THE LIONS captain, Martin Johnson, will make his first appearance in South Africa in tomorrow's match against Western Province at Newlands, but there is no room for any of Ireland's Lions representatives with the exception of Paul Wallace who is on the replacements bench.
The number eight Tim Rodber also makes his Lions debut after recovering from illness and a head injury that needed five stitches.
Fran Cotton, the Lions manager, yesterday insisted that the latest team selection was not a shadow Test line-up despite the strength of Western Province, who have been playing the Super 12 competition.
"No one should think of this line-up as a likely Test team," he said. "We are still trying out new combinations and experimenting with a number of options."
John Bentley, the Newcastle three-quarter, plays on the left wing after scoring a try on the right during the midweek victory over Border in East London. Bentley, designated most valuable player by a South African television station for his performance in the 18-14 win, has been given the task of marking the controversial. Springbok wing, James Small who is likely to play in the Test series.
"I have never played on the left wing in Rugby Union, though I have played there in Rugby League," Bentley said. He has agreed to accommodate Ieuan Evans, who prefers to play on the right. "To be honest, I should be ready to play at prop in order to wear the Lions' shirt."
Scott Gibbs, who was carried off halfway through the Border game with a badly sprained ankle, is expected to recover within 10 days, which would give him ample time to renew his claim for a place in the first Test on June 21st.
Barry Williams, the Welsh hooker, who joined Richmond last week, will start his first match at Newlands after coming on as a substitute in the opening game against an Eastern Province XV. He is the only non-Englishman in a Lions' pack that includes all the forwards involved in England's championship victory over Wales in March, apart from Mark Regan.
The absence of both the international goalkickers, Neil Jenkins and Paul Grayson, from tomorrow's line-up opens the way for the England full-back, Tim Stimpson, to become what Cotton called "the front-line kicker". It is the first signal from the management that Stimpson may be given the goalkicking task ahead of Jenkins and Grayson for the Test series.
"There has been a bit of misunderstanding about Stimpson's ability as a goal-kicker," Cotton said. "This past season was the only one in which Stimpson was not the number one kicker for his club: that happened because Rob Andrew decided to pick himself as Newcastle's goalkicker."
Whatever the lasting significance of the Western Province game for the Test series, the Lions' half-backs, Robert Howley and Gregor Townsend, have an excellent opportunity to develop their status as a vital creative unit.
The England half-backs, Austin Healey and Grayson, have fallen behind in the pecking order as a result of their disappointing performance in the Border match, which raised doubt about their fundamental play-making skill.
Alan Tait, the Newcastle centre, will start his first match in tandem with Jeremy Guscott. That fresh midfield partnership could be given a further run-out next week while Gibbs is recovering from injury.
Meanwhile, the 49 members of the Lions touring party have accepted an invitation to meet President Nelson Mandela at his official residence in Cape Town today.
