Wallabies rusty but Lions have the hunger

This is it then: the world champions against the best Britain and Ireland can throw at them. Contests like this don't come along very often. As Lions coach Graham Henry said yesterday: "It's one of those games you dream about".

If the mood of the last few weeks and this week especially is a guideline, then the Wallabies are mentally in far better fettle, and perhaps physically too. Since the defeat to Australia A the tour has lurched along, with one awful event after an other.

Systematically demonised since they set foot in Perth a month ago to the day, last week's bad-tempered rumble with the Waratahs was followed by almost daily changes to their line-up which have ultimated denied the Lions as many as four of their starting line-up and half a dozen of their first-choice test squad.

However, even all that was put in context by the death of the hugely popular, Australian appointed baggage master Anton Toia in Coffs Harbour last Monday.

You sense that if the Lions lose today then the tour could go decidedly pear-shaped. The second string squad have felt alienated and left to their own devices, with midweek skipper Dai Young a quasi-coach, and there are a lot of players bearing grudges.

They've cut a grumpy lot this past week especially in comparison to their happy, joking, media-friendly hosts. When Martin Johnson was late for a planned photo call on Thursday, John Eales readily filled the time by granting interviews. When Johnson turned up, he declined to do so, posing only for the cameras before departing.

All of which has prompted labelling of the tourists as the Grumpy Lions - and this one could stick. When asked how he felt about this yesterday, a grumpy Henry actually drew howls of laughter with the riposte: "I think that's a load of rubbish. How's that for grumpiness?"

It will be physically ferocious almost to the point of nasty, but it would be a surprise if it got dirty or out of hand and it just might surprise people in being a cracker as well. The expectation is that with Richard Hill moving across to openside in place of Neil Back in a sizeable backrow, the Lions are going to keep it tight and attempt to grind their way to victory via Jonny Wilkinson's left boot.

Perhaps not though. While the Wallabies look to have more of a cutting edge in the Joe Roff-Chris Latham-Andrew Walker outside three, the Lions have their own gamebreakers in Brian O'Driscoll and Jason Robinson, and it is as Henry stated very much a form selection - witness Rob Henderson completing the first Irish midfield in a Lions test since the Dave Irwin-Michael Kiernan duo played the All Blacks in '83.

Presumably they haven't unveiled their true hand, and Henry and the coaching staff have kept a few moves and tricks up their sleeves. By contrast, though the Wallabies' warm-up game against the Maoris was of test match standard, it was their only one and they're relatively light on match preparation.

Australia coach Rod Macqueen says they've mostly concentrated on the basics, yet a wide game seems sure to suit them, especially as they have the more genuine groundhog at openside in George Smith. They'll be cute, and have home advantage too, but with showers forecast conditions could slightly favour the Lions. The Wallabies will be relatively rusty and so this might be the Lions' best chance of catching them off guard. Allowing for the Lions having no back-up to their little Jonny, they could also have a place-kicking edge.

You sense the Lions' need is the greater too, for if they don't win, you'd have thought they'd find it tougher to recover from 1-0 down. Logic, form and certainly the mood points to a home win. But almost too much so.

AUSTRALIA: C Latham (Queensland); A Walker (ACT), D Herbert (Queensland), N Grey (NSW), J Roff (ACT); S Larkham (ACT), G Gregan (ACT); N Stiles (Queensland), J Paul (ACT), G Panoho (Queensland), D Giffin (ACT), J Eales (Queensland, capt), O Finegan (ACT ), T Kefu (Queensland), G Smith (ACT). REPLACEMENTS: M Foley (Queensland), B Darwin (ACT), M Cockbain (Queensland), D Lyons (NSW), C Whitaker (NSW), E Flatley (Queensland), M Burke (NSW).

LIONS: M Perry (England); D James (Wales), B O'Driscoll (Ireland), R Henderson (Ireland), J Robinson (England); J Wilkinson (England), R Howley (Wales); T Smith (Scotland), K Wood (Ireland), P Vickery (England), M Johnson (England, capt), D Grewcock (En gland), M Corry (England), S Quinnell (Wales), R Hill (England). REPLACEMENTS: J Leonard (England), G Bulloch (Scotland), C Charvis (Wales), M Williams (Wales), M Dawson (England), A Healey (England), I Balshaw (England).

REFEREE: Andre Watson (South Africa).

OVERALL RECORD: Played 34, Australia 14 wins, Lions 17 wins, 3 draws.

LAST SERIES (1989): (Sydney) Australia 30 Lions 12; (Brisbane) Australia 12 Lions 19; (Sydney) Australia 18 Lions 19.