THE British Lions management have now decided, after overnight deliberation when such an event was just a possibility, to delay naming their Test team to meet the Springboks until just a few hours before kick-off at Newlands, Cape Town, on Saturday.
Yesterday, manager Fran Cotton reiterated his belief that, in mind-games which run parallel with the real thing, there is nothing to be gained for the tourists in handing the Springboks their line-up days in advance so that they have more time in which to prepare a counter-strategy. If the Lions maintain their stance, it will be a first in world rugby. During the Five Nations' tournament just ended, Scotland experimented with naming a squad of players but always provided the line-up before match day - for the benefit of the programme printers, if nothing else.
Cotton said yesterday that keeping the team secret until just before kick-off would provide just that little bit of edge which, at the end of the day, could be the difference between winning and losing. ''Remember, Alex Ferguson doesn't name his side before kick-off, so why should we?'' he added.
Coach Ian McGeechan declared that it was not their intention to become paranoid about keeping the veil of secrecy securely tied down. ''We're not picking the Stalag XV and it is not going to be a clandestine thing. We aren't going to go overboard on this but we are not going to name it.
''For one thing, Cape Town, of all the venues in which we play, suffers from the most unpredictable weather conditions. It may well be that we would pick a 'wet weather' team, if that was what the conditions on the day suggested.''
Probably, that would be taking things a bit too far and, after tonight's selection meeting, the management and the players involved will know full well what the Test line-up will be.
In any case, by process of guess work, elimination, and just a little bit of technical expertise, it is possible to work out at least some of the combinations who will probably figure in the Lions' plans on Saturday.
Yesterday at the Villagers FC ground, as the team to play Emerging Springboks today went through their paces on an adjoining pitch, Gregor Townsend, Tom Smith, David Young, Simon Shaw, Martin Johnson, Scott Gibbs, Jeremy Guscott, Richard Hill, Lawrence Dallaglio, and Neil Jenkins were working out separately with Lions' technical adviser Andy Keast.
Tim Rodber, John Bentley, Matt Dawson, Keith Wood, and Ieuan Evans did not train because of niggly little injuries.
Will that prove to be McGeechan's Stalag XV? Only time will tell.
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