Lions test to go ahead despite London blasts

Today's final test between the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand will proceed as planned as a tribute to the victims of the London bombings.

Lions tour manager Bill Beaumont said organisers had considered cancelling the match but both teams agreed the game should go ahead after observing a minute's silence before the kick-off.

"We do not believe it would be the right response to cancel the test. As the (British) prime minister said, the purpose of terrorism is to terrorise and intimidate," Beaumont said in a statement.

"To cancel a major sporting event like this, which means a great deal to millions of people in New Zealand, Britain and Ireland, would serve the interests of the terrorists."

Lions assistant coach Andy Robinson said none of the Lions players had family or close friends directly affected by the blasts but they were still struggling to maintain their focus on the upcoming match.

Meanwhile, Lions captain Gareth Thomas has been cleared to play after recovering from infection.

The Welsh centre has been bed-ridden for most of the week with a virus but trained with his team-mates for the first time yesterday.

Yesterday's training run was the Lions' first full session since last week's second test loss in Wellington. Thomas missed Thursday's session after Wednesday's practice was cancelled because of the high injury toll.

Robinson said there was a real danger the tourists were under-prepared heading into the series finale but the high casualty list had left them with little choice.

"It's been a real balancing act but this week was really about keeping everyone off their feet and keeping them all fresh," he said.