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Graham Rowntree: 'British and Irish Lions will avoid silliness'

Rowntree: 'Lions will avoid silliness'
© Niall Carson / PA Photos
Graham Rowntree wants the British and Irish Lions to keep their cool against a physical Western Force team on Wednesday.

British and Irish Lions assistant coach Graham Rowntree has called for his side to maintain their discipline when they face the Western Force on Wednesday.

The Super Rugby side have made it clear that they intend to hit the Lions with a physical match in Perth, which could ask questions of the tourists' mentality after Owen Farrell reacted to a punch against the Barbarians on Saturday.

However, Rowntree and head coach Warren Gatland are both confident that the players know the consequences of letting their guard down.

"What we have spoken about is doing your job well, not getting drawn into things," Rowntree told Sky Sports News. "There are enough opportunities in the game to be physical and put your mark on the game. The scrum, breakdown, tackles are all physical moments.

"We will be very strong internally. 'Gats' spoke to the team this morning. We are here to play rugby, not to be drawn into silliness. The players know the sanctions in place if they overstep the mark. You are going to get banned, you could miss a tour if you are not switched on. They understand it perfectly.

"I think provocation is always there in a game. We want to play positive rugby. We have to be competitive and physical, but we have to play within the laws. We have to deal with the intensity of what the opposition are going to try and do. We have to get on with our game. We are here to play our game and worry about ourselves. What we can't be doing is getting drawn into anything. We had a few issues around that on Saturday, and we can't be drawn into anything here."

The Lions take on Western Force in Perth on Wednesday at 11am GMT.

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