Wallace’s Irish team-mate Tommy Bowe and Welsh centre Jamie Roberts are the only players who retain their places from the Lions side which unconvincingly beat a Royal XV selection in Saturday’s tour opener.
David Wallace, who received a late call up to play at number eight in place of Andy Powell, will reverse to his more customary flanker position against the Golden Lions.
Wallace said he was delighted to be getting the opportunity to return to action so quickly after the side’s stuttering starting in Rustenburg on Saturday.
“The altitude was a bit of a factor in the first 20-25 minutes of Saturday’s game,” Garryowen clubman Wallace said.
“Guys adapted after, or at least that was the general feeling. Certainly training today was a bit easier, so we are obviously getting used to it. For me, I probably made a lot more mistakes than I wanted and was disappointed from that side of things. We were happy to get the win and finish the way we did - it spoke volumes about the team.
“Hopefully we won’t make as many mistakes in the rest of the games. I am relishing the chance to get the chance to go back out.”
Where as last Saturday’s opposition, the Royal XV, came from an amalgamation of five Vodacom Cup sides containing only a handful of players with Super 14 experience, the Golden Lions play their domestic rugby in the southern hemisphere’s premier club competition. They include South African internationals Andre Pretorious and Lawrence Sephaka in the starting XV, with the duo possessing a combined total of more than 50 Springbok caps.
Grand Slam-winning skipper Brian O’Driscoll has been handed the British and Irish Lions captaincy for tomorrow night’s clash in Johannesburg.
O’Driscoll replaces the rested Paul O’Connell as captain for the second match of the 10-game tour.
British and Irish Lions coach Ian McGeechan said ball retention was one area the side needed to improve on. Fourteen turnovers went relatively unpunished against the Royal XV, but against a superior Golden Lions team conceeding such a high number of turnovers could well prove fatal.
Tomorrow night’s game will be shown live on Sky Sports 2 with coverage beginning at 5.30pm.
British & Irish Lions v Golden Lions: Rob Kearney (Ireland); Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Ugo Monye (England); Stephen Jones (Wales), Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales); Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Lee Mears (England), Phil Vickery (England); Nathan Hines (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales); Tom Croft (England), David Wallace (Ireland), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland). Replacements: Ross Ford (Scotland), Euan Murray (Scotland), Stephen Ferris (Ireland), Andy Powell (Wales), Harry Ellis (England), James Hook (Wales), Shane Williams (Wales).
Meanwhile the AGM of the Munster Branch of the IRFU will take place in the Garryowen FC Pavillion in Dooradoyle tonight.
Colm Kinsella
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