Like a matador standing his ground before an onrushing bull, Ian McGeechan's high-stakes game of brinkmanship continues. The latest reshuffled Lions side to face the Sharks in Wednesday's fourth game of the tour contains a sizeable core of potential starters, but the head coach remains adamant his best XV will not play together as a unit before they meet the Springboks on Saturday week. If the Lions win the first Test it will be a triumph of lateral thinking and, in some cases, blind faith.
There is method, though, in the apparent madness of tackling the world champions without a formal dress rehearsal. For a start it keeps the opposition in the dark and, even more importantly, it encourages every player in the tour party to keep dreaming of a Test cap. It continues to be McGeechan's fervent belief that the Lions will stand no chance in the series unless the squad is infused with a collective musketeering spirit from start to finish.
As a consequence, the Sharks will be confronted by a team that continues to be a work in progress. The most intriguing choice is the second-row pairing of Paul O'Connell and Alun Wyn Jones, two men theoretically meant to be contesting one position. Given that omitting the tour captain for the first Test is inconceivable, it appears the Osprey lock earned the management's approval during the big win over the Golden Lions and has barged his way into the frame as a front jumper and a no-nonsense hitter of rucks.
The possible implications for Nathan Hines's Test prospects are obvious, but the Australian-born Scot, having watched his club Perpignan win the French Top 14 title at the weekend, will presumably be invited to take his frustration out on Western Province in Cape Town on Saturday. The upshot is that McGeechan and his wily forwards coach, Warren Gatland, have cleverly challenged two big men to make an unanswerable case for inclusion. "There are five second-rows on this tour, one of whom is guaranteed his place, so there's a lot of competition," acknowledged Jones, who sits his final law exams in August and briefly led the Lions in Johannesburg after Brian O'Driscoll and Phil Vickery were substituted.
The selection of O'Connell, O'Driscoll, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip, Mike Phillips, Jamie Roberts and Lee Byrne, all virtual certainties to start against the Springboks, is more an issue of risk management. If any of the magnificent seven should pick up an injury, they have 10 days in which to recover, a luxury not available if they play against Western Province. The health of the two centres O'Driscoll and Roberts is particularly vital; getting both to the start line in mint condition is not so much desirable as a necessity.
As for the rest, McGeechan is doing right by those who, for various reasons, have had scant opportunity. Adam Jones, Ronan O'Gara and Luke Fitzgerald will all be making their second starts, with McGeechan insisting it would be "unfair" to judge them on the evidence of one game. The presence of Shane Williams on the right wing is a slightly different matter; the little Welsh maestro has not been remotely at his best and is clearly being given one last chance to challenge the frontrunners Tommy Bowe and Ugo Monye. "The fewer easy choices I have to make the better," stressed McGeechan, who has named the fit-again Riki Flutey on the bench.
Despite the rain showers sweeping across the training pitch at Northwood school, alma mater of the Test cricketers Shaun Pollock and Robin Smith, there is also no question that the Lions are in good heart. "It's good for team building that there are no untouchables and no one has a Test spot guaranteed," said Heaslip, among a group of Lions players whose idea of a relaxing day off was to go swimming with sharks at the weekend. "There is no cloak and dagger stuff, everything's for the good of the squad."
McGeechan's latest brainwave, meanwhile, has been to recruit the former Welsh fly-half Neil Jenkins to the tour party as a kicking coach, although given the Lions have missed only one of their 25 attempts at goal it can safely be assumed the latter's priority will be the kicking from hand. "If someone had said before the start of the tour that we'd go into the fourth match with a 100% record and with just one player unable to train, I would have bitten their hand off," admitted McGeechan.
He added: "If anyone knows about what is required in terms of general kicking and goal-kicking in South Africa, it is Neil."
The pressure is mounting by the day but the master coach seems utterly unfazed.
