Eales ducks the issue

'That's no longer debatable, but I rate this Lions squad higher than

England. That's how tough it's going to be for Australia.'

As if to prove just how tough they are, four of the English Lions went swimming with sharks yesterday. The fearless four - Jonny Wilkinson, Richard Hill, Neil Back and Martin Corry - spent a rare day off at an aquarium in the company of six grey nurse sharks as the tourists relaxed before the Queensland match.

'It took a lot of guts to go down there,' said one of the organisers of the trip. 'One of them showed his teeth to Martin Corry before brushing the player's head.

'Fortunately, the sharks were relatively docile but not many people would have taken the chance of going anywhere near them. Nothing that happens in the Tests against the Wallabies could possibly be more frightening.'

Queensland will be missing two more Wallabies besides Eales. While they can swap one international lock for another by promoting Mark Connors, there are no Test replacements for injured full back Chris Latham or luckless wing Ben Tune, still unfit and already a non- starter for the opening Test.

Disciplinary action against Nathan Williams over a late night, after the Queensland president's men had been swamped 83-6 by the Lions in Townsville on Tuesday, means a rapid promotion for their third-choice full back, 19-year-old Michael Tabrett, while David McCallum makes his bow instead of Tune.

Queensland, now resigned to losing Eales to retirement at the end of the season, can still count on nine Wallabies, including their acting captain, the mountainous Daniel Herbert.

'We've been looking closely at the Lions strengths and they've got plenty of them,' said Herbert. 'But then, so they should. This is the cream of four individual countries, so they are entitled to be good. I think they will be holding something back and not wanting to show their Test hand too early.'

Several will see the match for what it is, a heaven-sent opportunity to play themselves into the Test team. Notable examples are Dafydd James on the troublesome right wing, Brian O'Driscoll in the highly competitive midfield department, Rob Howley at scrum half and Danny Grewcock as Johnson's second row partner.

QUEENSLAND: M Tabrett; J Pelesasa, D Herbert (capt), S Kefu, D McCallum; E Flatley, S Cordingley; N Stiles, M Foley, G Panoho; N Sharpe, M Connors; M Cockbain, T Kefu, D Croft.

LIONS: I Balshaw; D James, B O'Driscoll, R Henderson, D Luger; J Wilkinson, R Howley; T Smith, K Wood, P Vickery; M Johnson (capt), D Grewcock; R Hill, S Quinnell, N Back.
Replacements: J Leonard, G Bulloch, M Corry,C Charvis, M Dawson, A Healey, J Robinson.