'We’re all feeling pretty chilled out at the minute' - Warburton

Warren Gatland knows his team have the opportunity to write their names in British and Irish Lions folklore by winning the final Test against New Zealand on Saturday.

A dramatic 24-21 victory for the tourists in Wellington last weekend means Saturday’s contest at Eden Park is a decider, with the Lions aiming to earn only their second series triumph in New Zealand and first since 1971.

Gatland said: “There’s no doubt .. they have an opportunity to leave a bit of a legacy, don’t they?

“I think it’s 11 tours of New Zealand and only one ever been won, so they have a chance to do something special. And you get those moments in your life and you don’t want those moments to pass you by. That’s what big occasions and big sporting events are about.”

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It's been a busy Thursday with 2? days to go until the #LionsNZ2017 series decider! #NZLvBIL pic.twitter.com/Ipf9j7XvEL

— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 6, 2017

The Lions players were given two days off in Queenstown earlier this week, a decision Gatland was happy to stand behind in a news conference on Thursday.

“All I know is these guys needed a break – they’ve been training for 11 months and they had one day off, which was the Wednesday in Wellington before the first Test,” Gatland explained.

“We could have done it anywhere, but we decided to do it somewhere that’s incredibly beautiful and we did the same four years ago [on the tour of Australia]. It’s something that we’ve found that worked in 2009 and 2013, I know that we’ve used it with Wales on a few occasions … it’s not anything different to what a lot of the players have experienced in the past.”

Skipper Sam Warburton added: “We’re all feeling pretty chilled out at the minute. I think it was good to have that break in Queenstown and, like Warren said, we’ve been training for a long time this season, so it’s just about recovering and getting the bodies right and the minds right.

“I won’t get too excited until matchday really, you don’t want to waste too much emotional energy. You appreciate it is going to be probably the biggest game that we’ve played in, but that’s what every sacrifice you’ve made – since you were a young kid and decided to be a rugby player – is all about, moments like this.”

Gatland’s decision to name an unchanged side means Mako Vunipola is retained in the front row, despite conceding a number of penalties and being sin-binned during the second Test.

“I just thought there were a couple of times that Mako was a bit unlucky,” said Gatland. “There were dumber penalties given away in the game by other players, so those are the ones that are avoidable.”