LIONS TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA: "The real Lion comes out when the last tackle is needed, when someone is needed to make the last pass to make something happen. When it's like that, when you think you have nothing left, you become a Lion .
“The worse you feel the bigger the jersey gets. The worse you feel, the more you have to do, the more you become a Lion . . . because that’s what the jersey means. It’s easy when you’re 60 odd points up. The real Lion comes out when the last tackle is needed, when someone is needed to make the last pass to make something happen. When it’s like that, when you think you have nothing left, you become a Lion.” Lions coach Ian McGeechan’s dressingroom speech prior to the Natal match on the 1997 tour of South Africa.
Ian McGeechan is the quintessential Lion, embodying the tradition and ethos as both player and coach. The Scot appreciates the nuances of extracting the best from individuals from four disparate playing styles, meshing different cultures and personalities into a single cohesive entity.
He’s been able to draw upon his experiences as a player in South Africa (1974, four Tests) and New Zealand (1977, four Tests) and use that knowledge to motivate the players whom he marshalled as head coach on Lions’ tours to Australia (1989), New Zealand (1993) and South Africa (1997).
This summer the 63-year-old will lead the Lions once again – he was an assistant coach in New Zealand (2005) – hoping to bridge a 12-year gap to the last Lions’ success in a Test series. On Tuesday in the Sofitel at Heathrow airport in London he will read out 35 or 36 names in formally announcing the Lions squad and also the player who will serve as captain.
Ireland’s Grand Slam success in the Six Nations Championship has not alone served to buff the credentials of a dozen or more Irish candidates but in all likelihood guaranteed that the squad will be captained by an Irishman: whether it’s Brian O’Driscoll or Paul O’Connell remains to be seen.
Former players and coaches have formed a disorderly queue to argue the toss over the issue, the validity and cogency of argument equally persuasive no matter which is the preferred candidate. Jim Telfer, synonymous with McGeechan’s success at both Scotland and the Lions, is adamant his long-time friend will plump for O’Connell.
He has reasoned that McGeechan favours having a forward as captain, someone who can scowl down at his opposite number, exuding menace. In Martin Johnson he found the epitome of those character traits and in O’Connell a potential facsimile. O’Driscoll’s achievements require little advocacy beyond alighting on what he has achieved with Ireland and Leinster.
McGeechan will have defined in his own mind the role he sees for the captain. There will be so many senior players on tour that there should be plenty of input at team meetings and also a network on the pitch upon which a captain could rely. The Lion king won’t necessarily have to be a great orator because the pre-match exhortations will harbour many different accents.
Instead the captain must command the respect of his team-mates, be able to make decisions under pressure and to lift a team through deed as much as word. This Lions squad is supposed to be the best players in the four home unions and shouldn’t need to be molly coddled verbally. The aptitude for peripheral duties like dealing with the media and dinner speeches are incidental.
One interesting dynamic in deciding between O’Connell and O’Driscoll is that if the Munster captain gets the job he would double up as pack leader. O’Driscoll would be a player without portfolio – well he could be one of a couple of vice-captains – whereas if the Ireland captain is chosen to lead the Lions, then O’Connell would be a likely pack leader. McGeechan’s preference for a forward as a captain is difficult to ignore and suggests O’Connell will be honoured.
And what of the squad? Staring at fullback, Lee Byrne is front runner for the Test spot. At his best, which he was not consistently during the Six Nations, the Welshman runs sublime angles, is quick, strong in the tackle and has a thunderous left foot. Despite one or two glitches, performance wise in recent matches, Rob Kearney should also travel, based on his Six Nations form.
England and London Irish fullback Delon Armitage might find himself squeezed out even though he is equally comfortable on the wing. McGeechan may elect for the experience of fellow Englishman Mark Cueto, a wing who can also play fullback.
Versatility could be a byword for the three-quarter line. O’Driscoll, England’s New Zealand-born inside centre Riki Flutey and Welshman Tom Shanklin are the three outstanding centres with world player of the year, Shane Williams, a shoo-in for one of the wing berths and Ireland’s Tommy Bowe, another. The latter along with Luke Fitzgerald is capable of playing anywhere in the backline while news from Britain is that Wasps and England’s Josh Lewsey – he can play wing, fullback and centre – will travel.
