You'd think we'd be happy with seven but it should have been nine.

Out-half Ronan O'Gara and second-row Donncha O'Callaghan were the big losers on a proud day for Irish rugby as they missed out on selection for the Lions' second Test against South Africa.

Both can justifiably feel aggrieved as their form has been superior to the men that have got the No 10 (Stephen Jones) and No 4 (Simon Shaw) jerseys.

We'll come back to that but, first up, one has to acknowledge the achievement of getting seven Ireland players onto a Lions Test team — the largest Irish representation since 1938 when there were eight on the side that defeated the Springboks 21-16 in Cape Town.

It reflects a superb season for Irish rugby which has produced a feast of trophies — it began with the Six Nations and Grand Slam, was garnished by the Heineken Cup and Magners League and, a few days ago, was topped off by the Churchill Cup. This representation is a far cry from the 1989 tour to Australia when Ireland had no players selected for the second Test following Brendan Mullin's axing, or 1993 in New Zealand when Nick Popplewell was the sole Irish representative.

He may not be part of the management team here, but Ireland coach Declan Kidney can take a bow this morning, as indeed can his predecessor Eddie O'Sullivan who brought Paul O'Connell, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and Tommy Bowe into the international arena.

On a more sobering note, the Irish emphasis on a game the Lions must win to preserve their interest in this series (and, arguably, their very existence) means there are ready-made targets to aim at should it all go wrong in Pretoria tomorrow.

With head coach Ian McGeechan largely immune to brickbats on this tour, a Lions defeat will see captain Paul O'Connell get both barrels and there will also undoubtedly be debates as to whether McGeechan should have put so much faith in the Grand Slam champions.

However, it has not come to that just yet and, 24 hours out, one can justifiably claim that McGeechan should have put even more trust in ‘Paddy power’.

Stephen Jones is a quality player, and an engaging individual to boot, but he has led a charmed existence on this trip. He wobbled badly against Western Province in his last warm-up game before the first Test and showed shaky confidence in that encounter also, with two missed penalties which could have changed the result and a shocking kick to touch when the Lions were looking to set up a game-snatching surge.

O'Gara's displays have held up by comparison; he is by far the stronger player mentally and his removal from the action last Tuesday allowed James Hook to facilitate a demoralising draw with the Emerging Springboks.

The Corkman has held off the challenge of Hook to retain his place on the bench and, if Jones makes another poor start tomorrow, one hopes this time that McGeechan will turn to O'Gara before all is lost.

McGeechan fudged the O'Gara question yesterday, merely saying that there “were a number of close calls” while re-stressing the importance of Jones' familiarity with scrum-half Mike Phillips — ignoring the fact that it didn't make much of a difference to Jones last Saturday.

Jones himself was portraying a confident image yesterday declaring that he is “pretty happy” with his form and is “looking forward to the challenge”. He badly needs to back up those words.

O'Callaghan does not even have a place among the replacements as a consolation, with Alun-Wyn Jones dropping down where he also provides back-five cover.

On paper, Shaw has the bulk and the bit of dog required to go up against Bakkies Botha and bolster the scrum but O'Callaghan has out-played him on this tour and if the 35-year-old Englishman struggles with the pace of the game at altitude, the only option is to revert to the second-row combination that was comfortably bested by Botha and Victor Matfield last time out.

Elsewhere, the English trio of winger Ugo Monye, hooker Lee

Mears and prop Phil Vickery predictably pay the price for poor performances (in a side that features 13 Magners League players) with Fitzgerald, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones slotting in respectively.

One would have few worries about Fitzgerald and Jones' capacity to step up but Rees needs to replicate his impressive showing off the bench last week and ensure there is no repeat of the lineout throwing yips that have assailed him at various points during the warm-up matches. This is particularly important as his back-up — Scotland's Ross Ford — (despite an improved showing last Tuesday) is vulnerable in this area also.

Lee Byrne was yesterday ruled out of the tour with a thumb injury (adding to his heel woes) but Kearney was worth a start in any case. The Louth man is ready to demonstrate his quality again from full-back, as is his Leinster team-mate Brian O'Driscoll in the centre, and it is safe to expect more prominent performances from Tommy Bowe on the wing and Jamie Heaslip at No 8.

“We have made five changes to the starting XV but it will not change the way we want to play,” said McGeechan. “Both teams will be better for the run last weekend and we know we will have to step up our performance to ensure that we again take the game to the opposition and are more accurate in taking our opportunities.” No arguments there.

The Lions' best chance of keeping the series alive looks to be via all-out attack with an emphasis on their midfield, this time copper-fastened by the ability to make the most of their scoring chances.

So, it's onwards and upwards to the high veldt. The team fly out this evening, adhering to the accepted policy of leaving it late to acclimatise to the altitude factor.

They enter the most noted cathedral of South African rugby (where there is expected to be a full congregation for the first time on this tour) with a team that has placed its faith in a winning Irish mentality and intends to be singing off the same hymn sheet.

Ireland's ‘magnificent seven' face the biggest showdown of their careers but the nagging feeling persists that, in terms of greening up his team, McGeechan should have gone the whole nine yards.

British and Irish Lions team: R Kearney (Leinster and Ireland); T Bowe (Ospreys and Ireland), B O'Driscoll (Leinster and Ireland), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues and Wales), L Fitzgerald (Leinster and Ireland); S Jones (Scarlets and Wales), M Phillips (Ospreys and Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues and Wales), M Rees (Scarlets and Wales), A Jones (Ospreys and Wales), S Shaw (Wasps and England), P O'Connell (Munster and Ireland, capt), T Croft (Leicester and England), D Wallace (Munster and Ireland), J Heaslip (Leinster and Ireland).

Replacements: R Ford (Edinburgh and Scotland), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks and England), A-W Jones (Ospreys and Wales), M Williams (Cardiff Blues and Wales), H Ellis (Leicester and England), R O'Gara (Munster and Ireland), S Williams (Ospreys and Wales).