Emerging Springboks 13 – Lions 13: What does it mean for team selection?

I didn’t get to catch all of this game, which was a little ruined by the bad weather. The Lions did well to get a lead and seemed pretty much in control, if not converting this into points. Ok, so the mid-week games are to test players and learn a little along the way, but the few changes made around the hour mark seemed to unsettle the team a little. It was the last kick with a tremendous touch line conversion that clinched the draw for the Springboks.

What does all of this mean for team selection for Saturday’s second test.

The positions that I think might be up for grabs, are 3, 4, 7, 10, 14 and 15. It’s hard to know what to read into some of the substitutions in last nights game – where these to rest the team candidates for Saturday, or to give those with any question marks over their selection and extra few minutes to prove themselves? So bringing off Hayes – is that a sign that he has a chance of starting or was it to give Vickery another go? Similarly Martin Williams. Based on this, I find it a bit difficult to pick Saturday’s team – but here goes, with a bigger Irish influence:-

1: Gethin Jenkins
2: Lee Mears
3: John Hayes
4: Donnacha O’Callaghan
5: Paul O’Connell
6: Tom Croft
7: David Wallace
8: Jamie Heaslip
9: Mike Philips
10: Stephen Jones
11: Shane Williams
12: Jamie Roberts
13: Brian O’Driscoll
14: Tommy Bowe
15: Rob Kearney

You know I almost picked an Irish team there. Has O’Gara a hope at 10?