Greenwood hopes to put his tour jinx behind him

Will Greenwood

If Will Greenwood was the superstitious sort he'd have his fingers and toes crossed as he runs out to face Taranaki tonight.

The 32-year-old England centre is on his third Lions tour and tonight starts his bid for a first Lions test cap against the All Blacks on June 25.

Luck was not Greenwood's companion on the last two tours.

He went to South Africa uncapped back in 1997. Jeremy Guscott and Scott Gibbs were the established test pairing but, in any case, Greenwood suffered a dreadful head injury against Free State.

Then in Australia four years ago injury sidelined him when he would have been a strong test contender.

This is surely his last chance and he's determined to grab it, starting tonight. "You don't quite feel you're part of the tour until you've got involved in your first full contact training session, and more important until you've got that first game under your belt," he said last night.

Greenwood, who has won 55 England caps and been a World Cup and Grand Slam winner, knows Lions test selections aren't done through misty eyes.

He remembers All Black captain Tana Umaga's memorable advice to a referee in a tight Super 12 match that "we're not playing tiddlywinks", and says: "I echo those sentiments."

Greenwood has tough competition to win a test spot, with captain Brian O'Driscoll, Ireland's Gordon D'Arcy and Welshman Gavin Henson leading the pack.

But he won't be shedding tears if he misses a test start.

"I've been dealt some very good cards in rugby," he said.

"If I'm part of a squad that wins a series and all I am is a bag carrier, then I'll bite your hand off for that."