British and Irish Lions wing Simon Zebo has warned his teammates that they cannot afford another defeat when they face the Melbourne Rebels on Tuesday.
The tourists scraped a win in the first Test against Australia on Saturday, coming on the back of a defeat to the Brumbies four days earlier.
While they may have secured a vital opening victory against the Wallabies, Zebo admits that losing their previous match had a huge negative impact on the team.
"We can't afford another loss because it will hurt the squad hugely. It's already hurt us and there were a lot of people upset throughout last week," Zebo told the official Lions website.
"We were lucky to get the win on Saturday coming off a defeat like that, so we can't afford to let that happen again. We're all playing for places and we're playing to represent the Lions and you just don't want to be on the losing side. It's pretty vital we don't lose on Tuesday.
"It's not as easy as playing a weekend game, but you're still getting a chance to go out and represent the Lions, which isn't something you can't take lightly. You would like to think there is always a chance of pushing for a Test sport and that if any player plays out of their skin, or has just one of those special days out on the pitch, then you obviously have a chance."
The Lions meet the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park on Tuesday.
Matt Cotton
