Grayson gets chance to prove his fitness

PAUL GRAYSON today makes his Lions debut against Border in what will be his first match for nearly three months. However, the England out-half's international team-mate Tim Rodber must kick his heels, probably for another week, because of a heavy gash in his forehead that has ruled him out of the second game of the tour at the Basil Kenyon Stadium.

Grayson, whose groin-muscle injury has been slow to mend, will be eager to seize the chance to underline his Test potential with a positive performance that puts pressure on his Lions rival Gregor Townsend, with whom he plays darts and table tennis. The Lions management will also keep their fingers crossed that Grayson soon grooves his goal kicking in view of the lack of specialist marksmen in the 35-strong squad.

"I just want to get the red shirt on and get out there after going, for so long without a game, Grayson said. "It was a frustrating blow when I tweaked the injury again at the start of the tour but the medical staff have been superb, helping me turn things round in the past week. I've also been able to do a lot of work with the specialist kicking coach, Dave Alred, who has helped me build things up nicely."

If Urayson clan reproduce the creative form that helped England develop a more interactive style in the Five Nations Championship, Townsend could find his out-half aspirations thwarted with the Lions just as they were with Northampton last season. Indeed, there are murmurs that Townsend, unhappy at being forced to mark time with the Saints, may return to Scotland next season.

As Grayson acknowledged, he has played only nine minutes of international rugby in partnership with the scrum-half Austin Healey, who came on as a substitute in England's championship win over Ireland. Yet that in itself is no reason Grayson and Healey should not catch fire together. Grayson's midfield work with Scott Gibbs and Allan Bateman should also offer pointers to Test selection against South Africa.

Rodber, who yesterday admitted he had "lost a week I really cannot afford" because of illness and injury, will almost certainly miss Saturday's game against Western Province in Cape Town. That would mean his earliest opportunity to make his Lions debut would come next Wednesday against South-east Transvaal at Witbank. Meanwhile, Rodber's rivals at number eight, Scott Quinnell and Eric Miller, will have moved up the pecking order.