Tonight:
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ANDY POWELL is expected to be named in the Lions squad to take on the Golden Lions on Wednesday, just days after fearing his tour was over before it had started.
The Welsh No8 was sent for an X-ray after damaging his hand in training with the forward concerned that he had broken a bone and could be ruled out of the 10-match tour.
He sat out the Lions' unconvincing 37-25 win over the Royal XV on Saturday but was yesterday allowed to lifts weights after receiving the all-clear from medics.
Given the lack of aggression and impact of the Lions in their opening fixture, the touring team desperately need the raw power that Powell offers in a squad that have struggled to deal with the weight of expectation and the effects of playing at altitude.
Keith Earls, the young Munster centre, had a poor first game and is now ruled out of contention by a shoulder injury for possibly the next two matches - the Lions face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday - which allows the 21-year-old to reflect on a series of errors.
He was not alone in contributing to the Lions shoddy first showing and they need to make a substantial improvement as the next two matches are against Super 14 teams.
Backs coach Rob Howley believes it will do the party some good to get the match out of their system. He said: "Some of the players were very despondent but I remember on the 1997 Lions tour after losing to Northern Transvaal, the next performance against Gauteng lifted the tour to another level."
Jake White, the man who coached South Africa to World Cup glory in 2007, was dismayed by the lack of power displayed by the Lions pack and warned: "There is no way this Lions forward pack will dominate the Springboks."
Boys on tour
* Irish rugby fans already believe that Brian O'Driscoll walks on water after he led the country to Six Nations Grand Slam glory and then helped Leinster to a Heineken Cup triumph. The 2005 Lions captain is a foot soldier here but big things are still expected of the mercurial centre. On a visit to the British High Commission, O'Driscoll attempted to prove he really could walk on water after stepping backwards and finding himself on the swimming pool cover. He wasn't the first to make this mistake and, sadly, ended up sinking down to his knees before carefully stepping back onto dry land. In true O'Driscoll fashion he carried the whole thing off with style — and wet socks and shoes.
