Irish lock Donncha O’Callaghan will captain the British and Irish Lions as the touring side seek to stretch their winning streak to six with victory over Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
”The Lions are looking forward to the match and maintaining the unbeaten tour record,” said tour manager Gerald Davies.
The Lions have notched up five wins from five games played so far, with three Tests to come on back-to-back weekends starting Saturday, and a final mid-week game against the Emerging Springboks.
That factor has seen a mood swing in the Lions camp, according to head coach Ian McGeechan, who was at pains to stress that players turning out on Tuesday could also come into contention for Saturday’s Test team.
”This is Test week and there is a noticeable change in attitude within the touring party,” the Scot said.
”We are now heading towards the business end of the tour and the reason why we have come to South Africa.
”As you would expect, the immediate focus is the next match against the Southern Kings on Tuesday before attention turns to selection for the first Test for which all players will be considered.
”The Southern Kings is not a regular team but we understand there are some very talented players in the squad for the match. Experience tells me that you can never underestimate any South African team and, like the other teams we have faced on the tour so far, we will not take them lightly.”
The Lions team features seven players backing up from the Western Province match with Nathan Hines, Joe Worsley, Riki Flutey and Keith Earls given the opportunity in the starting XV in different positions.
Australia-born Hines, who normally plays in the second-row, starts at blindside flanker, with Worsley playing openside alongside No. 8 Andy Powell.
Earls moves to full-back after appearing at centre thus far on tour while Flutey switches to outside centre to accommodate Irishman Gordon D’Arcy in his favoured number 12 shirt. Shane Williams and Luke Fitzgerald start on the wings.
James Hook, who kicked the long-range match-winning penalty against Western Province, starts at fly-half with Mike Blair to undergo a fitness test on the morning of the match to ascertain whether he will start at scrum-half.
Prop Andrew Sheridan starts his second game in succession and has another chance to cement a Test spot ahead of Welshman Gethin Jenkins at loosehead.
He is joined up front by the Scottish pair of Euan Murray and Ross Ford, with Simon Shaw partnering O’Callaghan in the second row.
Ronan O’Gara and Harry Ellis are the halfbacks on the bench, where they are joined by Welsh front-row duo Matthew Rees and Adam Jones, flankers Tom Croft and David Wallace, and England winger Ugo Monye. — AFP
