Alun Wyn Jones may have made an astounding recovery to lead the British and Irish Lions in the first Test against South Africa, but the true heart of the pack lies elsewhere, according Bryan Habana.
The first Test takes place in Cape Town on Saturday evening, with the talismanic Welshman returned to the starting line-up to lead Warren Gatland's side.
But it is the presence of Luke Cowan-Dickie in the front row, who excelled against both the Stormers and South Africa 'A', that leads Habana to believe the hosts will have their hands full.
'For me, someone that has come in under the radar is Luke Cowan-Dickie,' says Habana.
'I think his unsung work in terms of ball-carrying ability, his precision at the lineout, his ability to get over the ball and be a threat at the breakdown and gave the Lions a lot positivity on Saturday.
Luke Cowan-Dickie has gone under the radar as a top Lions performer, says Bryan Habana
'He knows how to score tries which is something again that the Lions will lead on. It almost feels like he’s basically the heartbeat of that pack. He doesn’t take a step back and is physically imposing. I think the Springboks will need to meet fire with fire.'
Jones has made a remarkable recovery after dislocating his shoulder just eight minutes into the warm-up clash with Japan at Murrayfield in June.
After initially being ruled out of the series, he is back on the pitch less than four weeks later, appearing against the Stormers last Saturday.
However, Habana insists there should be no question marks surrounding his inclusion.
'His return is phenomenal and he’ll be a talismanic leader that all us recently retired under 40 players will be vicariously living through,' says the 38-year-old.
'Both Warren Gatland and Alun Wyn Jones and the medical staff are professional to know if he’s right or not.
Alun Wyn Jones's return is huge for the Lions but is not a risk, the former winger has insisted
'I don’t think Alun, given his experience, as proud as he was to be named captain, I don’t think he would have made that decision if he didn’t believe he was 110 per cent ready to do it.'
South Africa are also able to welcome back an imposing figure in the form of Siya Kolisi, their inspirational captain whose story resonated with the country as they stormed to World Cup glory in Japan in 2019.
After coming back
