Henry out to match Wallaby back pace

By CHRIS HEWETT

PERTH - According to the folk down Dublin way, Brian O'Driscoll is God in rugby boots: a midfield creator whose outside break, the chief tool of the centre's art, has something distinctly celestial about it.

But how will God shape up as a fullback? Theoretically, he should breeze through tonight's Lions' opener with Western Australia in Perth - sporting deities were not put on this earth to struggle, least of all against amateur outfits packed with little-known New Zealanders - yet Graham Henry will be praying for O'Driscoll's survival in what amounts to a wilderness position for the exceptional young Irishman.

The head coach declared it "extremely unlikely" that O'Driscoll would wear No 15 in the opening test against the Wallabies in Brisbane in a fortnight.

"I really don't think we should be reading too much into this," he insisted.

Henry should leave the dummy-selling to Leinster's finest, for few people bought that one.

Determined to match the peerless Australian back division for pace, if not for beef, Henry is seriously intrigued by the prospect of O'Driscoll as the last line of the defence and, more to the point, the first line of counter-attack.

He has not omitted Matt Perry, a specialist fullback of considerable expertise, for the hell of it.

If O'Driscoll makes a hash of his new role against the welders and carpenters of the opposition XV, little will have been lost. If he catches fire, a whole new world of selectorial possibilities will materialise before Henry's very eyes.

For a start, the coach might feel able to play Iain Balshaw, the most incisive broken-field runner in last season's Six Nations, in the problem position of right wing.

What is more, the midfield log-jam, exacerbated by Will Greenwood's purple patch, would be eased at a stroke.

There are log-jams elsewhere: halfback, loosehead prop, middle jumper and all three backrow positions fall into the "embarrassment of riches" category.

Rob Howley, a test certainty in South Africa four years ago until a shoulder injury cut him off in his prime, has been given first crack at the base of the scrum - proof, as if it were needed, that any problems the Welshman may have had with Henry, his national coach, a year or so ago have been consigned to memory.

However, Matt Dawson's highly developed competitive streak and Austin Healey's game-breaking talents are in the forefront of Henry's mind, so Howley needs to get this one right.

At lock, Danny Grewcock and Malcolm O'Kelly will be competing as much against each other as against the supremely unrated Western Australia pairing of Trefor Thomas, the 33-year-old captain, and Nathan Hollis, once a grunt-and-groaner with the Upper Hutt club in New Zealand and, er, Wimbledon RFC.

Given that Martin Johnson is a stone-cold test lock with added chill factor, Grewcock and O'Kelly are chasing a single place, along with the elasticated Scottish lineout operator, Scott Murray, and the surprise package of the triumphant 1997 pack, Jeremy Davidson.

Happily for the most heavily populated Lions squad in history, there are few foregone conclusions of Johnsonian stature, a fact that establishes every player in tonight's starting line-up as a live contender for something better.

Only Ben Cohen will feel downbeat about his test chances.

A left wing by instinct, he plays on the right in Perth, while Dan Luger wears the No 11 jersey, a clear indication of future planning.

"The two guys decided their positions between themselves," the coach said, unconvincingly.

Henry the consummate liberal, ceding power to the great unwashed? It seems just a little far-fetched.

* The match will be telecast live on Sky Sport 2 starting at 10.30 pm.

Lions: Brian O'Driscoll (Ire), Ben Cohen (Eng), Will Greenwood (Eng), Mark Taylor (Wal), Dan Luger (Eng), Ronan O'Gara (Ire), Rob Howley (Wal), Scott Quinnell (Wal), Neil Back (Eng), Richard Hill (Eng), Malcolm O'Kelly (Ire), Danny Grewcock (Eng), Phil Vickery (Eng), Keith Wood (capt, Ire), Darren Morris (Wal). Reserves: Iain Balshaw (Eng), Rob Henderson (Ire), Austin Healey (Eng), Simon Taylor (Sco), Jeremy Davidson (Ire), Jason Leonard (Eng), Robyn McBride (Wal).

Western Australia: Shannon Apaapa, Mark Gardiner, Aaron Broughton, Hamish Waldin or Matt Harrington, Brent Becroft, Todd Feather, Mark Fleet, Anthony Brain, Richard Coney, Hamish Grace, Trefor Thomas (capt), Nathan Hollis, Tim Stevens or Adam New, Campbell Duff, Dirk Gleghorn or Tim Stevens. Reserves: Duncan McRae, Robbie Braugh, Matt Harrington or Hamish Waldin, Patricio Noriega, Tim Cameron, Greg Plimmer, Adam New or Rob Kellam.