Great Britain and Ireland got off to a winning start on their tour of South Africa - but only just.
It wasn't a convincing display by the Lions, and they almost suffered their first defeat in an opening tour match since 1971 when they lost 15-11 to Queensland Reds.
The British and Irish Lions now face five more South African club sides - the Golden Lions, the Cheetahs, the Sharks, Western Province, and the Southern Kings - throughout June until they come face to face with South Africa - or the "Springboks" - themselves on Saturday 20th June. Then there's a game with the Emerging Springboks before two more games against South Africa.
Great Britain had better improve before they meet the World Champions, or the Springboks will be devouring the Lions.
By James Standley
BBC Sport
Royal XV 25 - 37 Great Britain
Royal XV: Jeacocks; Seconds, van Rensburg, H Coetzee, Basson; Olivier, Pretorius; Buckle, Barnes, Roux, Mathee, Lombard, Koch, Raubenheimer, Makoena.
Replacements: Viljoen for Olivier (58 ), J Coetzee for Pretorius (68 ), Roberts for Buckle (60), Van Der Westhuizen for Barnes (69), Landman for Lombard (56), Kember for Raubenheimer (71).
Great Britain and Ireland: Byrne; Bowe, Earls, Roberts, S Williams; O'Gara, Blair; Sheridan, Rees, A Jones, Shaw, O'Connell, Worsley, M Williams, Wallace.
Replacements: Flutey for Earls (69), Phillips for Blair (66), Mears for Rees (69), Vickery for A Jones (66), A Jones for Shaw (66), Heaslip for Wallace (66).
The Lions launched a late fightback to beat the Royal XV and avoid what would have been their first defeat in the opening tour match since 1971.
Two tries in quick succession, from Wilhelm Koch and Rayno Barnes, helped the hosts take a shock 18-3 lead.
Tommy Bowe's converted try made it 18-10 at the break before a Ronan O'Gara penalty cut the lead to five.
Bees Roux then scored for the hosts but late tries from Lee Byrne, Alun Wyn Jones and O'Gara saw the Lions home.
A sparse crowd at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg - the Super 14 final was taking place in nearby Pretoria - saw the Lions make a raft of mistakes and struggle to gel in the first hour.
An embarrassing defeat was on the cards - for the first time in a Lions tour opener since losing 15-11 to the Queensland Reds in 1971 - to an equally scratch side made up of players from the third tier of South African rugby.
It was not all bad for the Lions and Jamie Roberts and Lee Byrne both turned in fine performances despite the rocky display from the team as a unit, and in the end the Lions' greater fitness saw them run in three late tries to avoid faces as red as their shirts.
O'Gara kicked a seventh-minute penalty to give the Lions the lead but Naas Olivier soon levelled with a penalty of his own.
The Lions' attempts to get their game going were hampered by centre Keith Earls' inability to hang on to the ball.
The 21-year-old was clearly struggling with nerves and when he dropped a high kick in his own 22 it gave the hosts great field position.
Try time: Tommy Bowe crashes over for the British Lions' first try in South Africa
They attacked from a ruck, great hands from Hanno Coetzee put Koch through a gap and the Royal XV captain had the pace and power to just make it to the line.
It soon went from bad to worse for the visitors, as Barnes burst through the middle of a maul to add a second try.
The maul, so rare a sight under the experimental laws (ELVs) that had been in effect for the past year, was making a welcome reappearance as Saturday's game was played under the definitive new laws which prohibit players from dragging down the maul, contrary to the system in use under the trial laws.
Royal XV fly-half Olivier converted the first try and slotted a penalty in between the two tries to give the hosts an unexpected 18-3 lead with less than half an hour on the clock.
Shakin' Shane: Shane Williams almost beats the Royal XV defence
As the Lions tried to get back on terms they elected not to kick for goal when awarded penalties and after kicking into the corner once more they finally scored their first try of the tour.
Byrne baby Byrne: Lee Byrne dives over for the Lions' second try
They failed to maul their way over from the line-out but fed the ball into midfield and Bowe popped up to take O'Gara's inside pass and motor over under the posts.
Ireland fly-half O'Gara slotted the conversion and despite a difficult opening 40 minutes, the Lions went in only eight points adrift at the break.
O'Gara trimmed the gap with a penalty two minutes after the restart and with Olivier then missing for the hosts, the Lions approached the last 20 minutes trailing by five points.
