Dallaglio must be at his best

Lawrence Dallaglio switches from water-bottle carrier to the real thing tomorrow, aware that nothing less than his best will win him a Test place.

Six weeks after damaging a knee, the former England captain launches his Lions tour against Australia A, not in his familiar position at No.8 but on the blindside of the back row.

Coach Graham Henry said: 'Lawrence knows there is real competition for every place. There are going to be some disappointed players.' Dallaglio said: 'The only thing I am interested in is my performance. So far the competition has been pretty intense right across the board.' I believe there are eight certainties - four backs (Iain Balshaw, Dan Luger, Jonny Wilkinson, Rob Howley) and four forwards (Keith Wood, Martin Johnson, Danny Grewcock, Richard Hill). The centre pairing for Saturday's New South Wales clash will almost certainly be Brian O'Driscoll and Will Greenwood. With Dafydd James lacking pace, the Lions have to fill the nagging vacancy on the right wing. While Ben Cohen gets a chance tomorrow to repair the damage of a faltering start in Perth, Matt Perry will hope to be picked at full back in the Test, allowing Balshaw to appear on the wing. Mike Catt's tour hinges on a fitness test today on a strained calf muscle.