Royal XV will test Lions' mettle

RUGBY:THE LIONS begin their 2009 tour to South Africa in the shadow of the Magaliesberg mountain range whose peaks stand like sentinels over the town of Rustenburg. It's appropriate that they begin in the foothills because the tour gets appreciably steeper in the coming weeks before the defining proving ground, the Test series against the Springboks.

The priority for Lions coach Ian McGeechan and the team he has chosen for this afternoon’s game is to produce a performance of sufficient quality that it challenges the other players in the squad. The Lions have lost the opening match on only four occasions in 27 tours. The last time was in New Zealand (1971) and those Lions went on to beat the All Blacks 2-1.

The visitors’ final preparations were disrupted slightly by injuries.

Number eight Andy Powell has an infected hand following an insect bite while replacement Ireland’s Stephen Ferris is nursing a calf strain, both sustained on Wednesday. A final decision will be taken this morning with David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip and Tom Croft capable of deputising.

Publicly the Lions have shown their hosts every courtesy in suggesting the match might prove difficult but privately they couldn’t even countenance a defeat. The Royal XV comprises 11 players from the Vodacom Cup-winning Griquas and four from semi-finalists, The Leopards, ranked sixth and seventh in Currie Cup terms. They boast a number of promising young players, especially the muscular outside centre Deon van Rensburg.

There is no doubt the home team will relish the privilege of having a crack off the illustrious touring team. Like any South African side they will be hugely physical in every facet of the game, particularly the contact area and the set-pieces, an attitude the Lions must match if they are to make their superior skill set tell.

For Paul O’Connell it will be the first onfield test of his Lions captaincy. He has already impressed away from the pitch as scrum coach Graham Rowntree outlined yesterday. “I toured with Paul (O’Connell) in 2005 and was impressed by his professionalism and attitude back then. He is a real competitor, very professional in how he goes about things.

“What’s impressed me about him – he is obviously under a lot of pressure as a captain of the Lions – is he has not said too much. He’s said things that have been needed to be said; he’s said things at the right time. That’s a great characteristic of a captain.

“I thought Martin Johnson was very good at that by way of a comparison. He’s (O’Connell) not gone overboard and the ethic and the way he goes about his business is exemplary.”

There’s no doubt that the Irishman will lead by deed too and is surrounded by a big muscular pack that includes two players, English secondrow Simon Shaw and Welsh openside flanker Martyn Williams, on their third Lions tours respectively. Ronan O’Gara provides similar experience behind the scrum.

The touring side have concentrated heavily on the set-pieces and breakdown including controlled live scrum sessions – two packs square off against each other – at training in an attempt to ape the intensity of the challenge they’ll meet.

McGeechan has a clearly-defined game plan that he wants implemented albeit with sufficient options to vary the patterns. The Lions will look to impose at lineout and scrum, get Andrew Sheridan, Shaw and, if he plays, Powell carrying ball and look for quick ruck possession to release the backline. Joe Worsley will lead the defensive line.

Fully acclimatised to the altitude of the high veldt they’ll want to operate at a high tempo where good decision-making and intelligent lines of running are rewarded. Mike Blair and O’Gara will shoulder the responsibility of directing the approach and in doing so best utilise the pace and talent of a quicksilver three-quarter line.

The midfield partnership of Jamie Roberts and Keith Earls has impressed in training but will now face a more realistic barometer of their prowess. The Welshman will look to draw defenders before releasing his sidekick. Earls has tremendous acceleration and a great side-step, cherished traits on the hard grounds. He has the temperament to match his talent.

Tommy Bowe, Shane Williams and Lee Byrne should offer the innate understanding that comes from playing club rugby as a back three. The two wings have a great appetite for work and won’t just hug the touchlines while Byrne’s timing and raw speed when coming into the line from fullback can sunder defences.

Given the fact that the Bulls are playing the Chiefs in the Super 14 final down the road in Pretoria a crowd of only 20,000 – half the stadium’s capacity – is expected. The simplest way for the Lions to enjoy a productive afternoon is to discourage the Royal XV, both on the scoreboard and in the collisions.

Individually and collectively on such a short tour the importance of grasping opportunities cannot be overstated. The Lions may be a scratch side and there will be teething problems in trying to gel but there’s little point in seeking any refuge in those assertions. It may take a little time to subdue their hosts but anything other than a convincing victory for the visitors would be a setback.

Rustenburg is home to the two biggest platinum mines in the world: this afternoon, though, it is the Lions who must demonstrate their mettle.