Beefcake boys ready for Lions action

When the first scrum is set tonight in Hamilton there will be many at home or at the ground who inch a little close in their seats.

This area of confrontation in the NZ Maori-Lions match is rugby's version of sumo meets WWF, the time when the beefcake boys get down to business.

Within this contest, where the Lions' collective 348kg in the front row is the heaviest in their history, the giant individual worlds of Carl Hayman and Andy Sheridan collide.

It is not often massive Maori tighthead prop Hayman loses out anywhere but he is a shade shorter than Sheridan and may be a kilo or two lighter. Hayman is the foundation rock for the All Blacks scrum and tonight meets one of the Lions' test loosehead contenders.

On the other side of amply proportioned Lions hooker Steve Thompson will be Julian White, a renowned scrummager who could make it a very difficult evening for Deacon Manu, the Maori loosehead prop. Referee Steve Walsh will need all his senses to deal with the front- row conflicts.

Sheridan's rise to Lions prop is a remarkable development.

Just three years ago he was a lock, often giving White a shunt at the Bristol club they then played for.

It was the arrival of former All Black selector-coach Peter Thorburn, a cluster of injuries and a reassessment of the club's playing roster which promoted Sheridan from lock to prop.

"He was a front-of-the-lineout jumper but not overly tall for that job, while he did not quite have the skills needed to be a loose forward," recalled Thorburn.

"We had a lot of injuries, White was suspended for 10 weeks for headbutting and we had to switch a prop to hooker. Sheridan wanted to try out as prop, we used him in the second team midweek to get his confidence and then picked him almost by necessity.

"He is big, he pushes very square and has a good foot-set."

Sheridan is a very softly-spoken man who does his talking on the training ground and in the gym, where he bench-presses 220kg. He rarely comes up against props his size although he mentioned former All Black Craig Dowd as one hefty opponent in English club rugby.

The 26-year-old Sheridan was canny enough to avoid any predictions about tonight as he wheeled out some Sir Clive Woodward spiel.

"We have got a lot of games to come and it is about taking your opportunities as they come. It is just another opportunity for everyone who has been picked," he said.

The Lions have not yet used any opposed scrum training, content to work against a scrum machine rather than risk any practice ground flareups in the egocentric world of the frontrowers.

But White had a decent rap on his propping colleague.

"He is strong and pretty dedicated to his weights. That has obviously helped him settle into the position as quickly as he has done.

"When he started, sometimes his body was not in the right position but his strength got him through. As his technique gets better you will see him being more destructive."

Sheridan has been capped once for England, as a replacement last November against Canada.

When he and Thompson came on as subs, late, against Bay of Plenty they made a serious difference. However at that stage the Bay had been forced to go to their reserve front row.

The examination tonight should be far sterner, especially from Hayman and hooker Corey Flynn.

Thorburn is one who thinks Sheridan has the ability to be a test loosehead, and White was also confident in his partner.

"He just has to look forward to it, he has nothing to worry about," said White. "He is big enough and has played against the French in the European Cup. He's going to have to be confident in his own ability and he will be fine."