British &Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland was forced to issue a ‘cool it’ warning after his Lions almost came to blows in training.
Flanker Sean O’Brien was reportedly at the centre of a training-ground bust-up ahead of Saturday’s crunch third All Blacks test.
“We had a pretty tasty session with some verbals,” admitted Gatland.
“It was a bit testy but everyone is aware how important this game is.
“It’s about having emotional control. You want to take it to the edge but you don’t want to go over the top.”
Gatland has talked consistently about discipline since the Lions gave away 13 penalties in their 24-21 second test win, which levelled the series.
But Alun Wyn Jones insists bust-ups like this are a good thing.
“There has been when I’ve played in big games for club and country. The edge does get a bit sharper between players — that’s what you need and it’s nice to see.”