“Mad Dog”, whose real name is Adrian, became somewhat of a cult figure in the eastern suburbs of Perth for his exploits over the past 30-odd years.

I guess Adrian is not the kind of name that reeks of terror hence the Mad Dog nom de plume.

A rugged character with a famously foul mouth, he could be seen, and more evidently, heard, riding his bicycle barefoot around the Midland area engaging verbally with people and vehicles.

But It reached a point where folks with far too much time on their hands were following him to wind him up and get a reaction, they even turned  up at his house. As a result Adrian became less visible over the years.

Today at Optus Stadium the mad dogs of Western Force and the British and Irish cross-breeds went walkies, and it was the big cats who emerged top dogs 

After defeat to Argentina in Dublin a win was essential to get the official tour on the road and start to build momentum and cohesion for the upcoming test series against the Wallabies.

The Lions had met Western Force just once before, winning 69-17, at Patersons Stadium in 2013.

There were eight Irish international in that Lions team back in 2013 the same number as were present on Saturday.

The sky over Perth turned a deep crimson just as the British & Irish Lions thundered onto the pitch, a fitting backdrop for a team that arrived like a coming storm. Eight tries later, any nerves about rusty combinations and opening-night cobwebs had been swept away.

For a brief heartbeat, Western Force had their moment — a glimmer of resistance when veteran scrum-half Nic White darted over in the fourth minute to cancel out Dan Sheehan’s first minute opener. The home crowd stirred, but that was as close as the Australians got to parity. What followed was a second half performance dripping with tempo, touch, and thunder from Andy Farrell’s side.

Finn Russell the Scottish sorcerer was throwing passes with more flair than a magician at a kid’s party.

Cross-kicks, flicks, maybe even telepathy. One minute he was directing traffic, the next he was smiling hands on hips watching Daly finish off his latest masterpiece.

Henry Pollock the twenty year old who looks twelve was everywhere and involved In everything, tackling like a dad trying to get to the BBQ before the rain, he also got a yellow card for being too enthusiastic at the breakdown.

There is plenty to work on nonetheless. The lineout wobbled. The penalty count ticked too high, restarts were not collected and concern lingers around Tomos Williams, who limped off with what looked like a hamstring strain.

The Welshman’s two tries underlined a thoroughbred performance and we can only hope the prognosis reveals something relatively minor with a short recovery span.

But the Lions are up and running and the show has only just begun.