Dallaglio: We are not under siege

LAWRENCE Dallaglio today denied the Lions had adopted a siege mentality going into Saturday's First Test against Australia in Brisbane following the loss of five players through injury and repeated criticism from opposition coaches.

Dallaglio's Lions trip came to an end last night when tour doctor James Robson confirmed the knee ligament injury that had put the Wasps' captain in doubt for the trip, had flared up again after the 41-24 win over New South Wales at the weekend.

Ireland's David Wallace will now join a tour party that goes into the Test minus Phil Greening, Simon Taylor, Mike Catt, Dan Luger and Dallaglio.

There are also continuing fitness worries over Will Greenwood (ankle ligament), Keith Wood (leg) and Rob McBryde (leg).

England hooker Dorian West is flying out to join the tour because of the doubts over Wood and McBryde.

Dallaglio, who will leave the tour party after the Test, believes he does not need an operation and that four weeks rest will cure the injury.

Talking about the tour, he added: "The players are taking very little notice of what is being said in the press. We cannot afford to be distracted because there is so much work to be done.

"It's part and parcel of what goes on in sport and the players have to concentrate on what they can control and that's their performance going into the Test.

"We said, before departing, that these kind of things would happen when you come to a foreign country.

"I am very confident that even with the injuries we have had we can put in a credible performance in all three Tests."

Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen has been one of those to criticise the Lions for illegal play in the lead-up to the Test, although he claimed today it was only the impeding of lineout jumpers that had forced him to comment.

So far the Lions have been accused of illegal work in the scrums (charging), lineout (impeding the jumper), rucks (killing the ball) and mauls (coming in from the wrong side) and also trampling on players.

Bob Dwyer, the New South Wales coach, claimed it was the Lions who threw the first punch in last Saturday's clash in Sydney which saw former Saracens outside-half Duncan McRae sent off and banned for seven weeks for repeatedly punching Ireland's Ronan O'Gara.

Meanwhile, Macqueen, who today named uncapped props Nick Stiles and Ben Darwin in a 22-man Wallabies Test squad and recalled ACT Brumbies flanker Owen Finegan, who missed Australia's victory over New Zealand Maoris earlier this month through suspension, continued to try to distance himself from criticism of the Lions.

Macqueen said: "I am pretty confident there won't be a problem in the First Test and if we go in with the right demeanour, it will be a good, hard, clean game."

Lions coach Graham Henry has predicted this will be the most important week of the tour as his midweek team face New South Wales Country in Coffs Harbour tomorrow with Test places still to be decided at inside centre, scrum-half, fullback and in the back row.

Henry is happy to put all the criticism of his squad to one side and said: "We have to concentrate on preparing our side for the Test match and that other stuff goes into the background."

Prop David Young will captain the side tomorrow. He will be in charge of a line-up that sees first tour appearances for injury replacements Scott Gibbs and Tyrone Howe.

LIONS: I Balshaw (Eng); B Cohen (Eng), M Taylor (Wales), S Gibbs (Wales), T Howe (Ireland); N Jenkins (Wales), A Healey (Eng); J Leonard (Eng), G Bulloch (Scotland), D Young (Wales, capt), J Davidson (Ireland), M O'Kelly (Ireland), C Charvis (Wales), M Williams (Wales), M Corry (Eng).

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