The Lions take on the Springboks this summer - and it'll be like nothing you've ever seen on a David Attenborough show.
Earlier this year, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland played against each other in the Six Nations. Now those teams have merged, united as the whole of the British Isles to take on a mighty Southern Hemisphere side.
The Great Britain (or British and Irish Lions) team take on world champions South Africa in South Africa, and the British team was named yesterday.
In the squad are fourteen Irishmen, thirteen Welshmen, eight Englishmen and, thanks to yet another embarrasment for Scotland in this year's Six Nations Championship, just two Scots (and one of them is actually Australian who is somehow qualified to play or Scotland).
It is the lowest number of English players in the Great Britain team since the tour of New Zealand in 1983.
Ireland star Paul O'Connell has been named as captain.
Great Britain's tour in South Africa starts on 30th May when they taken on a Highveld XV team.
In early June, they take on several South African club teams including the Cheetahs, the Sharks and the Golden Lions, and the First Test against South Africa is on 20th June.
There will be three tests in all.
Great Britain coach Ian McGeechan is sending his biggest beasts to, hopefully, devour the Springboks....
McGeechan sends his biggest beasts into the jungle in a bid to bring down the world champions
By PETER JACKSON
22nd April 2009
Daily Mail
The Lions will send the biggest ‘beasts’ in their jungle to fight South Africa, with no guarantee of an English presence in their pack when the Test series begins in June.
Man mountain: Wales star Gethin Jenkins weighs 18st
The policy of picking only the most powerful forwards for a mighty confrontation against the world champions has already made Tom Croft, England’s outstanding forward of the Six Nations campaign, the most surprising victim of a cull which includes two national captains — Ryan Jones of Wales and Steve Borthwick of England.
The new British and Irish Lions kit
Shane Williams, whose magic wand has blown a fuse, almost found himself the biggest casualty of all. Wales head coach Warren Gatland, a major figure on the Lions management as forwards’ coach, admitted that the decision to pick the reigning world player of the year had only been confirmed during a four-hour meeting on Monday.
The fate of the Lions under Paul O’Connell’s abrasive leadership will be settled, as usual, up front. ‘We have picked beasts for this tour,’ said Graham Rowntree, the Lions’ scrum coach. ‘South Africa have the biggest pack on the planet and our selection reflects that.’
Leading from the front: O'Connell and the British Lions management team
Leaving no stone unturned, O’Connell will consult England coach Martin Johnson, his predecessor as Lions captain in South Africa 12 years ago, on what it takes to win a series there.
‘He was a fabulous player and there is a lot to be learned from the way he led the Lions the last time,’ said O’Connell. ‘There are always things to be learned from
any player who wins World Cups and Grand Slams.
‘All you need is one or two gems from these people, things which you can use to spark your mind and make sure you get the best out of every situation.’
While Johnson was filling in a census form when he got the captaincy call from McGeechan, O’Connell was leaving home for training at 8.55am a week last Tuesday morning when he finally responded to the same call.
LIONS SQUAD IN FULL
Full backs
Lee Byrne (Wales) Age 28 Caps 27.
6ft 2in, 15st 2. New Lion
Rob Kearney (Ireland) Age 23 Caps 16.
6ft 1in. 14st 2. New Lion
Wings
Shane Williams (Wales) Age 32 Caps 65.
5ft 7in. 12st 8. Second Lions tour
Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) Age 20 Caps 6.
5ft 10. 13st. New Lion
Ugo Monye (England) Age 26 Caps: 6
6ft 2in. 14st 13. New Lion
Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland) Age 21 Caps 12
6ft 1, 14st 7. New Lion
Tommy Bowe (Ireland) Age 25 Caps 23
6ft 3in, 15st 2. New Lion
Centres
Tom Shanklin (Wales) Age 29 Caps 63
6ft 2in. 15st 10. Second Lions tour
Jamie Roberts (Wales) Age 22 Caps 12
6ft 4in. 16st 9. New Lion
Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland) Age 30 Caps 3
5ft 9in. 15st. Third Lions tour
Keith Earls (Ireland) Age 21 Caps 2
5ft 10. 16st 7. New Lion
Riki Flutey (England) Age 29 Caps 9
5ft 11. 14st 10. New Lion
Fly halves
Ronan O'Gara (Ireland) Age 32 Caps 92
6ft. 13st 6. Third Lions tour
Stephen Jones (Wales) Age 31 Caps 80
6ft. 15st. Second Lions tour
Scrum halves
Mike Phillips (Wales) Age 26 Caps 38
6ft 3in. 16st 3. New Lion
Harry Ellis (England) Age 26 Caps 27
5ft 10in. 16st 7. New Lion
Tomas O'Leary (Ireland) Age 25 Caps 8
5ft 11in. 13st 5. New Lion
Props
Gethin Jenkins (Wales) Age 28 Caps 68
6ft 2in. 18st 7. Second Lions tour
Adam Jones (Wales) Age 28 Caps 56
6ft. 20st. New Lion
Andrew Sheridan (England) Age 29 Caps 32.
