Lions team a mix of old hands and fresh faces

The Lions had a warm-up session before their morning training session at the Takapuna Rugby Club yesterday. Picture / Fotopress

The Lions team is a blend of the experienced and the fresh for the tour opener against Bay of Plenty in Rotorua, but there are no mixed messages about what is expected.

Six of Sir Clive Woodward's opening lineup on New Zealand soil this Saturday night are on at least their second Lions tours - captain Brian O'Driscoll, first five-eighth Ronan O'Gara, loose forward trio Lawrence Dallaglio, Martyn Williams and Richard Hill and hooker Gordon Bulloch.

Contrast that with wing Mark Cueto, who only made his England debut last November, and 22-year-old prop Matt Stevens, who was welcomed to test rugby at Carisbrook last year.

This is a side where new combinations will be assessed, notably at front row, lock, halfback, midfield and the back three, before the first test in Christchurch on June 25.

Woodward recognises the importance of getting the tour off to the right start. Forget the 25-all draw with Argentina at Cardiff. This is the real deal.

"Because it is the first game, Bay of Plenty will want to give us a tough match and we have selected a strong side who will give us a good start to the tour," Woodward said.

Losing is not an option. If they glanced through yesterday's newspapers, they'll have found two former All Black coaches, Laurie Mains and John Mitchell, writing them off as a serious test threat.

So for the Lions the first job is to present their credentials. They will do so against the fiery men of the Bay, for whom backward steps belong on a dance floor.

Just the challenge, then, for hard men like Dallaglio, Hill and Irishman Paul O'Connell. The first two are on their third Lions tours and if things get a bit tasty they won't mind.

The only players not considered were Scottish loose forward Simon Taylor, who is having treatment to get over a hamstring injury, and the suspended Neil Back.

There will be many points of interest in the selection.

Cueto, a late replacement for Iain Balshaw, was singled out by Woodward as the unluckiest player to miss the original selection. The 25-year-old is a speedster with a winger's happy knack of scoring tries.

Rotorua will provide the first look at pink-haired Gavin Henson, who will team up with O'Driscoll. Their work together will be of special interest. All going well they could move centre stage as the first test combination.

Others in the backline who appeal as strong test contenders are fullback Josh Lewsey, the outstanding Englishman, and little Welsh halfback Dwayne Peel, who was the pick of the Six Nations No 9s.

Up front, Stevens, whose tour was threatened by a knee injury in the month before departure, and big Welshman Gethin Jenkins get first dibs on propping spots.

The Lions had a run at Onewa Domain yesterday at their wraparound training venue, constructed to seal the sessions from prying eyes.

"It always takes time to gel when players come together for the first time like this," Irish assistant coach Eddie O'Sullivan said. "But the team selected is raring to go."

As you'd expect. But so are the Bay, who are starting to talk up a storm, and that suits the tourists.

The Lions tour of Australia four years ago began with a couple of light canters against feeble opponents. This, they know, will be vastly different and the Lions are delighted.

"They'll throw everything at us," O'Sullivan's fellow assistant, Andy Robinson, said. "That's going to be key for us, to absorb that pressure."

The Lions team is made up of six Englishmen, five Welshman, three Irish and Scottish hooker Bulloch.

Bay of Plenty's squad of 30 assembled at Mount Maunganui yesterday. The final 22 will be named on Wednesday.

LIONS: Josh Lewsey Mark Cueto Brian O'Driscoll (c) Gavin Henson Tom Shanklin Ronan O'Gara Dwayne Peel Lawrence Dallaglio Martyn Williams Richard Hill Ben Kay Paul O'Connell Matt Stevens Gordon Bulloch Gethin Jenkins. Reserves: Steve Thompson, Andy Sheridan, Malcolm O'Kelly, Martin Corry, Matt Dawson, Charlie Hodgson, Gordon D'Arcy.

* Lions vs Bay Of Plenty, Rotorua, Saturday, 7.10pm