ERIC MILLER, who came on as a replacement for the Lions against the Springboks in the closing stages of the second Test in Durban on Saturday, damaged a thigh muscle just after he was introduced. The injury could rule Miller out of contention for a place in the third Test in Johannesburg next Saturday.

Miller, ruled out because of influenza for the first Test, has joined Ireland hooker Keith Wood on the doubtful list for the final match. Wood has a severe groin strain and Lions manager Fran Cotton said yesterday: "Keith's fitness is probably the main concern and Eric is also under treatment. There is also a very grave doubt about the fitness of Alan Tait."

Tait got a few knocks in the Test and was replaced in the closing stages.

A decision on Wood and Miller will be made tomorrow. "They are having treatment," said Cotton. "Our doctor James Robson will evaluate the position on Wednesday and he should know then if they will be recovered in time for the Test. If he thinks that they will, then they will obviously be in contention for the team on Saturday."

Neither player was very optimistic yesterday. "The injury is still very sore," confessed Wood.

"There will need to be considerable improvement but I am still hoping that I will be ready," said Miller. "I had warmed up about 20 minutes before I went on to the pitch, but I went straight into the match as soon as I was called in. I felt the twinge almost as soon as I ran onto the pitch. Frankly I am not very hopeful that I will be recovered in time for the Test."

Second-row Jeremy Davidson and tight-head prop Paul Wallace, who both did so well last Saturday, have no problems. Davidson, incidentally, has been voted the Lions player of the series by the players who have not been involved in the Tests. The team for Saturday will be chosen tomorrow night and announced on Thursday afternoon.

The Lions, now based in the relative seclusion of Vanderbijlpark, will play the last provincial match of their tour when they make the 80-mile journey to Welkom this afternoon to meet Northern Free State. "We wanted a quiet location where we could do most of the preparation for the final Test away from the interruption that comes in a busy location," said Cotton. "When we selected this base we obviously did not know we would have the series won. But in any case our aim is very clear now and that is to win all three Tests."

Aware that concentration can lapse in the final week of a long tour as players' thoughts turn to home, the management met the senior players in the squad on Sunday night and yesterday the whole party met. Coach Ian McGeechan said: "They know that concentration is now imperative. There is no doubt the players have the desire and the commitment to complete the job. We have two very important matches left to play and we want to win both. It would be very nice to finish this tour in style and play the brand of rugby the players have produced so often on the tour.

"Before we came here, we were not given much of a chance by some people of not alone winning the Test series but even of winning one Test and some of the provincial games. We had to come here in those circumstances and gain credibility. I do not think anyone would doubt we have done that."

Cotton has received over 100 messages of congratulations on the Lions' achievement. Among those who sent messages were Ireland's Tom Kiernan, chairman of the Five Nations Committee, Syd Millar and Ronnie Dawson, three men who toured South Africa with the Lions. Kiernan captained the 1968 party, Dawson coached that team, while Millar toured as a player and was coach to the unbeaten 1974 Lions and manager of the team in 1980. Ireland's medical officer Mick Molloy also sent his congratulations.

Tony Stanger, the 29-year-old Scotland international three-quarter, who was called into the squad because of the injuries to Will Greenwood and Ieuan Evans which terminated their tour, will play today against Northern Free State.

Stanger has been touring South Africa with the Scotland Development team and will rejoin his Scottish colleagues after the match. "It is a tremendous honour and totally unexpected," said Stanger. "The opportunity has come to me as I was in the right place at just the right time.

The team will be captained by prop Jason Leonard while scrum-half Kyran Bracken will play his first match of the tour and no doubt his last. He joined the squad as a replacement for Robert Howley, who was ruled out by a dislocated shoulder and his since had an operation on his return to Cardiff.

NO member of the team that lined out in the second Test last Saturday is included, but flanker Neil Back, who came on as a replacement, is named in the team.

The expectation is that the Lions will win readily this afternoon against a side that finished second from bottom in the Currie Cup standings last season. They scored one notable win this season when they beat Eastern Province, but then lost heavily to Griquas.

Their outside-half Eric Herbert, who has played over 150 matches for, the side, is the second leading points scorer to Naas Botha in domestic rugby in South Africa. He is a former Springboks trialist