6ft 4in. 18st 7. Second Lions tour
Phil Vickery (England) Age 33 Caps 73
6ft 2in. 18st 4. Second Lions tour
Euan Murray (Scotland) Age 28 Caps 28
6ft 1in. 18st 9. New Lion
Hookers
Jerry Flannery (Ireland) Age 30 Caps 31
5ft 811in. 16st. New Lion
Lee Mears (England) Age 30 Caps 34
5ft 8in. 15st 2. New Lion
Matthew Rees (Wales) Age 28 Caps 30
6ft 2in. 17st. New Lion
Locks
Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales) Age 23 Caps 31
6ft 6in. 18st 10. New Lion
Paul O'Connell (Ireland, capt) Age 29 Caps 62.
6ft 6in. 17st 7. Second Lions tour
Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland) Age 29 Caps 55
6ft 6in. 17st 4. Second Lions tour
Simon Shaw (England) Age 35 Caps 52
6ft 8in. 19st 6. Third Lions tour
Nathan Hines (Scotland) Age 32 Caps 58
6ft 7in. 18st 9. New Lion
Flankers
David Wallace (Ireland) Age 32 Caps 55
6ft 2in. 16st 7. Second Lions tour
Stephen Ferris (Ireland) Age 23 Caps 13
6ft 4in. 17st 2. New Lion
Alan Quinlan (Ireland) Age 34 Caps 27
6ft 3in. 16st 7. New Lion
Joe Worsley (England) Age 31 Caps 72
6ft 5in. 18st. New Lion
Martyn Williams (Wales) Age 33 Caps 88
6ft 1in. 15st 10. Third Lions tour
No. 8s
Jamie Heaslip (Ireland) Age 25 Caps 18
6ft 4in. 17st 1. New Lion
Andy Powell (Wales) Age 27 Caps 8
6ft 4in. 18st. New Lion
CLICK TO ENLARGE
‘I’d had five missed calls the night before,’ said O’Connell. ‘There’s been a guy on an English number trying to sell me shares over the last few weeks, so I was avoiding his call.
‘Then I saw the number again on the Tuesday morning. The voice on the other end said he was Ian McGeechan but I still wasn’t sure because we’ve got people at the club like Brian Carney and Frankie Sheahan who are always making crank calls.
‘This time I thought the accent was too good. Once I was sure, we had a chat and, straight out, he asked me to be captain and I said I’d be delighted to do it.’
Ireland’s record contingent, taken to 14 by the left-field emergence of Munster’s gnarled back row veteran Alan Quinlan and the bold promotion of the province’s dashing 21-year-old centre Keith Earls, reflects their status as Grand Slam champions.
Wales, apart from Jones largely unaffected by their slump in form, have 13, among them the baby of the party in 20-year-old Leigh Halfpenny.
His tour de force for Cardiff against Gloucester last Saturday forced a late change to the provisional list. Halfpenny’s extra string to his bow as a long-range goalkicker underlined McGeechan’s decision to find room for him — and Delon Armitage was the
one to go.
A selection process which went on until only a few hours before yesterday’s lunchtime announcement has reduced England to a level footing with Munster at eight starters out of 37 — fewer than for any Lions expedition since New Zealand in 1983. There would not have been that many had Andrew Sheridan not been given the vote after a protracted debate.
Scotland’s continuing decline leaves them with an embarrassing total of two and one of those, Nathan Hines, is a native of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. The lock joins the only other Scot, Northampton prop Euan Murray, the nailed-on Test tighthead.
McGeechan’s plan to pack his team with power fore and aft suggests that there may be only one Englishman standing when the starting XV runs out in Durban for the start of the three-match series on June 20.
Ugo Monye, the Harlequins wing, has every chance of making the team, which is more than can be said of the five English forwards, with the notable exception of Joe Worsley.
The Lions will count on the veteran Wasp for the prodigious tackling with which he stiffened England’s resistance after their calamitous autumn. Shaun Edwards, his club coach, has won many a campaign on his defensive system but stopping the Springboks will be a challenge like no other.
‘The way things stand, Shaun has given me one day a week for attack,’
McGeechan said, perhaps only halfjoking. ‘He wants the rest for defence...’
Edwards added: ‘South Africa are probably the best defensive unit in the world, so we have to win the collisions. Trying to stop 20st, 6ft 5in forwards who can run like wingers will be a tough job, but that’s what we’ve got to do — and we’ve got seven weeks to do it.'
dailymail.co.uk
Earlier this year, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland played against each other in the Six Nations. Now those teams have merged, united as the whole of the British Isles to take on a mighty Southern Hemisphere side.
