Wood likely to assume captain's role

Keith Wood looks set to be named as captain of the Lions team in their tour opener against Western Australia in Perth on Friday. Indeed the selection is likely to feature four Irish players in the starting line-up, with Ireland's entire representation of six set to get a run at some point. The opening team selection will be unveiled today but yesterday morning's run-out prior to the closed afternoon session added to the clear impression that Wood will play along with the three home-based Irish players relatively lacking in topflight rugby since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth: Malcolm O'Kelly, Ronan O'Gara and Brian O'Driscoll. The latter again trained at full back yesterday - his apparent starting position on Friday.

Furthermore, Jeremy Davidson and Rob Henderson were among the "replacements" kitted out for training yesterday. Not too much should be read into this selection - least of all with the Test series in mind - as the strong Irish representation is probably as coincidental as the lack of any Scottish representation in the starting line-up, although Simon Taylor looks like being among the replacements.

Indeed, the flip side of this selection is that Irish influence in the team to play the Queensland President's XV in Townsville next Tuesday will be neglible. The Lions management are intent on giving every member of the 37-man squad a run out where feasible in the opening two games - Jonny Wilkinson and Lawrence Dallaglio looking two of the more obvious exceptions - before the trials for Test spots intensify with the subsequent three games against the Queensland Reds, Australia A and New South Wales Waratahs.

The Lions team to play Western Australia should thus read: Brian O'Driscoll; Ben Cohen, Mark Taylor, Will Greenwood, Dan Luger; Ronan O'Gara, Robert Howley; Darren Morris, Keith Wood, Phil Vickery, Danny Grewcock, Malcolm O'Kelly, Richard Hill, Scott Quinnell, Neil Back. The replacements should be Iain Balshaw, Rob Henderson, Austin Healey, Jason Leonard, Phil Greening, Jeremy Davidson, Simon Taylor.

The team could thus include four of the nine players in this squad who have captained their countries, but of that quartet Wood looks the likeliest contender to lead the Lions onto the field for the first time on this tour. The others are all Welsh - Howley, Quinnell and Taylor - and none are incumbent captains whereas Wood is. He was also the most viable alternative to Martin Johnson as captain for the tour.

Wood has always played down the relevance of captaining the Lions, and it certainly wasn't something he sought or thought about unduly. Nevertheless, it will be a proud moment for the 29-year-old, who has captained Ireland on 18 occasions and is something of a lucky Lions totem, with five wins from five in the famous red jersey from the tour to South Africa five years ago.

Whether it lasts more than a match or not, the experiment of playing O'Driscoll at full back will be intriguing to say the least. He has little experience of the position, but has trained there all week. Graham Henry is clearly intent on giving O'Driscoll's game-breaking abilities the additional time and space afforded at full back. The position also makes it more difficult for him to be marked, while at the same time utilising his deft distribution off either hand that little bit wider out. Even in this company O'Driscoll looks a class act. In one of the many simultaneous continuity drills conducted in groups of five or so players the emphasis was on offloading in the tackle, and O'Driscoll drew gasps from some of the few hundred onlookers at Monday's afternoon session with a lefthanded pass to hand behind his back as he was about to hit the deck. The brazen attendance of the New South Wales assistant coach Scott Johnson at Monday's session will have intensified the Lions paranoia about their sessions being monitored and yesterday's morning and afternoon run-outs were conducted more privately south of Perth and Freemantle at the Associates Club, hidden in a dip away from the Indian Ocean's chilly breeze. The club's nickname is Soaks, which club officials admitted is because it is easier to say after a few beers.

Western Australia will feature former Australia A and Saracens outhalf Duncan McRae, as well as Wallaby prop Patricio Noriega who is attempting to relaunch his international career here (perhaps during the Lions series) after a season spent mostly warming the bench at Stade Francais.

However, both are named on the bench as Western Australian coach Tom Fearn stays loyal to his own, though interestingly 11 of their squad are Kiwis and several have NPC experience.

Meanwhile, the Wallabies have trimmed their squad down to 22 for their preparatory game against the New Zealand Maoris in Sydney on Saturday. It falls along largely expected lines, with two of their three props, Ben Darwin and Nick Stiles, being uncapped. ACT Brumbies openside George Smith edges out Queensland's breakaway flanker Phil Waugh, who doesn't even make the cut ahead of his versatile fellow Queensland backrower David Lyons. Waugh, whose uncle Laly Hadden is a former New Zealand Maori player, had intended travelling over to Australia for the game.

Team Selections

AUSTRALIA (squad v NZ Maoris) - Forwards: M Cockbain, M Connors, B Darwin, J Foley, D Giffin, T Kefu, D Lyons, G Panoho, J Paul, G Smith, N Stiles. Backs: M Burke, E Flatley, G Gregan, N Grey, D Herbert, C Latham, S Larkham, J Roff, A Walker, C Whitaker.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA (v Lions, Perth, Friday, 11.30a.m. Irish time): S Apaapa; M Gardiner, A Broughton, H Waldin/M Harrington, B Becroft; [NO ]10-Todd T Feather, M Fleet; D Gleghorn/T Stevens, C Duff, T Stevens, N Hollis, T Thomas, H Grace, R Coney, A Brain

Reserves: D Duncan McRae, R Barugh, M Harrington/H Waldin, P Noriega, T Cameron, G Plimmer, A New/R Kellam.