When team selection is bad news

DESPITE Ian McGeechan’s declaration that the side for Saturday’s first Test against South Africa will not be finalised until after the match against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth today, the majority of the players know that selection is not good news, especially if you are a forward.

Chief among those is Donncha O’Callaghan. His pride in being selected to lead the Lions for the first time in his career will be tempered by the certain knowledge that he has lost the battle to continue his second-row partnership with Paul O Connell, temporarily at least.

In my view the only player starting today with a realistic chance of repeating the dose on Saturday is Luke Fitzgerald. He is in a straight fight with Ugo Moyne and possibly Rob Kearney for the left wing slot and a good showing could push him over the line. The absence of Stephen Jones from today’s squad would also suggest that he is in pole position with Ronan O’Gara and James Hook fighting for a place on the bench. Both will more than likely play a half each and unless O’Gara, who has played well to date, produces something magical, is poised to lose out to Jones for the second tour in a row.

Up front the exclusion of Phil Vickery from the team means that he will start ahead of Euan Murray, who is now playing for a bench position, in the test. Alun Wyn Jones would appear to have secured his slot alongside the tour captain in the second row and the absence of Martyn Williams will give David Wallace an anxious night’s sleep tonight as he awaits developments in training tomorrow. With seven players asked to start a second game in three days it is clear that the management have most of the boxes ticked for Saturday.

Left wing apart, the only positions still up for grabs for the first test are on the reserves bench.