The British & Irish Lions would have been awoken on Saturday morning in Cape Town not by their alarm clocks, but by the sound of heavy rain lashing against their bedroom windows. The downpour which had been forecast had duly arrived, bright and early.
So dark and all-encompassing was the rain cloud which hovered over the city that Table mountain had been almost completely hidden from view.
For a player hoping to stake a claim for one of the few remaining Test places still on offer, it made for a depressing scene.
This being a city known for experiencing all four seasons in one day, there was always the hope that the conditions might improve but when the time came to run out on to the pitch at Newlands there was nothing but wind and rain waiting for the Test XV hopefuls.
Still, after an opening ten minutes in which the two sides engaged in a dreadful game of aerial ping-pong, the conditions improved ever so slightly and certain Lions managed to advance their claims for a place in the starting line-up for Durban next weekend.
Martyn Williams was chief among them. The Welsh flanker capped a spirited and dynamic display with a try, thus giving him an outside chance of prising the number seven jersey out of the grasp of David Wallace. The only certainty that there is going to be one very disappointed specialist seven in Durban next weekend.
Andy Powell distinguished himself at number eight with a characteristically abrasive performance, full of hard running and powerful hitting. Indeed, his hit on Duane Vermeulen sent a shudder through every single person in the ground.
Whether Powell has done enough, though, to deny Jamie Heaslip a start at eight is debatable, perhaps even unlikely given the Irishman's form on Tour.
What is beyond all doubt, however, is that Tommy Bowe and Ugo Monye will start on the wings.
Bowe has been the player of the tour so far. He has not only scored tries but made them, too, and his willingness to come infield, to go looking for the ball is outstanding. Even more encouragingly, he has developed a tremendous understanding with Monye. Indeed, the Englishman's try against Western Province was the second that has been directly created for him by the intelligent running and soft hands of Bowe.
Elsewhere, Stephen Jones struggled in the difficult conditions and it will be slightly worrying for the Welshman that he has not yet delivered an outstanding performance, meaning the door is still ajar for Ronan O'Gara. There is still the outside chance that the Irishman could start against the Southern Kings, turn in a blinder and then end up wearing ten against The Boks four days later.
Of course, it would be remiss of us not to mention James Hook, who has impressed every time he has set foot on the field and the Ospreys ace showed impressive composure in slotting over the game-winning penalty at Newlands, coming as it had done just moments after he had seen a similar kick from distance drop well shot.
Hook does not look like a Test starter but is there an outside chance that he could steal O'Gara's spot on the bench, such is the young Welshman's versatility. Indeed, he can cover fly-half, centre and, as he showed against Western Province, full-back.
The 15 jersey is now likely to go to Lee Byrne, as expected. Rob Kearney was again defensively immaculate on Saturday. Imperious under the high ball, he also put in a tremendous tackle on Tonderai Chavhanga when the winger tried to burn him on the outside midway through the first half.
Luke Watson also acknowledged after the game that Western Province decided to keep the ball away from the Leinster man after discovering very early on that 'the Lions full-back had a cannon for a boot!'
And yet Kearney looks poised to miss out, perhaps even on the Test 22, because his provincial team-mate Luke Fitzgerald is versatile enough to play on the wing, at centre or at 15.
Keith Earls and Riki Flutey also offer versatility, of course, but their focus must now be trying to make the squad for the second Test after seeing Saturday's game pass them by.
Donncha O'Callaghan impressed in the line-out at times but, after being given the chance to start at four, he failed to advance his cause. Nathan Hines fared better and is undoubtedly in the reckoning to start but the suspcision must be that Alun-Wyn Jones will now be paired with Paul O'Connell against The Boks, despite ongoing reservations over their ability to play alongside one another.
As for the front row, Matthew Rees fared well at hooker but Lee Mears is a lock for the number two jersey.
Indeed, there is a distinct possibility that The Lions will field an-all English front row, with Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery both performing reasonably well in Cape Town.
However, Sheridan's position is less secure as he has the excellent Gethin Jenkins for competition at loose-head.
So, there are still big calls for Ian McGeechan to make and he insists that they will not be made until Tuesday night. However, when the Scot announces his team to face the Southern Kings we will have a very clear idea of the identity of the 15 men who will take to the field to tackle The Boks in Durban next weekend.
My British & Irish Lions Test XV: L Byrne; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll, J Roberts, U Monye; S Jones, M Phillips; G Jenkins, L Mears, P Vickery; A-W Jones, P O'Connell; T Croft, D Wallace, J Heaslip.
Replacements: M Rees, A Sheridan, N Hines, J Worsley, H Ellis, R O'Gara, L Fitzgerald.
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