By Bob Howitt

Itıs the Welshmen who are making the greatest impact on this British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, but how many of them will get a crack at the All Blacks next Saturday?

Precious few, I suspect. While Sir Clive Woodward is playing his cards awfully close to his chest, the popular belief is that the Lions test XV will be built around men of the English rose, players Sir Clive knows best.

Midweek at Wellington, prop Gethin Jenkins, half-back Dwayne Peel and winger Gareth Thomas were standout performers while on Saturday night against Otago at the "House of Pain" No 8 Ryan Jones and winger Shane Williams turned in eye-catching performances.

Peel and Thomas are sitters for first-Test selection, with Jenkins also a leading contender.

But notwithstanding the outcome of the Six Nations championship and individual form to date in New Zealand, it looks increasingly as if the Welsh will be outnumbered at least two to one by Englishmen in the starting line-up.

Whether thatıs smart will be revealed at Christchurch on Saturday evening.

If the Lions win, it'll be a case of "Good on yer, Clive" but if they stumble - ­and there's not one astute critic or commentator in New Zealand predicting anything except an emphatic All Black victory ­- watch for Sir Clive to embrace his Welsh players.

It's never easy putting away Otago at Carisbrook. Four previous Lions teams have tasted defeat there. And at 20-19 on Saturday evening, the prospect of another hometown victory loomed.

But thatıs when the Lions got smart and brought on the heavy artillery.

The impact Matt Dawson, Steve Thompson, Danny Grewcock and Andrew Sheridan had when they were introduced from the reserves bench was dramatic.

Within 10 minutes of their arrival, the Lions had the game in safekeeping.

They pressured Otago's lineout and scrum, forced mistakes and helped set up probably their finest try of the tour, one started (from a tap penalty) by one Welshman, No 8 Ryan Jones, and finished by another in Shane Williams.

How on earth did Ryan Jones miss the original selection? He was a revelation, making such an impact in his Lions debut. He could well force his way on to the reserves bench for Saturday's first international.

Until the cavalry arrived in the 60th minute, this was the Lions B team, and they played like it for much of the first half.

The Lions pride themselves on their defence, but Otago centre Neil Brew ripped them to shreds, winning one-on-one confrontations with Denis Hickie and Charlie Hodgson, to give half-back Danny Lee a clear run to the line.

Seven points down with half-time approaching, the Lions seemed genuinely undecided whether a sure three points was a better option that setting up an attacking lineout . . . until that crafty old codger Will Greenwood began signalling frantically from 40 metres crossfield.

Otago missed it, but Hodgson didn't. A perfectly-judged crosskick sat up sweetly and Greenwood had the try. It was classic mix of vision and audacity and gave the Lions a huge psychological boost going into the break.

Inevitably, the breakdown was the hottest topic in after-match discussions.

Craig Newby is new to captaincy and it showed in his choice of phrase at the press conference.

The Lions were "cheating like buggery" at the breakdown he alleged. While he could put it more delicately, we got the message.

Both he and his coach Wayne Graham consider the Lions are guilty of gross illegalities at breakdowns, so determined are they to slow the opposition ball.

Australian Andrew Cole will referee the first international and his interpretation of what Ryan Jones described vividly as "the war zone" will obviously have a major influence on how the game unfolds.

Martyn Williams and veteran Neil Back are good campaigners but their performances to date suggest that whichever one wins the test No 7 jersey will struggle to compete with Richie McCaw at Christchurch.

Presumably the Lions will play their most modest XV on Tuesday against Southland who, although boasting victories over the 1950 and 1966 touring teams, shouldn't provide too many concerns (only Manawatu will be weaker).

And then all will be revealed - a Test team we can start focusing on.

Unless Sir Clive has been tricking all along, it will be predominantly England based, with a spattering of Welsh and Irish players.