Rowntree seeks to keep them guessing

The Lions management are hopeful of a clean bill of health ahead of the team selection for the second Test against South Africa on Saturday but Nathan Hines may be ruled out after being cited for an alleged dangerous tackle during the Lions’ 13-13 draw with the Emerging Springboks last night.

Other than the Scot, there appears to be no concerns over ay of the players who featured at Newlands, while it is hoped Andrew Sheridan will be available after recovering from a back injury. His scan results are due today.

Hines must appear before a judicial hearing at lunchtime today, while management meet to finalise their squad.

Scrum coach Graham Rowntree said a split of six forwards and one back on the bench is a possibility to counter the selection of five and two from the hosts yesterday and the return of flanker Schalk Burger.

“They have plenty of back-up on the bench. We are considering having a six-one split on our bench to counter it,” said Rowntree.

Such a risky decision could prove costly for a number of Irish players, not least Ronan O’Gara, who captained the side last night and made a case for inclusion on Saturday.

The management may look instead to James Hook’s versatility if opting for just one back on the bench, while they would need to have cover for scrumhalf Mike Phillips, possibly by starting Shane Williams on the wing instead of Ugo Monye.

Conversely, an increased number of forwards may include Donncha O’Callaghan or even prop John Hayes, who joined the tour late this week and performed well last night.

Such a selection policy, however, would leave the coaches open to sharp criticism if things backfired on the high veldt and it seem more likely Rowntree is attempting to throw the opposition off the scent.

There are sure to be changes to the frontrow, with tighthead Adam Jones and hooker Matthew Rees favourites to start ahead of Phil Vickery and Lee Mears respectively, after South Africa dominated the scrum for 50 minutes of the first Test.

The Springboks scored their second try from a powerful rolling maul, which Rowntree described as “embarrassing”, but he insists, after an “honesty session”, that “spirits are high”.

“The guys are very positive from what we did later in the game but we have got to fix that set piece.”

When asked if Hines’s hearing muddied the selection waters, fellow coach Shaun Edwards said today: “No, not really. It is more a positive that if any of those guys are called into the Test team they have had a really tough hit out yesterday.

“It was a tough game and if any of them are included in the team they would be ready to go in a Test match because there is no better way to prepare for a tough game by playing a tough game.”