New Zealand sports fans are 'among the most arrogant in the world' according to former Lions lock Ben Kay.
Kay toured New Zealand as part of the Lions squad which was swept 3-0 in the Test series in 2005, and believes the current iteration have essentially no hope of earning respect from a host nation which has 'been raised on a diet of virtually unbroken success.'
"The All Blacks are more than just a nation's rugby team, they are a national symbol and so even non-rugby supporters feed off that superiority," wrote Kay in The Times.
The ex-England international said it was 'virtually impossible' to win over the staunchly loyal locals, typified by the media's reaction to their limp first-up performance against the NZ Provincial Barbarians on Saturday.
"Where Saturday's performance has made life tougher for the Lions is in convincing those Kiwis - and their future opponents, all of whom will be tougher and slicker and more skilful than the Barbarians - that they are still a team to be feared."
"As a Lion in New Zealand, it is therefore impossible to escape the pressure and scrutiny. At every turn they will have the locals doubting them; the man at reception smirking as he checks them in to a hotel, the barista with a little dig as she makes a coffee.
"Winning their respect as a visiting team is virtually impossible."
Kay stressed the importance of a bounce-back performance against the Blues in Auckland on Wednesday, where another poor outing will only increase the widespread condemnation.
"If they turn up against the Blues and put in a strong performance, everyone will forget what happened. If they don't, then it ratchets up another level.
"A struggle against the Crusaders and you may well find even more Kiwis dismissing a Lions squad that we felt was the strongest ever as worse than 2005."
Newshub.