British and Irish Lions prepare for MCG debut in second Test

Second Test: Australia v British and Irish Lions

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday, 26 July Kick-off: 11:00 BST

Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and app, with post-match analysis on BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and online

Days out from the second Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions and Damien Fleming is holding court pitchside at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, its 100,000 seats empty for now.

With both the rugby posts and Aussie Rules sticks up behind him, the former fast bowler is reminiscing about the legendary Shane Warne's hat-trick on the hallowed middle in the 1994 Ashes series against England.

"I just think this is the greatest sporting stadium in the world," reflects Fleming, a proud Victorian who played in two Ashes Tests at his home ground.

"There is an aura about this stadium. It has a wow factor, and I love it."

But despite its name, the MCG is not just a cricket venue. It is the home of Australian Rules football - a religion in these parts - often hosting two or three games a week during the AFL season.

It has staged State of Origin rugby league games and football matches as well as events in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

And on Saturday, for the first time, it will be the venue for a British and Irish Lions Test match. The official capacity is 100,024 and this weekend's crowd is expected to surpass the 84,000 that attended the Lions deciders against the Wallabies in Sydney in 2001 and 2013.

"As a kid you are dreaming of playing AFL here as a kid, you are dreaming of playing cricket for Australia," adds Fleming.

"For the Wallabies to have the opportunity to play in front of 90,000 people [is amazing] - but also for the Lions. How many times do they get to play in front of 90,000 people?"

The 1999 World Cup winner leads us from the pitch down into the bowels of the stadium and the away changing room.

It is here that the Lions will prepare to try to wrap up the series and where many an England cricketer has sat and pondered their fate, hoping to get their name on the honours board that hangs high on the back wall.

"I played for 14 years as a Victoria player and eight times here for Australia, but when there is a cricket game and you go down to the pitch I still get nervous even 'though I am not playing," Fleming adds.

"Good luck to the Wallabies and Lions players, because I hope it is a highlight of their sporting careers."

The MCG is the heart of Melbourne. Take a short stroll along the Yarra River from the Flinders Street station to Melbourne Par and you are hit by a stack of world-famous arenas. Towering over them all is The 'G.

While enormous in size, in keeping with the traditional boldness of Australian sport, the venue has touches of quaintness, such as the Lord's-esque Long Room and the sofas with a view of the cricket from behind the arm, where places are reserved for more venerated members.

History seeps from every angle, starting with statues of legends that surround the perimeter - with great figures from cricket and Aussie Rules immortalised - to the museum that contrasts the old with the new.

In 1888 the Lions played 19 matches of Victorian football on their 35-match tour, including a game against Carlton at the MCG. A cap from that tour is in a cabinet alongside Sam Warburton's second Test shirt from 2013, when the Wallabies beat the Lions down the road in the Docklands.

"It's going to be really awesome for me," says Australia forward Rob Valetini, a Melbourne boy who is charged with leading the Wallaby backlash after the Lions' win in Brisbane.

"It is a Mecca of sport in my eyes," adds wing Harry Potter, who moved from England to Melbourne as a 10-year-old.

Valetini used to go to The 'G to watch his side St Kilda in the AFL; a rite of passage for everyone from the area.

The state of Victoria is Aussie Rules heartland, where rugby union barely gets a look in. At the school where the Lions are based in the Melbourne suburbs, rugby posts had to be bussed in so the tourists could train.

Every man, woman or child 'barracks' for a team, whether it is Carlton, Hawthorn, St Kilda, the unpopular but successful Collingwood, or Fleming's team Essendon, where his daughter plays for the women's side.

"AFL is such a part of Victorian and Melbourne culture," Fleming explains.

"But if I'm guessing, 10- to 15,000 [Aussie Rules fans] will want to be part of Saturday, because it is a unique event.

"Victorians who have never been to a rugby game before [will come], and their first one will be the Wallabies against the Lions, 90,000 people."

This is a view shared by Tanya Gallina, the general manager of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Melbourne is not a rugby union city, and Victoria not a rugby union state. But the locals love their sport, they love their big events, and they love The 'G.

"Melbourne is known for its love of sport and the MCG is the heart of the city - it is really important to this state and the country," says Gallina, who is Melbourne born and bred.

"People know there have been so many amazing moments here, from the 1956 Olympics to AFL Grand finals to soccer matches to different events. It is iconic, and a meeting place where people come together.

"We know there are lots of British and Irish fans over here, but we know the Melbournians and Victorians will come and watch a spectacle.

"It is about being part of something and being part of a moment in time - it is such a unique moment for us to have the Wallabies and the Lions playing here."

The exact number of Lions fans flocking to Melbourne is hard to pinpoint, given the amount of ex-pats living here and in Australia in general.

However a rough estimate has more than 30,000 making the trip.

Some have been here for weeks. Others are coming in for a matter of days, with flights costing up to £3,000 each. But all of them will know Saturday is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

From Ellis Park in Johannesburg to Eden Park in Auckland to Principality Stadium in Cardiff, the Lions have played in some famous rugby stadiums this century.

But they may never have played a Test match in such an iconic sporting venue. The stage is set. Now, hopefully, it will be a game to match the occasion.