WHEN THE Lions party leaves London this evening for South Africa, they will he following a familiar trail but in very unfamiliar circumstances. Lions tours are no longer about glory alone; money and the commercial aspects are now a central plank.

When the 1974 Lions won the Test series 3-0 with one match drawn, they not alone became the first Lions side this century to win a series in South Africa, they became the first from any country. It was not until last summer that the All Blacks managed to win a Test series in South Africa.

It is against that awesome background that the current Lions set out on their great adventure. The level of intensity in South Africa exceeds that of any other nation even the All Blacks. The intensity extends well beyond the confines of the playing area.

South Africa's isolation from the international arena obviously had its effect when they returned to the international fold in 1992 after 10 years in the wilderness. The game there was still very strong but they lacked the essential international experience. They lost to New Zealand in Johannesburg in 1992 and to Australia in Cape Town by 26-3. That year they made their first official overseas tour for over a decade when they went to France and drew the Test series 1-1.

Nothing was a greater spur for the South Africans than the decision to play the World Cup there in 1995. Here was the chance to show the world that the Springboks were back at the zenith, and they duly did just that by winning the World Cup. It was of course the first time South Africa had participated in the championship inaugurated in 1987.

The Lions squad embraces a line up of full time professional players the first professional Lions squad. Gone are the days when players took a rest before they set out on Lions tours. Those who travel to South Africa do so in the aftermath of a very demanding season on the home front.

Players are stating how tired they are after the intensity of the Courage League. It is a tall order, even with £10,000 basic on the table and the prospect of considerably more for win bonuses.

The Springboks players - or most of them - will have been honed on the Super 12, a competition in which the South African representatives have not done particularly well. But the few months over which that has been played is vastly different to the nine demanding months Lions players have endured since last August.

Since the South Africans won the World Cup two years ago, major changes have taken place in the Springboks management. Not even the press liaison officer has survived.

The World Cup coach, Kitch Christie, has long since gone, as has the World Cup manager Morne Du Plessis, who certainly represented the acceptable face of South African rugby. Gone too is the man who led the side in such inspirational manner on the field, Francois Pienaar.

Christie was the fourth Springboks coach in the space of four seasons. John Williams, Gerrie Sonnekus and Ian McIntosh came and went before Christie took over. Christie resigned basically for health reasons after the World Cup.

Christie was succeeded as coach by Andrew Markgraaf, who had been groomed for the task as Christie's assistant. Markgraaf alas fell on his own sword, so to speak, a few months ago after he was taped making racist remarks.

The torch has been taken up by Carol du Plessis, a disciple of the late Dr Danie Craven. Gary Teichmann, who saw service with Clontarf some few years ago, is now entrusted with the captaincy.

Du Plessis will obviously be influenced by what he has seen in the Super 12 as he brings in the newcomers to harness their talents with the survivors from the World Cup winning side. It is a measure of Du Plessis and the Springboks approach that the squad will stay "in camp 2" for the entire duration of the Test series.

It should help the Lions that their management team comprises Fran Cotton and coach Ian McGeechan, two members of the 1974 winning Lions team. They will be assisted by another very wily campaigner, Jim Telfer.

The team captain Martin Johnson faces an awesome task on and off the field. How well he succeeds in binding players from four nations into a concerted and united force will be of crucial importance. The Lions will be faced by pressures not alone on the field, but off of it. Johnson is a man of extremely limited experience as a captain, with none at international level.

His selection to lead the side is its own commentary on the dilemma the Lions selectors faced. There is no doubt that Johnson must hone his forwards into a concerted and effective force. If the Lions forwards cannot at least match the Springboks the forecasts that it will be a Test whitewash for the Springboks will be proved correct.

But the Lions do have the makings of a very good pack of forwards. They include Ireland's four representatives in the squad, Keith Wood, Paul Wallace, Jeremy Davidson and Eric Miller. Whether the forwards are good enough to meet the demands the Springboks will impose is the issue that will in effect decide the Test series.

They must be ready to meet steel with steel within the laws and probably outside them. The Springboks will not stand on ceremony. There is a ruthless streak in their approach, too often inter mingled with the callous use of the boot and the fist.

The Lions must cope with hard men like Kobus Weise, just as Willie John McBride's Lions matched and subdued those Springboks who 23 years ago tried to intimidate.

Quite apart from what will go on up front, The Lions' backs must make best use of what they get. One must harbour reservations about their choice of Paul Grayson and Gregor Townsend as the outhalves. In Robert Howley the Lions have one of the best scrumhalves in the game.

The Lions teams that won the Test series in New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974 both contained outhalves of the highest quality Barry John and Phil Bennett. Nor do the Lions have a full back of the quality of J P R Williams.

The Lions' character, their temperament as well as their ability, will come under examination as never before. Having reported Lions tours in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, I would not even attempt to select a Test side at this stage. There are so many factors involved. Many a player has gone on a Lions tour rated as a Wednesday man and emerged to see off the challenge of the more highly rated.

I will end with two examples. Who before the Lions tour to South Africa in 1974 would have said that Dick Milliken and McGeechan would play in all four Tests and that Mike Gibson would not play in any. Who would have said that Will Carling would get just one Test in New Zealand in 1993 and that because Scott Gibbs was injured?

Some players respond much better to the demands of a long tour than others. Some cannot wait to get home. What is certain is that the 1997 Lions will all return much wiser. Whether they return victorious must be open to considerable doubt.