Ireland captain Rory Best thinks the refereeing of the scrum during the Lions 23-22 loss to Highlanders was "very, very frustrating".
But Best conceded that the crucial late match-winning penalty was correctly awarded and that the defeat has to go down as a "hiccup" ahead of the three-match series against the All Blacks.
The Lions let a nine-point lead evaporate in Dunedin as they suffered a second defeat in four matches on tour, however, Best says they can prove perceptions that they have issues at the scrum wide of the mark.
"It was very, very frustrating," the 34-year-old said of the scrum officiating on Tuesday.
"We got penalised rightly for the one that they kicked [Marty Banks landed the game-winner in the closing stages] but there was another couple where their prop was on his knees and stuff.
"All you are really looking for is a bit of consistency and I am not sure we necessarily got it.
"But, having said that, there was probably more factors in our control in the scrum that we can do better at and that is what we have to look at.
"We have to probably be a little more adaptable than we were. It's frustrating.
"It is an area of strength for us and I don't think we are going to let one scrum penalty completely derail us but it is something we have to take a look at.
"I think we could be a bit smarter in playing the ref, obviously paint a better picture at the scrum and don't get penalised.
"We have to play the ref and the conditions and take the sting out of their momentum."
Best feels disciplinary issues are another problem area which the Lions need to solve.
"Whatever level you play at, you need the penalty count to be below 10 to have a good chance of winning the game and we didn't get that," said the hooker.
"We're disappointed again. We're going to have to take a look at why.
"It's a bit of a hiccup for us. The boys on Saturday laid down a marker [beating the Crusaders 12-3] and we wanted to pick that up.
"At 22-13 we put ourselves in a position to really take a hold of it and that's probably the biggest disappointment, alongside losing the game, that we let it slip.
"We had enough class on the pitch to see that game off and in fact go on and take a real stranglehold of it. It's disappointing for the whole squad.
"We just weren't ruthless enough and that's ultimately where we are at with that."