Grandad's Army in with a chance

Lawrence Dallaglio is one of the thirtysomethings in the Lions squad. File picture

The age agenda is likely to dominate the tour because of Sir Clive Woodward's decision to pick a whole raft of thirtysomethings.

Jason Robinson, Gareth Thomas, Gordon Bulloch and Malcolm O'Kelly are 30; Martin Corry and John Hayes are 31; Richard Hill, Matt Dawson, Will Greenwood, Lawrence Dallaglio, Danny Grewcock and Julian White are 32. These represent the sprightly end of the pensionable scale.

Then we have the Irish hooker Shane Byrne and his fellow front-rower from England, Graham Rowntree, who up the ante at 34. Finally, there is Neil Back, positively ancient at 36.

Dad's Army? Grandad's Army, more like.

There again, the Backs and Dawsons and Dallaglios have been here before, and not too long ago either. When they pitched up in Australia for the 2003 World Cup, the Wallaby coaching staff almost died laughing.

These old blokes couldn't possibly last the pace for the duration of a six-week tournament, they said.

The warm conditions, hard surfaces and fast going would expose them in all their wrinkled vulnerability, they said.

And what happened? Just run the roll of honour past us one more time, Eddie.

Besides, there is no guarantee that many of the more familiar members of the bus-pass brigade will feature in the test matches. The likes of Robinson, Corry, Grewcock and White are major-league candidates for preferment, but there is a strong notion that Dallaglio and Back, in particular, have been picked to govern the mid-week team and to help give shape and direction to the tour with a few motivational speeches, drawn from their considerable experience of international rugby's harsher realities.

Injuries will dictate, of course. It is inconceivable that the Lions will make it up the steps of the plane at Heathrow without an calamity or two, let alone complete their traverse of the sporting badlands of New Zealand in one piece.

What price the World Cup-winning back row of Hill, Back and Dallaglio featuring in at least one of the tests? It is a distinct possibility.

Lewis Moody, the spectacularly energetic flanker from Leicester, and Simon Taylor, the high-class No 8 from Edinburgh, are strongs bets for the opening rumble with the All Blacks in Christchurch, but both are prone to physical mishaps. Especially Moody, who is positively dangerous to himself, as well as others.

Certainly, the more venerable members of the party are travelling with hostile intent.

"Listen, I'm as fit as a flea and as strong as I've ever been," Dallaglio said recently.

"And the fact that I retired from inter-national rugby with England means absolutely nothing in terms of the contribution I intend to make on this tour.

"Being out of the England side during the Six Nations championship was a better place to be than in it, judging by the performances and results.

"And anyway, my last test was less than a year ago. I always hoped I'd be picked for this trip. I've won with the Lions and I've won in New Zealand with England. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to win again."

So many apparent foregone conclusions crumbled to dust during the Six Nations that, in selection terms, it would be unwise to regard this tour as anything other than an open book.

As things stand, Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones of Wales are the front-runners for Saturday duty at nine and 10, both having been consistently superb in the Six Nations.

Brian O'Driscoll will obviously be the centre, and if Jonny Wilkinson fails to play, the extravagantly coiffured Gavin Henson may well get a run as a goal-kicking second five-eighths.

The back three positions are in flux. Not even Robinson is assured of his place, thanks to his own loss of form and the excellence of Josh Lewsey in a variety of positions.

The Lions are massively strong at lock — Grewcock, O'Kelly, Ben Kay, Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan . . . any two of them will equal, if not better, anything the All Blacks can offer in this department.

But there is a chronic shortage of class at hooker, and there will be serious problems at tighthead prop if White falls victim to a worsening neck condition.

It may well be that young Matt Stevens, a South African-turned-Englishman who made a none-too-impressive international debut in Dunedin last year but has raised his game in all directions since, will come up on the rails and play the matches that matter.

Another "may?" Just at the moment, the Lions party is full of them.

· Chris Hewett is a rugby writer for the Independent in London.