Now is the hour for the Lions

The British and Irish Lions’ tour hopes are already teetering on cliff’s edge, and the New Zealand Maori can send them tumbling off, ahead of an already mightily difficult test series assignment.

The 80 minutes in Rotorua tonight will be telling, in one way, shape, or form. Are the Lions to be considered any sort of chance against the All Blacks?

If the tourists can channel their efforts against the Crusaders last weekend and notch a victory against a strong Maori unit a week out from Eden Park it will do wonders for their confidence.

But if what is essentially their first-choice lineup gets tipped up, it could be a hammer blow.

It’s now or never for Warren Gatland’s men. They’ll be fronting a Maori side which coach Colin Cooper has had to work hard to keep a lid on, such is the excitement levels in their camp.

A number of factors have made for a team akin to a shaken bottle of fizzy.

There’s the special bond and camaraderie the Maori have when linking up on these irregular occasions, the fact that playing the Lions is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that there are several players on the fringes of All Black selection that are eager to show they’ve got the goods.

‘‘For me, it’s keeping them in preparation mode, they go to battle tomorrow, it’s no good doing it now and thinking about the game too far ahead and not being able to sleep,’’ Cooper said yesterday.

And Gatland, too, knows all too well the score when the Maori come together.

No other country could boast a second side like it, be it in passion or flair.

You suspect the Lions should be able to grunt and shunt their opponents up front - though referee Jaco Peyper’s interpretations will suit the hosts but out the back there is starpower galore in the Maori side.

‘‘We’re excited about the quality of team that we’re up against,’’ Gatland said.

‘‘The players are incredibly proud to put that jersey on and to represent not just the people of New Zealand but their own tribes and where they’re from.

‘‘So it’s going to be a great occasion. I can remember watching [in] 2005, the game in Hamilton and the atmosphere was something else.’’

That famous 19-13 victory was history-making for the Maori - the first time they had conquered the Lions, in what was their eighth attempt. Each of the clashes had been close, but this broke new ground.

With the Maori having only been together a week, no official fixtures inked in on their radar, and against an under-pressure Lions side, it presents a prime opportunity to take an underdog tag and see what more damage they can inflict on the tourists.

However, Cooper is adamant that there’s plenty on the line for his boys too.

’’We have a lot to lose,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re at home, in front of our people. We want to make this team a team that everyone wants to tour in the future. We want sponsorship to support us. So there’s a lot on the game. It’s not a one-off.’’