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Cape Town - Maori All Blacks captain Ash Dixon is expecting a tight series when the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand clash in the coming weeks.
Dixon's side were beaten 32-10 in Rotorua on Saturday as the tourists' first-team head into the first Test with a solid win under their belt.
And the hooker had a warning for New Zealand, who hammered Samoa in a warm-up match on Friday, saying the Lions will be tough opposition.
"I think the All Blacks would be foolish if they think they can just roll up next week and get a win. I'm sure they would have done their homework and looked at these games and it's going to be a really tightly contested series," he told Sky Sports following the tough defeat.
On his side's disappointing performance, he added: "The second half we started really poorly. We lost our way a bit with momentum and ill discipline and before you knew it we were stuck in our own 22. I think with the dewy ball and slippery conditions we really struggled but full credit to the Lions. Their kicking game was on point, they pressured in the right areas of the field and that's what you need to do in those conditions."