By now the tourists had taken charge but despite coming close to scoring several times, with Shane Williams even dropping the ball as he tried to spin over the line, they could not quite breach the hosts' defence.
And the Royal XV made them pay when they mounted a rare attack and Roux's converted score gave them what looked like being a decisive 25-13 lead.
With time running out Byrne showed fine footballing skills to score a superb solo try and give the tourists some hope, and O'Gara's conversion and a subsequent penalty cut the gap to two points with seven minutes to play.
By now the momentum had swung firmly in favour of the Lions and first Wyn Jones and then O'Gara went over for converted tries to ensure the Lions got the tour under way with the result, if not the performance, they wanted.
Barmy Army: Two Lions fans enjoying the fun in Rustenburg ahead of the Lions first game on tour versus Royal XV
Red Army: Two Lions fans enjoying the fun in Rustenburg ahead of the Lions first game on tour versus Royal XV
Roar power: A Lions supporter gets invovled in the banter
British and Irish pride: Two Lions fans having a drink before the game
Leader of the pack: Lions skipper Paul O'Connell leads his team out
Pensive: The shell-shocked Lions management look on as Royal XV take an early lead
Breakthrough: Jamie Roberts runs into the Royal XV defence
Thwarted: Lions centre Jamie Roberts is hauled down by a Royal XV defender
Crunch time: Paul O'Connell carries it up as his side struggle in Rustenburg
Try time: Tommy Bowe crashes over for the Lions' first try in South Africa
Try time: Tommy Bowe crashes over for the Lions' first try in South Africa
Head down and go: Joe Worsley takes it up on his Lions debut
Shakin' Shane: Shane Williams almost beats the Royal XV defence
Byrne baby Byrne: Lee Byrne dives over for the Lions' second try
Instant impact: Alun-Wyn Jones comes off the bench to score a try that put the Lions in the lead for the first time
Bemused: The Lions look on as the TMO makes a decision
Scoreboard says it all: Confirmation of the Lions 37-25 victory over Royal XV
Locked in: Alun-Wyn Jones and Paul O'Connell embrace at the final whistle
news.bbc.co.uk/sport
telegraph.co.uk
It wasn't a convincing display by the Lions, and they almost suffered their first defeat in an opening tour match since 1971 when they lost 15-11 to Queensland Reds.
The British and Irish Lions now face five more South African club sides - the Golden Lions, the Cheetahs, the Sharks, Western Province, and the Southern Kings - throughout June until they come face to face with South Africa - or the "Springboks" - themselves on Saturday 20th June. Then there's a game with the Emerging Springboks before two more games against South Africa.
Great Britain had better improve before they meet the World Champions, or the Springboks will be devouring the Lions.
By James Standley
BBC Sport
Royal XV 25 - 37 Great Britain
Royal XV: Jeacocks; Seconds, van Rensburg, H Coetzee, Basson; Olivier, Pretorius; Buckle, Barnes, Roux, Mathee, Lombard, Koch, Raubenheimer, Makoena.
Replacements: Viljoen for Olivier (58 ), J Coetzee for Pretorius (68 ), Roberts for Buckle (60), Van Der Westhuizen for Barnes (69), Landman for Lombard (56), Kember for Raubenheimer (71).
Great Britain and Ireland: Byrne; Bowe, Earls, Roberts, S Williams; O'Gara, Blair; Sheridan, Rees, A Jones, Shaw, O'Connell, Worsley, M Williams, Wallace.
Replacements: Flutey for Earls (69), Phillips for Blair (66), Mears for Rees (69), Vickery for A Jones (66), A Jones for Shaw (66), Heaslip for Wallace (66).
The Lions launched a late fightback to beat the Royal XV and avoid what would have been their first defeat in the opening tour match since 1971.
Two tries in quick succession, from Wilhelm Koch and Rayno Barnes, helped the hosts take a shock 18-3 lead.
Tommy Bowe's converted try made it 18-10 at the break before a Ronan O'Gara penalty cut the lead to five.
Bees Roux then scored for the hosts but late tries from Lee Byrne, Alun Wyn Jones and O'Gara saw the Lions home.
A sparse crowd at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg - the Super 14 final was taking place in nearby Pretoria - saw the Lions make a raft of mistakes and struggle to gel in the first hour.
