Bring back Pat, say Aussies

Pat Howard flies home to Australia today for what could be an immediate run-in with the Lions at the launch of their 10-match tour in Perth next week.

The departure of Leicester's player-coach after three bountiful seasons in Britain prompted World Cup-winning Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer to urge his successor Rod Macqueen to add Howard to his squad for the Lions series.

Dwyer, in London after presiding over the Barbarians' clean sweep of Wales, Scotland and England, gave Macqueen the inside track on Howard after watching the former Wallaby finish off a blazing European season in which everything he touched turned to gold.

'I told Rod that he should take Pat seriously as a candidate for the Lions Test, ' said Dwyer. 'He is definitely up to standard, a far better player now than when he left for the UK. I'd say Pat is an absolute certainty for the Test team.'

His advice comes at a time when Macqueen, still to fill the hole left by Tim Horan's international retirement and further handicapped by Stirling Mortlock's removal for the season following shoulder surgery, needs every mid-field option at his disposal.

Howard, 27, could enter the equation as a guest player for Western Australia, the Lions' first opponents on Friday week.

'It's a lovely compliment from Bob,' said Howard, who won the last of his 20 caps four years ago. 'If they need me, they can have a chat, but after playing 40- odd games this season, I have no real plans to play any more for a little while.' Western Australia plan to borrow three Wallabies for the occasion, with Ben Tune scheduled to be one of them on his return from yet another injury.

Macqueen's more pressing problem is not over his choice of wings, where he can deploy the goalkicking Matt Burke to leave Chris Latham a clear run at full back, but who to play alongside the country's leading centre, the formidable Daniel Herbert.

For their one pre-Lions dress rehearsal against the New Zealand Maoris in Sydney on June 9, Macqueen will pick one of Nathan Grey, Jimmy Holbeck or Graeme Bond.

Two of the other newcomers, Brumbies prop Ben Darwin and his Queensland counterpart Nick Stiles, illustrate Australia's apprehension over their scrummaging. Their anxiety increased yesterday with the loss of their leading loose-head Bill Young, out for eight weeks after his right knee buckled during the Super Twelve final last weekend.

Lions prop David Young was unable to train with the squad in Aldershot yesterday after a recurrence of the calf muscle problems which have plagued him for the last two years. Lions manager Donal Lenihan said: 'His injury is a slight concern but we think he will be all right by next week.'

AUSTRALIA - Full backs: C Latham, M Burke. Wings: J Roff, B Tune, A Walker. Centres: D Herbert, N Grey, J Holbeck, G Bond. Fly halves: S Larkham, E Flatley. Scrum halves: G Gregan, C Whitaker. Props: G Panoho, R Moore, B Darwin, N Stiles. Hookers: J Paul, M Foley. Locks: J Eales, D Giffin, M Connors, J Harrison, N Sharpe. Back row: G Smith, M Cockbain, O Finegan, T Kefu, D Lyons, P Waugh.