His performance for Harlequins against Leinster last weekend simply reinforced what a powerful, quick wing Ugo Monye is; he could leapfrog Scotland’s Thom Evans and also ensure that Jamie Roberts misses out.
The Welshman was given a bit of a lesson by Toulouse’s Yannick Jauzion last weekend and this coupled with a mediocre Six Nations could see him omitted.
Geordan Murphy, Paul Sackey, Leigh Halfpenny, Max Evans, Gordon D’Arcy and Munster and Ireland tyro Keith Earls will all have been strongly considered and it would not constitute a massive surprise to see any one of the quintet handed a plane ticket.
Thom Evans’ raw pace and footballing ability would flourish on the veldts. He could be the three quarter line bolter.
McGeechan would enjoy more wriggle room if he opted for only two outhalves – almost certainly Stephen Jones and Ronan O’Gara – but will probably take three. In that scenario it would appear a straight fight between Wasps and England’s Danny Cipriani or Ospreys and Wales’ James Hook. England’s Toby Flood isn’t even the best outhalf at Leicester; that honour falls to Sam Vesty.
Cipriani can play fullback, Hook inside centre so neither is one dimensional.
The Lions management team, one that includes Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley are well versed with both players. Hook should travel but Cipriani probably will.
Scotland scrumhalf and captain Mike Blair struggled during the Six Nations and could be the most vulnerable of the scrumhalf candidates, susceptible to being overlooked in favour of Chris Cussiter or Dwayne Peel.
Gatland and Howley preferred Mike Phillips to Peel in the Welsh set-up and if he is chosen then there is no argument against Tomás O’Leary travelling. When the two went tete-a-tete last weekend in the Heineken Cup quarter-final; the Irishman won that duel.
The accepted wisdom is that the Lions squad will contain eight frontrow forwards, split into five props and three hookers. Gethin Jenkins (Wales) and Euan Murray (Scotland) are the current favourites to cement the Test spots at loosehead and tighthead respectively.
England’s Andrew Sheridan will travel and after that McGeechan is likely to consult his forwards’ coach Gatland with regard to which two of the three, John Hayes (Ireland), Adam Jones (Wales) and Phil Vickery (England) should make the trip.
It’s difficult to second guess McGeechan without being aware of what style of rugby he’ll advocate in trying to beat the Springboks. The grounds will be hard so mobility is an issue but the set-piece will be crucial to giving the Lions the platform they crave and for that reason he may elect to go with Hayes and Vickery.
Scotland’s Allan Jacobsen suffered an inopportune injury or he probably would have earned a seat on the plane while Marcus Horan should be placed on the standby list.
Ireland’s Jerry Flannery will travel as the probable Test hooker with Scotland’s Ross Ford and England’s Lee Mears also travelling. Ford boasts the physique and ball-carrying skills but his throwing can be suspect while Mears lacks the size but is noted for his accuracy out of touch and good ball skills. Northampton and England’s Dylan Hartley is an outside bet, so too Rory Best and Matthew Rees (Wales).
Assuming that there will be five secondrows and six in the backrow – it’s not a given – McGeechan will be acutely conscious that there won’t be a player under six foot five inches in the back five of the Springbok pack thereby placing a huge emphasis on power and athleticism.
O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan and Alun Wyn-Jones (Wales) should commandeer three places. Ian Gough (Wales), Steve Borthwick (England), Simon Shaw (England), Nick Kennedy (England), Nathan Hines (Scotland) and Jim Hamilton (Scotland) will dispute the other two.
Borthwick, the England captain, is highly regarded by team-mates as an inspirational and thoughtful leader and is a potential midweek captain but could lose out to Shaw. The latter has played under McGeechan and Gatland at Wasps, was a member of the successful Lions tour to South Africa in 1997 and is one of the few players whom Bakkies Botha might find physically imposing.
