Wales and Ireland take Lions share

Lions fans will be salivating at the prospect of tomorrow's rugby feast in Cardiff. Aside from the obvious exhiliration of watching the best two sides in the northern hemisphere battle it out - the one seeking a first Grand Slam since 1948, the other attempting to steal the Championship at the death - we will be treated to what is effectively a training match for the Lions summer tour to South Africa.

Apart from one or two players from England and Scotland, who battle for the Calcutta Cup tomorrow, the 2009 touring party will be formed from those taking the field at the Millenium Stadium. And there are some very tasty confrontations to wet your appetite.

Full Back
Lee Byrne seems to have won the hearts and minds of most rugby fans with consistently outstanding performances, but Rob Kearney will be hoping to make Ian McGeechan's job a bit more difficult tomorrow. Armitage also has a shout.

Wing
Williams is a shoo-in having won World Player of the Year, but the Irish wingers Bowe and Fitzgerald have a good shot at pairing up with him and relegating the likes of Cueto and Tom Evans to the dirt tracks.

Centre
A very exciting one this, with Henson and Shanklin undefeated in Six Nations games when they have played together squaring up to O'Driscoll at his electric best and the trucking Gordon D'Arcy. Flutely is surely the only other contender.

Fly-half
O'Gara has been playing reasonably well, but is weak in defence and usually relies on assistance from his flankers in the 10 channel. Stephen Jones probably has the edge, and with Hook poised to replace him at some point we can expect a dynamic attempt from the younger player to prove the selectors wrong.

Back Row
So many to choose from... Welsh skipper Ryan Jones and Martyn Williams should make the flight, with Andy Powell perhaps blowing too hot and cold to have a decent chance. Ireland's Wallace and Heaslip are probables, although another good performance from Tom Croft could throw a spanner in the works.

Second Row
O'Connell is looking odds-on to lead the Lions in South Africa, and O'Callaghan will want to be next to him holding his shirt. Alun Wyn-Jones has been consistently good for Wales, and might just get the nod.

Front Row
With England's usual scrummaging prowess having subsided somewhat, it's likely that some combination of Horan, Hayes, Jenkins and Jones will make up the Lions front row. With props and hookers always taking a battering they'll probably change around a bit, while Flannery and Rees will be looking to impress with their lineouts.

What are your predictions for the big match tomorrow?