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Big cats Johnson, Wilkinson set for first Lions appearance
TOWNSVILLE, Australia (Reuters) -- British and Irish Lions captain Martin Johnson and England flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson will make their first appearances for the tourists in Saturday's match against Queensland. The pair missed the opening two matches of the Lions' 10-game tour of Australia to get over niggling injuries after the long European season but were named Wednesday in a strong Lions team to play Super 12 team Queensland Reds. But backrower Lawrence Dallaglio, center Mike Catt and hooker Phil Greening were again left out because of injury and are yet to make an appearance on the tour. Lions coach Graham Henry said Dallaglio and Catt are expected to be fit for the tourists' next match against Australia A on Tuesday as he sorts out his likely team for the opening test against Australia in Brisbane on June 30. "This is not the test team, we haven't decided that yet," Henry said. "This is an important game but we don't want to pick our strongest team at this stage." The Lions opened their tour with a record 116-10 win over a scratch amateur team from Western Australia on Friday then scored 73 unanswered second half points to defeat a youthful Queensland President's XV 83-6 in Townsville on Tuesday. Henry said he was hoping for tougher opposition to prepare for the Wallabies and expects just that against Queensland, who made the semifinals of this year's Super 12 series. The Reds have a host of top internationals, including Australia's World Cup winning captain John Eales. "We're going to know where we are in a week and a half's time," Henry said. "We've got three good games and that has to give us a good indication. "It's very important that we get the toughest opposition and we can get that in the next three games." Johnson, who was allowed to skip the first two games to get over a nagging neck injury, said he was looking forward to his first run of the tour but expects a tough match against the Reds. "They've played 12 games together in the Super 12 and they're very well organized and have a lot of talent," Johnson said. "We need to improve and we know we have a lot of room for that." Wilkinson, who has been troubled by a groin injury, said he was especially looking forward to playing in Brisbane again to exorcise the demons of his last visit to the Queensland capital. The flyhalf made his test debut in Brisbane in 1998 when England paid a heavy price for fielding a weakened team against the Wallabies, losing 76-0 in the worst-ever result for the English. Wilkinson said the humiliation of that match had shaped his career and he had become a better player as a result. "That (loss) has been one of the biggest factors in my career since," Wilkinson said. "It was a heavy hit to take at the time but if you told me that I needed to take it to be here now then I would take it every time. "It wasn't a great feeling or great way to start but it has been very important to me in the subsequent events in my career." Lions: 15-Iain Balshaw; 14-Dafydd James, 13-Brian O'Driscoll, 12-Rob Henderson, 11-Dan Luger; 10-Jonny Wilkinson, 9-Rob Howley; 8-Scott Quinnell, 7-Neil Back, 6-Richard Hill, 5-Danny Grewcock, 4-Martin Johnson (captain); 3-Phil Vickery, 2-Keith Wood, 1-Tom Smith. Replacements: 16-Jason Leonard, 17-Gordon Bulloch, 18-Martin Corry, 19-Colin Charvis, 20-Matt Dawson, 21-Austin Healey, 22-Jason Robinson.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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