In taking on the South African pack, players who operate on the edge are important, and that might allow for Australian-born Hines to squeeze past Gough, Kennedy, Borthwick and Hamilton. In recent Lions tours the backrow positions have probably coughed up the most casualties.
Wasps and England trio James Haskell, Tom Rees and Joe Worsley will press strongly for inclusion given their ability and familiarity to the coaching trust; one if not two could make the plane but based on current form, it is difficult to ignore the six players listed below.
Stephen Ferris was a stand-out player during Ireland’s Grand Slam, so too David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip. The Ulster player’s coruscating tackling allied to the athleticism and ball carrying of the other two Irish backrows makes a persuasive argument for inclusion; one enhanced by the innate interplay they managed as a triumvirate. Denis Leamy probably would have gone but for injury.
Tom Croft may not have started England’s Six Nations campaign but he was arguably their most influential forward by the end of it and had carried through that form while on Heineken Cup duty with the Leicester Tigers. He is an excellent lineout option, a brilliant footballer and a fine athlete with a knack for scoring tries.
Welsh scavenger Martyn Williams is a superb competitor on the deck and in terms of support play. The Springboks probably won’t employ a player of his ilk. Welsh captain Ryan Jones was once considered the favourite to lead the Lions tour but in the end will be relieved if he makes the trip. There is no doubting his talent or suggesting that he couldn’t make the Test team but to do so he’ll require an appreciable step-up in form.
McGeechan’s strength as a coach and a hallmark of the success he’s previously enjoyed in guiding the Lions is his ability to figure out a way to beat the opposition. He’s ruthlessly pragmatic and that will be reflected in selection. Making this squad will come down to more than talent. He’ll have to believe that a player has the mental as well as physical aptitude to thrive in that environment.
He’s also not afraid to take a punt as Jeremy Davidson, Eric Miller and Paul Wallace will attest but at the same time recognising the difference between class and form. Having identified a way to beat the Springboks, McGeechan’s thoughts will be reflected in the composition of the squad.
He won’t be picking the best 36 players in the home unions but a squad capable of implementing the patterns required to beat the world champions. The history books show that McGeechan understands the difference.
(all kick-off times Irish)
Saturday, May 30th: Highveld XV v Lions, Royal Bafokeng (2.0)
Wednesday, June 3rd: Golden Lions v Lions, Ellis Park (6.10)
Saturday, June 6th: Cheetahs v Lions, Vodacom Park (2.0)
Wednesday, June 10th: Sharks v Lions, ABSA Park (6.10)
Saturday, June 13th: Western Province v Lions, Newlands (2.0)
Tuesday, June 16th: Coastal XV v Lions, Nelson Mandela stadium (2.0)
Saturday, June 20th: First Test – South Africa v Lions, ABSA Park (2.0)
Tuesday, June 23rd: Emerging Springboks v Lions, Newlands (6.10)
Saturday, June 27th: Second Test – South Africa v Lions, Loftus Versfeld (2.0)
Saturday, July 4th: Third Test – South Africa v Lions, Ellis Park (2.0).
BACKS (17)
Fullback: Lee Byrne (Wales), Rob Kearney (Ireland).
Three Quarters: Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Shane Williams (Wales), Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland), Mark Cueto (England), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Josh Lewsey (England), Tom Shanklin (Wales), Riki Flutey (England), Ugo Moyne (England).
Half backs: Stephen Jones (Wales), Ronan O’Gara (Ireland), Danny Cipriani (England), Mike Phillips (Wales), Mike Blair (Scotland), Tomas O’Leary (Ireland).
FORWARDS (19)
Front row: Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Andrew Sheridan (England), John Hayes (Ireland), Euan Murray (Scotland), Phil Vickery (England), Jerry Flannery (Ireland), Ross Ford (Scotland), Lee Mears (England).
Secondrows: Paul O’Connell (Ireland, capt), Donncha O’Callaghan (Ireland), Alun Wyn-Jones (Wales), Simon Shaw (England), Nathan Hines (Scotland).
Backrows: Tom Croft (England), Stephen Ferris (Ireland), David Wallace (Ireland), Martyn Williams (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Ryan Jones (Wales).
