Neil Back has moved into pole position to clinch a Lions Test place - barely four weeks after those hopes were left hanging by a thread.

The 36-year-old former England flanker will hang up his playing boots this summer, but he is determined to try to bow out at the highest possible level.

And the possibility of pulling on a Lions jersey against the All Blacks in Christchurch on Saturday week is looking increasingly likely.

Back shone during his tour bow in the 23-6 victory over Wellington, giving the Lions a considerable presence at the breakdown and contact areas, which had been a worrying problem during earlier games.

But just a month ago, the Leicester star was starting a four-week ban for punching Wasps flanker Joe Worsley in the Zurich Premiership final, ruling him out of Lions' appointments with Argentina, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and New Zealand Maori.

There is no doubt Back wants to make up for lost time, and the challenge has now been emphatically thrown down in back-row rival Martyn Williams' direction.

"It was good to get a run-out - my last game was a calendar month ago," said Back.

"All I was concerned about today was taking the opportunity. Four weeks ago, receiving that ban, it was difficult to take, but I had to look at it positively.

"I knew the first opportunity I would get on tour was potentially against Wellington, so that is where my focus has been. I had a steady game, but there is a vast improvement I can make as I get to know the other guys.

"Every situation, I believe, happens for a reason. At no point did I view it (the suspension) negatively. It happened, and I just had to move on from there.

"There was no point in sitting back and moaning about it, that's why we didn't appeal.

"My aim was to use the time between then and now as effectively as I could, and I think I've done that," he added.

"It has been frustrating. I wouldn't be playing at this age if I didn't really enjoy it, and I enjoy playing.

"I am not a great watcher of the game. Sitting there and watching your team-mates go out and do the hard yards is very difficult, and I would get a bit of a sweat on in the stand watching them, because I am playing the game with them."

Back was at the core, along with prop Gethin Jenkins, hooker Shane Byrne and flanker Simon Easterby, of a solid Lions display up-front, arguably their best of the tour so far.

"I think we are a long way off, but that is purely because of the game time we've had together.

"It is very limited, so there is still a lot of work to be done, but to be back winning is where I really want to be," said Back.

"We can build from today's performance. We learnt a lot from the Maori defeat, and I think we improved in those areas where we were deficient last weekend. The signs are positive and on the up, but there is a lot of work to be done to beat the All Blacks.

"It was great to get out there and get a run. If I was picking the side, I would be in it, but I'm not, it's for others to decide.

"All I can do is be the best I can possibly be, whether that's as a player out on the field or supporting the guys who get picked."

Lions skipper Brian O'Driscoll, meanwhile, praised his team after they returned to winning ways.

"I was pretty pleased," he said. "Total satisfaction might be a little bit over the top, but I thought we came back well from our defeat to the Maori.

"It wasn't flawless, but there were some good aspects to our game.

"We were probably one pass away from scoring another three or four tries, which was a little frustrating, but we didn't allow it to affect us."

O'Driscoll agreed conditions were hazardous for fluent rugby - a blustery wind and strong rain, which hampered both sides' best attacking efforts.

"The ball was like a bar of soap, and I haven't seen a wind swirling like that since I have been at Lansdowne Road. It was difficult, and the unforced errors that both sides made showed how difficult it was to put five or six phases of play together.

"We are 10 days and two games away from the first Test. There is plenty to concentrate on before the Test, but today wasn't about trying flamboyant moves, it was about coming together as a unit and putting together a team performance."