Phil Vickery will lead the Lions against Western Province at Newlands tomorrow, three years after being advised to give up the game because of a persistent back problem.
The 33-year-old England prop played three Tests against Australia for the Lions in 2001 but missed the 2005 tour to New Zealand because of injury. His club at the time, Gloucester, advised him to retire but he joined Wasps and has gone to win the Heineken Cup, the Guinness Premiership, a place in the World Cup final in 2007 and a place on the current Lions.
"Phil is a very important member of the party," said the Lions head coach, Ian McGeechan, who signed Vickery for Wasps. "We knew we had to manage him properly when he recruited him and we have done that. He is one of the players pulling everything together on this tour, lightening the mood at the right time and making sure everyone is focused at others.
"He deserves the captaincy and, like everyone involved against Western Province, he is in contention for a place in the Test side. We have not decided the team to face South Africa next week and we will not do so until after Tuesday's game against the Southern Kings. Everything is still up in the air."
Vickery is one of six England players in tomorrow's side, the first time they have had the biggest single representation on this tour. The Lions have gone for size in the forwards for the third consecutive Saturday: after playing two middle jumpers in the second row on Wednesday, they have opted for two scrummaging locks tomorrow, Donncha O'Callaghan and Nathan Hines, with Joe Worsley and Andy Powell bulking up the back row.
Tommy Bowe, Ugo Monye, Stephen Jones and Vickery are the most likely Test players on display, but much will hinge on the tactics McGeechan hopes to adopt against South Africa, who are likely to be without their open-side flanker, Schalk Burger, who had not returned to training after suffering a calf strain last month.
"We do not want to have easy decisions to make next week," said McGeechan. "That is why the game against Western Province is so important and I expect it to be the hardest of the tour so far. One of the reasons we decided not to field the Test team in advance of the first game against South Africa was that it would not have been fair on the players.
"The short nature of the tour meant that some of them were not going to get their second game until tomorrow and we have said from day one that we intend to be fair to everyone. When we sit down on Tuesday night to discuss the Test side, it will be an open discussion between all the coaches.
"We will decide on the team by agreement: there have been no votes so far and I do not anticipate that will change. It is up to the players in the next two games to really challenge us and put up their hands."
McGeechan is looking at new combinations again with the front row, second row, back row, half-backs and centres untried this tour, although the back row is the one originally named for the opening game in Rustenburg before the No8, Powell, pulled out with a hand injury.
The back three, however, is the unit that played against the Golden Lions at the beginning of the month. The left-wing position is one of the most open with Monye being challenged by Luke Fitzgerald and Shane Williams, while Jamie Roberts is an option should the Lions feel that the stingers he is getting in his right shoulder require him to be taken out of the midfield defensive line.
The Lions will be looking closely at the inside-centre and Riki Flutey is starting his first match of the tour after recovering from a knee injury. He is one of three Wasps players (from last season) in the starting line-up and the only specialist 12 in the original squad. With Roberts receiving attention from the medics every game he has played, Flutey's form and fitness are crucial: Gordon D'Arcy is on the bench and he is likely to get his first start next Tuesday.
Western Province are expecting a crowd of 50,000 tomorrow although rain is forecast. Their attack coach, the former South Africa centre, Robbie Fleck, said that the Lions were playing almost the perfect game.
"They have a powerful pack that gets them the ball and their backs are making inroads," he said. "We can take a leaf out of their book because they are playing close to the perfect modern rugby game. We have been concentrating on our running lines and letting the ball do the work."
After a damp squib on the warm-up front, the Province centre, Peter Grant, promised: "You can definitely expect something special in this game. There will be some fireworks."
British and Irish Lions to play Western Province:
R Kearney (Leinster and Ireland); T Bowe (Ospreys and Ireland), K Earls (Munster and Ireland), R Flutey (Wasps and England), U Monye (Harlequins and England); S Jones (Scarlets and Wales), H Ellis (Leicester and England); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks and England), M Rees (Scarlets and Wales), P Vickery (Wasps and England, capt), D O'Callaghan (Munster and Ireland), N Hines (Perpignan and Scotland), J Worsley (Wasps and England), M Williams (Cardiff Blues and Wales), A Powell (Cardiff Blues and Wales).