The Great Britain (or British and Irish Lions) team take on world champions South Africa in South Africa, and the British team was named yesterday.
In the squad are fourteen Irishmen, thirteen Welshmen, eight Englishmen and, thanks to yet another embarrasment for Scotland in this year's Six Nations Championship, just two Scots (and one of them is actually Australian who is somehow qualified to play or Scotland).
It is the lowest number of English players in the Great Britain team since the tour of New Zealand in 1983.
Ireland star Paul O'Connell has been named as captain.
Great Britain's tour in South Africa starts on 30th May when they taken on a Highveld XV team.
In early June, they take on several South African club teams including the Cheetahs, the Sharks and the Golden Lions, and the First Test against South Africa is on 20th June.
There will be three tests in all.
Great Britain coach Ian McGeechan is sending his biggest beasts to, hopefully, devour the Springboks....
McGeechan sends his biggest beasts into the jungle in a bid to bring down the world champions
By PETER JACKSON
22nd April 2009
Daily Mail
The Lions will send the biggest ‘beasts’ in their jungle to fight South Africa, with no guarantee of an English presence in their pack when the Test series begins in June.
Man mountain: Wales star Gethin Jenkins weighs 18st
The policy of picking only the most powerful forwards for a mighty confrontation against the world champions has already made Tom Croft, England’s outstanding forward of the Six Nations campaign, the most surprising victim of a cull which includes two national captains — Ryan Jones of Wales and Steve Borthwick of England.
The new British and Irish Lions kit
Shane Williams, whose magic wand has blown a fuse, almost found himself the biggest casualty of all. Wales head coach Warren Gatland, a major figure on the Lions management as forwards’ coach, admitted that the decision to pick the reigning world player of the year had only been confirmed during a four-hour meeting on Monday.
The fate of the Lions under Paul O’Connell’s abrasive leadership will be settled, as usual, up front. ‘We have picked beasts for this tour,’ said Graham Rowntree, the Lions’ scrum coach. ‘South Africa have the biggest pack on the planet and our selection reflects that.’
Leading from the front: O'Connell and the British Lions management team
Leaving no stone unturned, O’Connell will consult England coach Martin Johnson, his predecessor as Lions captain in South Africa 12 years ago, on what it takes to win a series there.
‘He was a fabulous player and there is a lot to be learned from the way he led the Lions the last time,’ said O’Connell. ‘There are always things to be learned from
any player who wins World Cups and Grand Slams.
‘All you need is one or two gems from these people, things which you can use to spark your mind and make sure you get the best out of every situation.’
While Johnson was filling in a census form when he got the captaincy call from McGeechan, O’Connell was leaving home for training at 8.55am a week last Tuesday morning when he finally responded to the same call.
LIONS SQUAD IN FULL
Full backs
Lee Byrne (Wales) Age 28 Caps 27.
6ft 2in, 15st 2. New Lion
Rob Kearney (Ireland) Age 23 Caps 16.
6ft 1in. 14st 2. New Lion
Wings
Shane Williams (Wales) Age 32 Caps 65.
5ft 7in. 12st 8. Second Lions tour
Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) Age 20 Caps 6.
5ft 10. 13st. New Lion
Ugo Monye (England) Age 26 Caps: 6
6ft 2in. 14st 13. New Lion
Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland) Age 21 Caps 12
6ft 1, 14st 7. New Lion
Tommy Bowe (Ireland) Age 25 Caps 23
6ft 3in, 15st 2. New Lion
Centres
Tom Shanklin (Wales) Age 29 Caps 63
6ft 2in. 15st 10. Second Lions tour
Jamie Roberts (Wales) Age 22 Caps 12
6ft 4in. 16st 9. New Lion
Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland) Age 30 Caps 3
5ft 9in. 15st. Third Lions tour
Keith Earls (Ireland) Age 21 Caps 2
5ft 10. 16st 7. New Lion
Riki Flutey (England) Age 29 Caps 9
5ft 11. 14st 10. New Lion
Fly halves
Ronan O'Gara (Ireland) Age 32 Caps 92
6ft. 13st 6. Third Lions tour
Stephen Jones (Wales) Age 31 Caps 80
6ft. 15st. Second Lions tour
Scrum halves
Mike Phillips (Wales) Age 26 Caps 38
6ft 3in. 16st 3. New Lion
Harry Ellis (England) Age 26 Caps 27
5ft 10in. 16st 7. New Lion
Tomas O'Leary (Ireland) Age 25 Caps 8
5ft 11in. 13st 5. New Lion
Props
Gethin Jenkins (Wales) Age 28 Caps 68
6ft 2in. 18st 7. Second Lions tour
Adam Jones (Wales) Age 28 Caps 56
6ft. 20st. New Lion
Andrew Sheridan (England) Age 29 Caps 32.
