Lions Tour: Lions vs Australia - head-to-head battles

Two former Rugby League stars come face to face in the union code, with both of them boasting match-winning credentials.

Walker, who makes his full Wallabies Test debut, switched from league a year ago, and has been handed goal kicking duties following an impressive season with Super 12 champions ACT Brumbies.

Robinson’s rise has been even more dramatic, making the quantum leap from rugby union rookie to Lions Test wing in less than eight months, and he’s already bagged eight tries on tour. Nothing, it seems, fazes him.

Stephen Larkham v Jonny Wilkinson

The last time rival fly-halfs Larkham and Wilkinson played opposite each other in Brisbane, Australia slammed an under-strength Lion's side 76-0.

Larkham, a former Test full-back, has the priceless ability to unlock opposing defences through his mesmeric ball-handling skills, while also creating so much for players around him.

Wilkinson though, while possibly lacking Larkham’s natural flair, has become one of the great fly-half generals, able to boss a game either through his kicking or distribution. Defensively too, he is rock-solid.

George Gregan v Rob Howley

Having captained the Brumbies to Super 12 glory, Gregan’s confidence will be sky-high, and that could spell bad news for the Lions.

A ferocious competitor, especially around the forward fringes, he is a bundle of action and energy, always probing and keeping opposition defences guessing.

But in Howley, Gregan meets a player who has recovered brilliantly from losing the Wales captaincy and his Wales place less than 18 months ago, to rediscover peak form at just the right time. Dynamic, elusive and searingly quick, tomorrow could be Howley’s day.

John Eales v Martin Johnson

Rival captains and inspirational figures, these two giants of the world game boast more than 140 Test caps between them and outstanding leadership skills.

Eales, nicknamed ’Nobody’ as in nobody’s perfect, has skippered Australia to World Cup, Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup success, while taking second-row standards to new heights through his athleticism and footballing ability.

Johnson is the Lions’ rock - an immovable object of consistency, brooding aggression and total commitment - who rarely dips below world-class standards. It should be some battle.

Toutai Kefu v Scott Quinnell

Both number eights relish the physical, close-quarter combat, and some bone-crunching collisions lie in store.

Kefu will look to make the hard yards, punching holes through the Lions defence, but Quinnell is similarly effective, regularly breaking first and second tackles through his power and low body-angles.

Having missed out on the Lions’ 1997 Test series triumph over South Africa through injury, Quinnell is desperate to make up for lost time. He has the stage tomorrow - can he deliver?