No stopping Jason now

Without peer as an elusive runner who invariably breaks the first tackle, Robinson has been criticised for giving away penalties through not releasing the ball in the tackle and for his defensive capability. The facts are that he has yet to miss a tackle or concede a try to his opposite winger.

Clearly coach Graham Henry would prefer to keep the opposition guessing about Robinson by leaving him on the bench for use as a potential game-breaker.

But if Luger's injury proves serious enough to keep him out for another week, Robinson will join the few to have started a Test for the Lions before starting one for their country.

Henry's selection for Saturday answers a few intriguing questions. Matt Perry's absence amounts to confirmation that the Lions plan to go in with Iain Balshaw at full back, as opposed to the right wing where the left-sided Dafydd James is in pole position.

Brian O'Driscoll and the in-form Greenwood are the prospective Test centres, which is tough on Rob Henderson. Scott Gibbs, on route to his third Lions tour last night following Mike Catt's calf injury, will play against New South Wales Country next week, which gives him no chance of making the first Test and only slightly more of playing in either of the next two.

Scotland must have had worse days on tour with the Lions than yesterday but nobody could remember one. In a matter of minutes the selectors decided against sending for Gregor Townsend, preferring the Gibbs bludgeon to his more subtle skills, and then announced that prop Tom Smith had been dropped from the shadow Test team in favour of the 19st Welshman, Darren Morris.

If Morris lives up to his reputation as an immovable force, the Scots can resign themselves to being completely wiped out of a Lions Test XV for the first time in more than 70 years, a fate which befell Ireland for two of the three Tests during the last Australian trip in 1989.

Rob Howley's enforced absence with bruised ribs allows scrum half Matt Dawson to partner Jonny Wilkinson, and I can only assume that Richard Hill's absence from the back row is inspired as much by the Lions' reluctance to show their full hand to the Wallabies as it is by the need to give Lawrence Dallaglio another run.

Hill, the outstanding figure among a largely outstanding battery of back row contenders, will surely play in the big one next week, whether it is at blindside instead of Dallaglio or at No.8 ahead of Scott Quinnell.

Meanwhile, the Australians have been hammering the Lions over their high penalty count.

Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen said: 'They deserve to be penalised. You cannot twist the scrum until the ball comes in. The Lions have also been getting away with impeding opposition jumpers in the line-out.'

Henry said: 'We need to sit down with the referee and work out what is allowable. All I'm asking for is

consistency at ruck and maul and clarification at the scrum.'

LIONS (v New South Wales): I Balshaw (Eng); D James (Wal), B O'Driscoll (Ire), W Greenwood (Eng), J Robinson (Eng); J Wilkinson (Eng), M Dawson (Eng); D Morris (Wal), K Wood (Ire), P Vickery (Eng); M Johnson (Eng, capt), D Grewcock (Eng); L Dallaglio (Eng), S Quinnell (Wal), N Back (Eng). Substitutes: T Smith (Sco), R McBryde (Wal), M Corry (Eng), R Hill (Eng), A Healey (Eng). R O'Gara (Ire).