LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - It is no coincidence that so few British and Irish Lions teams return home with series victories as the challenge of blending players from four countries in a few short weeks to take on established test sides on home soil is immense.
Two series wins, in South Africa in 1997 and Australia in 1989, from the last nine attempts tells its own story and witheach passing tour it gets harder.
With fewer warm-up games against increasingly weak opposition usually shorn of their test players, creating partnerships, defensive systems, lineout codes and the overall gelling of a squad of almost 40 players is a fiendishly tough challenge.
That, however, is part of the enduring attraction of the Lions, the last remaining link with the old-time tours of the amateur game.
It is also why there is a virtual guarantee that the test teams will contain several players who would not have featured in most people's suggested lineups when the squad was announced as the coaches work tirelessly to get the blend just right.
Martin Johnson was a late injury replacement on the 1993 tour of New Zealand but forced himself into the test team and four years later, the last time the Lions won a series, the likes of Scotland prop Tom Smith and veteran wing John Bentley pressed past seemingly more thoroughbred names to play vital roles in the 2-1 win over the Springboks.
Since then Matt Perry, Shane Byrne, Ugo Monye and others have impressed the coaches enough with their work in the tour games to earn test slots and this year's tour of Australia is likely to throw up its own surprises.
There were several in the 37-man squad announced by coach Warren Gatland on Tuesday.
New Zealand-born Scotland winger Sean Maitland, who made his international debut in this year's Six Nations, England prop Mako Vunipola, who has started only one test among his nine caps, and former England prop Matt Stevens, who retired from international rugby last year, were all unexpected choices.
The bulk of the squad, however, is tried and tested, not least the 15 Welshman, including captain Sam Warburton, who have shown they can operate at the highest level with their Six Nations titles and run to the 2011 World Cup semi-finals.
Warburton is a nailed-on starter in the back row but there is huge competition to play alongside him, illustrated by the absence of England captain Chris Robshaw.
Tom Croft, back from a broken neck and approaching the form that made him one of the leading players of the 2009 series, Toby Faletau, Jamie Heaslip, Dan Lydiate, Sean O'Brien and Justin Tipuric are a group of the highest quality and certainly one of the touring party's strengths.
FEISTY ATTITUDE
There is plenty of variety in the second row and some power and feisty attitude in the front as the Lions will expect to have the better of the scrums.
Behind them, however, they suffer somewhat in comparison with the Wallabies, whose creative, direct and off-the-cuff running routinely punches holes in the best-drilled defences, let alone one formed among a new team with just a few weeks of practice.
There is no shortage of power in the midfield in the shape of Brian O'Driscoll, Manu Tuilagi and Welsh duo Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies but precious little guile.
Gatland's wide options look encouraging, with George North and Alex Cuthbert so impressive in the Six Nations, backed up by Tommy Bowe and the speedy Maitland and fullback is also a position of strength with Leigh Halfpenny, Rob Kearney and Stuart Hogg.
At halfback, however, many Wallaby fans will feel their side have the edge.
Gatland has opted for only two flyhalves, Jonathan Sexton and Owen Farrell, and while both can be superb on their day they can also go awry.
Mike Phillips had a wonderful Lions tour in 2009 and brings a combative edge to the scrumhalf berth but, along with Ben Youngs and Conor Murray, would probably suffer in comparison with Australia's Will Genia.
Twelve years ago the Lions looked set for a crushing victory having won the first test and led comfortably in the second but Australia fought back magnificently and the series was effectively decided by Justin Harrison's famous lineout steal in the last minute of the final test.
This year's series, like the make up of the Lions' test team, looks just as tough to predict.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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