6ft 4in. 18st 7. Second Lions tour
Phil Vickery (England) Age 33 Caps 73
6ft 2in. 18st 4. Second Lions tour
Euan Murray (Scotland) Age 28 Caps 28
6ft 1in. 18st 9. New Lion
Hookers
Jerry Flannery (Ireland) Age 30 Caps 31
5ft 811in. 16st. New Lion
Lee Mears (England) Age 30 Caps 34
5ft 8in. 15st 2. New Lion
Matthew Rees (Wales) Age 28 Caps 30
6ft 2in. 17st. New Lion
Locks
Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales) Age 23 Caps 31
6ft 6in. 18st 10. New Lion
Paul O'Connell (Ireland, capt) Age 29 Caps 62.
6ft 6in. 17st 7. Second Lions tour
Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland) Age 29 Caps 55
6ft 6in. 17st 4. Second Lions tour
Simon Shaw (England) Age 35 Caps 52
6ft 8in. 19st 6. Third Lions tour
Nathan Hines (Scotland) Age 32 Caps 58
6ft 7in. 18st 9. New Lion
Flankers
David Wallace (Ireland) Age 32 Caps 55
6ft 2in. 16st 7. Second Lions tour
Stephen Ferris (Ireland) Age 23 Caps 13
6ft 4in. 17st 2. New Lion
Alan Quinlan (Ireland) Age 34 Caps 27
6ft 3in. 16st 7. New Lion
Joe Worsley (England) Age 31 Caps 72
6ft 5in. 18st. New Lion
Martyn Williams (Wales) Age 33 Caps 88
6ft 1in. 15st 10. Third Lions tour
No. 8s
Jamie Heaslip (Ireland) Age 25 Caps 18
6ft 4in. 17st 1. New Lion
Andy Powell (Wales) Age 27 Caps 8
6ft 4in. 18st. New Lion
CLICK TO ENLARGE
‘I’d had five missed calls the night before,’ said O’Connell. ‘There’s been a guy on an English number trying to sell me shares over the last few weeks, so I was avoiding his call.
‘Then I saw the number again on the Tuesday morning. The voice on the other end said he was Ian McGeechan but I still wasn’t sure because we’ve got people at the club like Brian Carney and Frankie Sheahan who are always making crank calls.
‘This time I thought the accent was too good. Once I was sure, we had a chat and, straight out, he asked me to be captain and I said I’d be delighted to do it.’
Ireland’s record contingent, taken to 14 by the left-field emergence of Munster’s gnarled back row veteran Alan Quinlan and the bold promotion of the province’s dashing 21-year-old centre Keith Earls, reflects their status as Grand Slam champions.
Wales, apart from Jones largely unaffected by their slump in form, have 13, among them the baby of the party in 20-year-old Leigh Halfpenny.
His tour de force for Cardiff against Gloucester last Saturday forced a late change to the provisional list. Halfpenny’s extra string to his bow as a long-range goalkicker underlined McGeechan’s decision to find room for him — and Delon Armitage was the
one to go.
A selection process which went on until only a few hours before yesterday’s lunchtime announcement has reduced England to a level footing with Munster at eight starters out of 37 — fewer than for any Lions expedition since New Zealand in 1983. There would not have been that many had Andrew Sheridan not been given the vote after a protracted debate.
Scotland’s continuing decline leaves them with an embarrassing total of two and one of those, Nathan Hines, is a native of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. The lock joins the only other Scot, Northampton prop Euan Murray, the nailed-on Test tighthead.
McGeechan’s plan to pack his team with power fore and aft suggests that there may be only one Englishman standing when the starting XV runs out in Durban for the start of the three-match series on June 20.
Ugo Monye, the Harlequins wing, has every chance of making the team, which is more than can be said of the five English forwards, with the notable exception of Joe Worsley.
The Lions will count on the veteran Wasp for the prodigious tackling with which he stiffened England’s resistance after their calamitous autumn. Shaun Edwards, his club coach, has won many a campaign on his defensive system but stopping the Springboks will be a challenge like no other.
‘The way things stand, Shaun has given me one day a week for attack,’
McGeechan said, perhaps only halfjoking. ‘He wants the rest for defence...’
Edwards added: ‘South Africa are probably the best defensive unit in the world, so we have to win the collisions. Trying to stop 20st, 6ft 5in forwards who can run like wingers will be a tough job, but that’s what we’ve got to do — and we’ve got seven weeks to do it.'
dailymail.co.uk
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