Back to front up for Lions

MELBOURNE - England flanker Neil Back was last night recalled to the Lions team to play Australia in the second test in Melbourne tomorrow.

Back missed last weekend's 29-13 win over the Wallabies in Brisbane because of a rib injury, but has been cleared to make his fourth appearance of the tour.

He will return at openside flanker, with Richard Hill moving back to the blindside after wearing the No 7 shirt in Brisbane.

Martin Corry, who played on the blindside, was relegated to the reserves' bench to fill the hole vacated by Colin Charvis.

Charvis was suspended for two matches for kneeing Australia prop Nick Stiles, but will be available for the third and final test in Sydney tomorrow week.

The only other change to the team was England hooker Dorian West replacing Scotland's Gordon Bulloch on the bench.

Matt Perry was selected at fullback, despite being unable to train all week because of a groin problem, and there are still some concerns about him.

The Lions named a 27-man squad yesterday and had hoped to delay naming their team until this afternoon because of injuries to a number of players.

But they were ordered to announce it by last night after the Australians complained that they were in breach of International Rugby Board regulations, which stipulate that the teams must be named 48 hours before matches.

"We received a call from the IRB reminding us of the guidelines," Lions manager Donal Lenihan said.

Halfback Matt Dawson, who had been in trouble after criticising tour management in newspaper columns, was again named on the bench.

Back, 32, played in two of the Lions' tests against South Africa in 1997 and will boost the tourists' forward pack with his exceptional work rate.

A veteran of 41 England caps, Back said he was delighted to have recovered from injury to take on the Wallabies in what could be a series-winning match under a closed roof at Melbourne's Colonial Stadium.

Australian Rugby Union managing director John O'Neill said the Lions had agreed to close the retractable roof after previously insisting it should be left open.

"I'm happy to say we've reached agreement that the roof will be shut."

The Lions had been worried that closing the roof would help Australia's running game because it would eliminate factors such as rain and wind.

Australia beat South Africa 44-23 when they last played indoors at the same stadium.

O'Neill said the Lions' management had changed their mind after inspecting the ground and had agreed to play inside for the first time since the Lions began touring in 1888.

"Their concerns were never precise or specific other than the suspicion that closing the roof would provide a possible advantage to the Australians," O'Neill said.

"However, in view of the noise the Lions supporters made in Brisbane, it might benefit the tourists because with a roof on I would expect their fans to be even louder."

He said Australia were keen to promote the benefits of playing inside after the success of the match against the Springboks.

The enclosed stadium not only traps the spectator noise, but also keeps night-time dew off the pitch.

The Wallabies play all their tests at night because of television commitments, but visiting teams, who generally play their games during the day, often complain that the grounds are too slippery.

IRB chairman Vernon Pugh said the world's governing body had no objections to games being played inside as long as both teams agreed, but added that the sport would remain an outdoor activity.

"If two unions agree to close the roof then fine, but if they don't, it stays open," Pugh said.

"If it becomes a controversial issue then we may have to regulate, but at the moment it's fine."

The 10,000 extra tickets for the third test in Sydney tomorrow week sold out in 30 minutes yesterday after many fans queued overnight.

The ARU released the extra tickets after temporary seating was added to bring the reconfigured Olympic Stadium's capacity to 81,000.

Some fans queued at Ticketek outlets from 9 pm on Wednesday and lines were dozens deep when the offices opened at 9 am.

Australia: Matthew Burke, Andrew Walker, Daniel Herbert, Joe Roff, Nathan Grey, Stephen Larkham, George Gregan, Toutai Kefu, George Smith, John Eales (capt), David Giffin, Owen Finegan, Rod Moore Michael Foley, Nick Stiles. Reserves: Brendan Cannon, Ben Darwin, Matt Cockbain, David Lyons, Chris Whitaker, Elton Flatley, Chris Latham.

Lions: Matt Perry, Dafydd James, Brian O'Driscoll, Jason Robinson, Rob Henderson, Jonny Wilkinson, Rob Howley, Scott Quinnell, Neil Back, Danny Grewcock, Martin Johnson (capt), Richard Hill, Phil Vickery, Keith Wood, Tom Smith. Reserves: Jason Leonard, Dorian West, Martin Corry, Martyn Williams, Matt Dawson, Austin Healey, Iain Balshaw.

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa).

- AGENCIES