Murphy out to make his mark
Geordan Murphy claims pride is at stake when he makes his Lions Test debut against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday.
Irish full-back Murphy and England wing Mark Cueto are handed first Lions Test starts, with wings Jason Robinson and Shane Williams both dropped.
Elsewhere, Lions head coach Sir Clive Woodward has switched Josh Lewsey from full-back to left wing and called up Will Greenwood and Stephen Jones to replace injured duo Gavin Henson and Jonny Wilkinson.
Henson and Wilkinson are both suffering from so-called ‘stingers’ in their shoulder and neck areas, while other players who could not be considered because of injuries included Charlie Hodgson, Ben Kay, Simon Shaw and Gordon D’Arcy.
“We have seen how much strength there is in New Zealand, and I have got no doubts that the guys coming into the New Zealand side will have points to prove. It will be a huge ask for us,” admitted Murphy, as the Lions try to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash.
“There is a lot of pride at stake on Saturday, but I just want to go out there and play my game, and hopefully, I won’t let anyone down. We are playing against a very strong side.”
Like Murphy, Cueto has waited patiently for his chance on tour, and admitted: “You have just got to keep going.
“At the end of the day, you can moan and groan about selection, but the quality of player here speaks for itself, really.
“No-one can expect to be on that team-sheet, you’ve got to earn it and work for it.
“I think everyone knew they were going to get chances on the field, with the midweek games and everything, and it was a case of waiting and taking your chance.
“It is fantastic, the pinnacle of any rugby player’s career, and it is no different for me. It is going to be a special occasion.”
With the All Blacks suffering as many injuries as the Lions – Dan Carter, Aaron Mauger, Leon MacDonald and Richie McCaw are among their casualties - Saturday’s battle could be a case of last man standing.
But Cueto wants the Lions backs to show their capabilities in a series so far dominated by New Zealand’s attacking glitterati.
“A lot of credit must go to the All Blacks,” he added.
“They have been absolutely outstanding, and it has been brilliant to be able to watch them play such good rugby. From our point of view, I think we can learn a lot from them.
“But we’ve got the ability, we’ve got the talent out there – the game-breakers – in our backs to do the same. We’ve got to go out with the mentality we can do that, and we will do that.
“Generally, we’ve not got as much ball as we would have liked, but that is testament to how good the All Blacks have been. Hopefully, we can change things around this weekend, get a bit of decent ball and show what we can do.”
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