Lee Mears Lions Diary: Scrum spies uncovered in malls

The first Test against South Africa is just eight days away, and I'm not expecting to be involved against Western Province tomorrow, so I guess I'll be on the bench or starting in the final warm-up match on Tuesday afternoon. Then the Test team is picked on Tuesday night and we'll find out who has made it the following day. It's very strange. Before the tour all you want to know is "am I in?" – but now that we have been playing these provincial games, and having a good experience in South Africa, every one wishes they could be here for months. My approach is simple. Every time I get the chance to put the shirt on, I play as well as I can and hope that I get picked.

It was enjoyable to beat the Sharks in Durban in midweek and score a few points – I was allowed a beer for my try – and it didn't escape us that the Springbok squad were in the stands, watching us. We'd bumped into a few of them in the local shopping mall beforehand. The exception was their prop Deon Carstens who packed down in the Sharks' front row opposite Adam Jones and me. I think it's good they sent someone to have a scrum against us – I hope he had a tough day at the office! – though I'm not sure what information he'll take back apart from some grunting and some sweat.

In these warm-ups the South Africans are bound to be trying to suss out our strengths and weaknesses. The minute something happens at the scrum or the breakdown, people jump on it. The scrum still retains that mystery of the dark arts. Some days you think you're scrummaging well but the referee sees it differently. I don't think we had any problems on our ball against the Sharks and we gave our backs some good possession.

On their ball there were a few collapses in the first half, and penalties against us. Referees want the ball in and to be playing rugby, and I'd go along with that. It's true that to bind properly you need something to grip on, and Gethin Jenkins, our loosehead, was getting frustrated but we managed to sort it out at half-time.

Wayne Barnes, the English referee, had a slightly different style at the breakdown when we played the Cheetahs, who created havoc, last Saturday. In Durban I thought we caused some havoc ourselves at the breakdown. We were picking different areas to attack and seeing what ball is best to play with. I threw to four different jumpers in our first four line-outs, we worked on our driving play and all the aspects we'll need in our armoury when it comes to the Springboks. The lesson is that referees will always play their part and we must be able to adapt quickly.

Where tourists are bottom of the food chain...

We have moved on to Cape Town now, taking a step up the South African food chain towards the biggest beasts they've got to offer. I'm referring, of course, to the fish at the marine theme parks, where you dive in cages and get up close with our friends from the watery depths. At the uShaka Park in Durban there were blue rays and the like, and I found it fun to see the boys' reactions when they were dropped into the tank. No one freaked out but we haven't got to the Great Whites in Cape Town yet.

Life on tour can be one long snore

It's a shame to lose players injured – Leigh Halfpenny and Stevie Ferris went home this week – but there is one positive effect: Leigh had been noted as a snorer and a talker in the night, and one to avoid in the all-important room allocation lottery. There were draws out of a hat to begin with, but if there's a hotel with a dartboard you take your chances and throw for a "roomy". I've been practising hard to avoid the snorers. So far I've shared with Mike Phillips, Andy Powell and Brian O'Driscoll, and having played against "Drico" when we were Under 18s we had a natter about the good old days. He has played brilliantly out here and I think not having the pressure of the captaincy has helped him. The other day I had a coffee with Michael Claassens and Butch James, two of Bath's South African players who are home on holiday. They have sent me some nice good luck texts before games but I'll forgive them if they show their true loyalties before the Tests.

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