An embarrassing defeat was on the cards - for the first time in a Lions tour opener since losing 15-11 to the Queensland Reds in 1971 - to an equally scratch side made up of players from the third tier of South African rugby.
It was not all bad for the Lions and Jamie Roberts and Lee Byrne both turned in fine performances despite the rocky display from the team as a unit, and in the end the Lions' greater fitness saw them run in three late tries to avoid faces as red as their shirts.
O'Gara kicked a seventh-minute penalty to give the Lions the lead but Naas Olivier soon levelled with a penalty of his own.
The Lions' attempts to get their game going were hampered by centre Keith Earls' inability to hang on to the ball.
The 21-year-old was clearly struggling with nerves and when he dropped a high kick in his own 22 it gave the hosts great field position.
Try time: Tommy Bowe crashes over for the British Lions' first try in South Africa
They attacked from a ruck, great hands from Hanno Coetzee put Koch through a gap and the Royal XV captain had the pace and power to just make it to the line.
It soon went from bad to worse for the visitors, as Barnes burst through the middle of a maul to add a second try.
The maul, so rare a sight under the experimental laws (ELVs) that had been in effect for the past year, was making a welcome reappearance as Saturday's game was played under the definitive new laws which prohibit players from dragging down the maul, contrary to the system in use under the trial laws.
Royal XV fly-half Olivier converted the first try and slotted a penalty in between the two tries to give the hosts an unexpected 18-3 lead with less than half an hour on the clock.
Shakin' Shane: Shane Williams almost beats the Royal XV defence
As the Lions tried to get back on terms they elected not to kick for goal when awarded penalties and after kicking into the corner once more they finally scored their first try of the tour.
Byrne baby Byrne: Lee Byrne dives over for the Lions' second try
They failed to maul their way over from the line-out but fed the ball into midfield and Bowe popped up to take O'Gara's inside pass and motor over under the posts.
Ireland fly-half O'Gara slotted the conversion and despite a difficult opening 40 minutes, the Lions went in only eight points adrift at the break.
O'Gara trimmed the gap with a penalty two minutes after the restart and with Olivier then missing for the hosts, the Lions approached the last 20 minutes trailing by five points.
By now the tourists had taken charge but despite coming close to scoring several times, with Shane Williams even dropping the ball as he tried to spin over the line, they could not quite breach the hosts' defence.
And the Royal XV made them pay when they mounted a rare attack and Roux's converted score gave them what looked like being a decisive 25-13 lead.
With time running out Byrne showed fine footballing skills to score a superb solo try and give the tourists some hope, and O'Gara's conversion and a subsequent penalty cut the gap to two points with seven minutes to play.
By now the momentum had swung firmly in favour of the Lions and first Wyn Jones and then O'Gara went over for converted tries to ensure the Lions got the tour under way with the result, if not the performance, they wanted.
Barmy Army: Two Lions fans enjoying the fun in Rustenburg ahead of the Lions first game on tour versus Royal XV
Red Army: Two Lions fans enjoying the fun in Rustenburg ahead of the Lions first game on tour versus Royal XV
Roar power: A Lions supporter gets invovled in the banter
British and Irish pride: Two Lions fans having a drink before the game
Leader of the pack: Lions skipper Paul O'Connell leads his team out
Pensive: The shell-shocked Lions management look on as Royal XV take an early lead
Breakthrough: Jamie Roberts runs into the Royal XV defence
Thwarted: Lions centre Jamie Roberts is hauled down by a Royal XV defender
Crunch time: Paul O'Connell carries it up as his side struggle in Rustenburg
Try time: Tommy Bowe crashes over for the Lions' first try in South Africa
Try time: Tommy Bowe crashes over for the Lions' first try in South Africa
Head down and go: Joe Worsley takes it up on his Lions debut
Shakin' Shane: Shane Williams almost beats the Royal XV defence
Byrne baby Byrne: Lee Byrne dives over for the Lions' second try
Instant impact: Alun-Wyn Jones comes off the bench to score a try that put the Lions in the lead for the first time
Bemused: The Lions look on as the TMO makes a decision
Scoreboard says it all: Confirmation of the Lions 37-25 victory over Royal XV
Locked in: Alun-Wyn Jones and Paul O'Connell embrace at the final whistle
news.bbc.co.uk/sport
telegraph.co.uk