The Wales wing Leigh Halfpenny arrived in Sandton this morning to join the Lions squad, eight days after they arrived in South Africa and just as his 36 colleagues finally got used to training at altitude.

The 20-year old, who will take over the duties of minding the Lions' mascot from Keith Earls as the youngest member of the now 37-member squad, flew out after recovering from a thigh strain that prevented him from running flat out or kicking.

With the centre Riki Flutey still hobbling after a scan on his right leg revealed a minor cartilage tear which will keep him out of training until Friday, Halfpenny's arrival is timely for the Lions who are not exactly flush with options in the three-quarters.

They face the Golden Lions at Coca-Cola Park, scene of the 1995 World Cup final when it was known as Ellis Park, tomorrow with the defence coach, Shaun Edwards, saying the time for excuses has stopped after the narrow opening match victory in Rustenburg last Saturday.

"They say it takes eight days to acclimatise to altitude and we have reached that point," said Edwards. "It was a factor on Saturday, as our first-half performance showed, but we cannot use that excuse again.

"The Golden Lions are a strong side but we need to put a marker down. We let in three tries in the opening game, and if we do that in the first Test against South Africa we will lose.

"They have some good players, especially their No8 [Willem Alberts], who reminds me of Scott Quinnell, and their scrum-half [Jano Vermaak], a real livewire and jack-in-the-box. They also have the experienced Andre Pretorius at outside-half and two powerful centres.

"The match is being played at night so heat will not be a factor. We need a big performance. A Lions tour is massive, with only the World Cup to compare with it, and this is the ultimate challenge as a coach and as a player."

The Lions prop Phil Vickery said that tomorrow would be a vastly different proposition from last weekend, both in terms of the opposition and the atmosphere at the ground. More than 50,000 people are expected at Coca-Cola Park, even though the Lions had a poor Super 14 campaign and last week sacked their head coach.

"It will be a step up, for sure," said the former England captain. "We saw at the weekend what needs to be done out here and the levels we have to get to. I have felt a real difference in training this week, and not just because we have got used to the altitude: I was knackered after yesterday's session, but perhaps that is because I am getting old.

"The good thing for the game against the Golden Lions is that we have Saturday's match to analyse. It is potentially the biggest match of their lives and they are sure to raise their game. We are under no illusions about the test that lies ahead of us."