feedback | low graphics version
| feedback | low graphics version | ||||
|
 | | You are in: In Depth: Lions Down Under |
| |  Wednesday, 20 June, 2001, 06:38 GMT 07:38 UK Remember Pretoria  The Lions played poorly against Australia A on Tuesday BBC Sport's Alastair Hignell thinks back to 1997 and finds positives in defeat against Australia A at Gosford. Defeat by Australia A at Gosford cost the Lions' players something in the region of �4000 per man, in win bonuses. They will regard that as money well lost if it triggers the sort of resurgence enjoyed by the touring party four years ago. In 1997, at about the same stage of the tour, the Lions lost a match they should have won- against Northern Transvaal. They didn't taste defeat again until the series was safely in the bag. Right now, they would settle for history repeating itself.
They made far too many mistakes, particularly at scrum and line-out. They wilted under the pressure exerted by a ferocious Australian combination and they failed to play to the rules as interpreted by pernickety New Zealand referee Paul Honiss. True, they did outscore the home side by three tries to one, but two of those were scored in a desperate last 10 minutes. Apart from that, the tourists were more often on the back foot than the front. They say they have digested the lessons from Gosford, and they maintain that, while disappointed by the result, they will bounce back. Saturday's match against the New South Wales Waratahs is the ideal opportunity. Strong line-up With just a week to go until the First Test, the Lions have, with just one exception, named what many consider to be their strongest available combination. Rob Howley would have played if the Test was this weekend, but has been given a few extra days to get over damaged ribs. Matt Dawson, who came into the Test team in South Africa when Howley was injured at a similar stage, gets another chance to make his case.
Lawrence Dallaglio's late return to fitness- the game against Australia 'A' was his first in six weeks. And Scott Quinnell's outstanding form means that the Welshman is likely to get the Test spot at number eight, with Dallaglio switching to the blind-side. That, against New South Wales, means relegation for Richard Hill. Come the Test, the selectors might well be tempted to include the Saracen in place of the smaller Neil Back. They will also be interested in the form of loose head prop Darren Morris. He gets his chance almost by default, as 1997 tour-find Tom Smith has failed to impress. England veteran Jason Leonard has also been used almost exclusively as a reserve who can come on on either side of the front row.
Will Greenwood became the obvious choice at inside centre the moment that Mike Catt's suspect calf let him down against Australia A and forced him out of the tour. Brian O' Driscoll has no real challengers for the other centre spot, while Dafydd James looks a better right wing bet than Ben Cohen. The selectors did toy with the Bath option- Iain Balshaw on the right wing, Matt Perry at full-back- but decided instead to keep the former in his England position. It's a Test combination and it's a winning combination. For the sake of the tour, it has to be. | |
Other top Lions Down Under stories:  Links to top Lions Down Under stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | | | | |
|  Links to other Lions Down Under stories |
| ||
 | ^^ Back to top | |
| Front Page | Football | Cricket | Rugby Union | Rugby League | Tennis | Golf | Motorsport | Boxing | Athletics | Other Sports | Sports Talk | In Depth | Photo Galleries | Audio/Video | TV & Radio | BBC Pundits | Question of Sport | Funny Old Game ------------------------------------------------------------ BBC News >> | BBC Weather >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMII|News Sources|Privacy | ||
