mate to suggest it provided the blueprint for victory in the game later that day.

“I watched the second Test then I actually texted Gregor to say that’s how the Lions were going to have to play - massive in defence and courageous in attack. That’s what they did and they were quite magnificent.

“It was brilliant. I just sensed that we would be stronger in the second half - we really needed to come out from half-time and play very strongly in that first 10 or 15 minutes after half-time. We got that try just then, and that gave the momentum to the Lions. 

“South Africa are not going to lie down next week, that’s for sure. However much they can increase the intensity and physicality, the Springboks will do that. But I said before the game whoever wins the first Test will win the series, and I have to stand by that.

“What both teams served up on Saturday was a fantastic game of rugby. It was a very, very close game and the Lions won it by the smallest of margins - even if not in the score sense. It was a superb game of rugby, there didn’t seem to be any hint of malice or skulduggery. And hopefully the Lions can finish the job off this week.”

Gavin Hastings was speaking on behalf of Land Rover. Join the Land Rover Lions Adventure on Twitter @LandRoverRugby #LionsAdventure