Lions coach Graham Henry tonight paid a glowing tribute to Irish midfield genius Brian O'Driscoll following his man-of-the-match display that tore apart world champions Australia.

O'Driscoll scored a dazzling 50-metre solo try, beating three players on a magical run to the Australian line, proving the shining jewel in a gem of an overall team performance.

"Brian was quite superb," Henry said. "He is a young man who is electric with the ball."

Apart from O'Driscoll, Jason Robinson, Dafydd James and Scott Quinnell also breached the Wallaby's defence, giving Henry a dream start in his first Test match as Lions coach.

Predictably though, he is wary of a potential backlash when the teams lock horns again in Melbourne next Saturday.

"We played very good rugby for large parts of the game. The players showed huge character," he added.

"But we have got to keep our feet on the ground. We didn't play well in the last 20 minutes and I expect the Australians to play like they can next week."

Lions skipper Martin Johnson paid tribute to the fanatical five-figure Lions support in a capacity crowd of just over 37,000 at The Gabba.

"I went out onto the pitch to toss up an hour before kick-off and when I went back into the dressing room I told the lads it was virtually going to be a home game out there," he said.

"The support was unbelievable - I have never seen anything like it.

"That was one of the best Test performances I have ever been involved in. There were some grumbles from a few players beforehand but we knew it would be difficult.

"It has been tough with the injuries that we have had, and this team needed a tough match, but that is what touring is all about."

Apart from O'Driscoll, Henry also singled out centre Rob Henderson's "maturity in midfield" and an "immense" performance from flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson.

Lions manager Donal Lenihan reported few injury concerns - hooker Keith Wood requiring a couple of stitches, fullback Matt Perry suffering a muscle strain, and Quinnell suffering a slight ankle niggle.