Andy Robinson today hailed the ``massive unity'' of Martin Johnson's 2001 Lions as they completed preparations for a titanic Test series decider against world champions Australia.

A tour that has not been without player criticism of the coaching regime and numerous major injury setbacks, reaches its conclusion before an 80,000 sell-out audience at Australia's Olympic stadium tomorrow.

The winner-takes-all showdown follows wildly fluctuating Test matches in Brisbane and Melbourne when the rampant Lions triumphed 29-13, only to follow that startling success with a record 35-14 loss at Colonial Stadium.

Everything is set up for a truly memorable sporting occasion, although Australia probably have added motivation through it being World Cup winning coach Rod Macqueen's farewell game and the knowledge that they have never toppled the Lions in a Test series.

And Robinson, Graham Henry's trusty coaching lieutenant throughout the 10-match trip, has no doubt that the Lions are ready.

``The spirit among the players has been excellent,'' he said. ``There have been criticisms, and I suppose those criticisms have been levelled at the management, but that happens in any walk of life. The players have stuck well together, and there is a massive unity among them.

``Among those I have spoken to, there is support for everything we have tried to do. Everyone wants to play in a Test match, but unfortunately, not everybody can play in a Test match. As selectors and as a management team, we have had to decide who will play. Therefore, some players were not going to be too involved."

Scrum-half Matt Dawson, whose outspoken comments published in a newspaper tour diary just hours before the Test series kicked off caused such a stir, is among three changes from the side crushed at Colonial Stadium.

Dawson replaces rib injury victim Rob Howley, with right wing Dafydd James dropped in favour of Austin Healey and flanker Martin Corry taking over from the concussed Richard Hill.

The Wallabies have also had their fair share of injury worries, notably fly-half Stephen Larkham through what one Australian newspaper today described as a career-threatening shoulder problem, while Test lock debutant Justin Harrison deputises for David Giffin.

The Lions have survived fly-half Jonny Wilkinson's fitness scare - he was stretchered off in Melbourne - and are now all set for D-day.

``We've prepared ourselves outstandingly well, I feel,'' added Robinson. ``I've been impressed with Graham (Henry) in terms of that, the organisation and looking at the way Australia play.

``We've had to develop a plan to win the Test series. We are playing the best side in the world, therefore it is going to take a lot of hard work on the training pitch to do that. We were really disappointed to lose last Saturday. We built ourselves up to win and got ourselves into a very good position to do so, but credit to what Australia did to come back into the game, or were allowed back into the game through our mistakes.

``We won the first Test well, and were going well in the second one until we went off the rails a little bit. So we have had to re-gather - we have had to look into ourselves. The first couple of days this week, everyone was pretty down about the game, but we had an outstanding training session on Wednesday and visited the stadium yesterday. The pitch is going to be good, and the atmosphere massive.''

Australia have plugged the gap left by Larkham with consistent Queensland performer Elton Flatley, and the Lions don't believe it has given them an advantage.

``I don't think Larkham's absence will make that much difference,'' Robinson said. ``Flatley is a very, very good player. He's shown that playing for Queensland, and the way he played against us when he came on in the first Test. From what we've seen of him on the tapes, we rate Elton Flatley.''

The Lions will need to brush up on their set-piece work, given a malfunctioning Melbourne line-out, and a scrum that crumpled in an embarrassing heap ahead of Wallabies wing Joe Roff scoring his significant second try.

``There are certain technical issues that we've looked at,'' conceded
Robinson. But a lot of it is about concentration and the tempo that we play at, particularly at the line-out, so we have looked at our line-out. We knew coming over here that every line-out was going to be keenly contested - on both sides.

``We've adapted our line-out slightly, and also our scrummaging. We scrummed well in the first Test, but we let them off the hook in the second. They did us on a couple of scrums, and that was down to our mental concentration. We knew that Michael Foley (Wallabies hooker) was a very good scrummager, and I think that he has pulled the pack together.

``He is very much `in your face,' and very proud of the way he scrummages. Obviously, we have been bitten now, and we've just got to do something about it. The way to do that is to win the next game.''

Whether those legions of travelling Lions fans get their ultimate reward tomorrow remains to be seen.

After each side claimed comprehensive victories, the decider promises to be a tight, tense, nerve-jangling affair, undecided until the closing minutes. One successful kick or one moment of magic could clinch it, and the Lions look better equipped in terms of individual match-winners.