Peter Jackson in the Daily Mail
Jamie Roberts and the all-dancing Lions tore one of South Africa's most powerful provinces to pieces en route to their biggest win here for 35 years.
To witness the home team counted out at Ellis Park, of all places, before half time was to see something which no combined British-Irish team had ever done before. The lights, of course, had gone out there for more than a few teams from the British Isles down the years, most notably Martin Johnson's on England business 15 years ago when he was flattened by one punch from Johan le Roux.
The old Transvaal, proud of their record of having beaten the Lions more often than any other South African province, could never have imagined that it would come to this.
John O'Sullivan in the Irish Times
It would be tempting to dismiss last night's fare as Lions versus pussycats, but it would be churlish to demean what was an excellent team performance by Ian McGeechan's charges. The touring side, containing just three starters from the weekend victory in Rustenburg, gave free rein to the obvious talent that the squad harbours.
They were accurate from the opening whistle and suffered none of the jitters that undermined the previous display, facilitated by a host of brilliant individual contributions. McGeechan reiterates at every opportunity his belief that players grow into a Lions shirt and several vindicated that assertion.
Jamie Roberts was a deserving man-of-the-match, but it could equally have gone to Tommy Bowe, Alun-Wyn Jones or the outstanding Jamie Heaslip. The Ireland No8 covered every blade of Ellis Park, but it was his no-nonsense carrying and witheringly abrasive tackling that stood out.
Rob Kitson in the Guardian
The sound of roaring Lions could finally be heard in downtown Johannesburg. Far stiffer challenges await them than their pedestrian namesakes could muster here but amid the carnage there were encouraging flashes of a competitive Test team taking shape. If the touring side can maintain this momentum against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, there really will be grounds for optimism.
Gone was the leaden-footed puffing of the opening game, replaced by an altogether more vibrant study in scarlet. No team featuring Brian O'Driscoll seems to lose these days and the Irish captain, until his second-half departure to protect a jarred right shoulder, was as influential as ever alongside his fellow centre Jamie Roberts, forging one of those midfield pairings that feel right from minute one.
Former Lions back row and ex Lions coach Jim Telfer on Stv.tv
Momentum is possibly the most important ingredient which you need on a Lions tour as the team settles in and moves towards it's business end - the test matches. And after Saturday's inept display at Rustenburg, it was vitally important that the players picked for the second game got the show back on the road and showed the South African public what being a Lion is all about.
Respect has to be earned and against the confusingly named Golden Lions, it certainly was, with an almost flawless display of rugby.
In every facet of play, the Lions were supreme, from the set piece through to the quality of broken play ball and on to the confident interplay of the backs. Confidence with ball in hand, changing the angle of attack, execution with ruthless efficiency were key ingredients in their tactical approach and these tactics will have to be further nurtured if the Sprinboks are to be mastered. In fact, the numbers on the players backs seemed to be irrelevant as Tom Croft and Lee Mears ran about like backs and Brian O'Driscoll and Tommy Bowe competed in as many rucks as the forwards.
The Golden Lions were so outplayed it was difficult to imagine how they had scored the most tries in the Super 14 competition. But the British & Irish Lions defence was almost watertight, squeezing the opposition attack so tight their attack was completely neutralised and even generating two interception tries.
Ex Lions second row Paul Ackford in the Telegraph Online
They say he's past his best. They say he's carrying a debilitating injury. Even Jean de Villiers, the man Brian O'Driscoll will confront in the Springbok midfield in the Test series, was keen to know on Tuesday whether the British media were over-egging the great man's difficulties.
They were. If anyone wanted proof that O'Driscoll is still a major force in world rugby, itself a slightly bizarre inquiry given his performances for Ireland in the Six Nations and for Leinster in the Heineken Cup this season, his display at Ellis Park offered it.
O'Driscoll captained the Lions last night, and they were snappier, more accurate, altogether more potent than during their first outing. His great attribute is that he makes so few mistakes.
Mike Greenaway in The Star, Johannesburg
Observers were left unsure what to make of this mismatch because while the visiting Lions were markedly better in their second tour match, the Johannesburg outfit they were playing were nothing short of a disgrace.
The tourists certainly impressed with their efficiency in the set-pieces, their accuracy in keeping the ball through the phases and their support in numbers of the ball carrier. They scored a point a minute in the first half, racking up 39 in a ruthless display.
It was a clear case of one team being hungry for success and the other looking like they would rather be in the pub. In fact, they might well have been in the pub BEFORE the match.
Tony Roche in The Sun
Brian O'Driscoll led the Lions to their biggest win in South Africa since 1974 - and warned: "Our best is yet to come."
Ireland's Grand Slam winning captain was at the heart of an excellent 10-try performance.
The Lions ran in 10 tries against the Super 14 side to banish memories of Saturday's shaky victory over a Royal XV.
The Golden Lions struggled in Super 14 this season and have been disrupted in recent weeks with players threatening strike action following the sacking of coach Eugene Eloff. But the 22,000 Ellis Park crowd were still stunned by the way the tourists racked up 20 points in as many minutes at the start.
Former Lions wing Ieuan Evans in the Daily Telegraph
Jamie Roberts has done everything asked of him in the first two games and he's earned a rest from Saturday's game in Bloemfontein. He's looked comfortable alongside Brian O'Driscoll which is good for him because O'Driscoll is virtually assured of a Test place. Roberts got the team going forward and his angles of running alongside O'Driscoll were very impressive.
Tommy Bowe and Michael Phillips (were the men-of-the-match). Bowe for his try-scoring instincts and unselfish work for others. Phillips because he set the tempo and was very impressive. But you have to remember that it was those forwards who laid the platform.
Roddy Duncan in the Daily Record
The lions roared back into life last night with a convincing performance that dumped their so-called Golden rivals in the brown stuff. It was a display that was light years ahead of Saturday's stuttering opening win against the Royal XV in Rustenburg.
Centre Jamie Roberts and wing Tommy Bowe were stars of the Johannesburg show. And such was the British and Irish superstars' overwhelming degree of control, head coach Ian McGeechan was able to use all his replacements just past the second-half midway point.
The win was a record success against the Golden Lions or their predecessors Gauteng and Transvaal, opponents the Lions first faced in 1891. It was also the Lions' highest points total in South Africa since they beat South-West Districts 97-3 all of 35 years ago. And it put McGeechan's men in great heart for Saturday's encounter against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
More to the point though, the head coach would have been thrilled with the contributions of players such as man of the match Roberts, Bowe and Tom Croft as he begins formulating a Test team to tackle world champions South Africa later this month.
