British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa - 2009
Welcome to Lions Tour 2009 - The Squad.
Fullback
Lee Byrne (28) Ospreys and Wales
Rob Kearney (23) Leinster and Ireland
Wing
Shane Williams (32) Ospreys and Wales
Leigh Halfpenny (20) Cardiff Blues and Wales
Ugo Monye (26) Harlequins and England
Luke Fitzgerald (21) Leinster and Ireland
Tommy Bowe (25) Ospreys and Ireland
Centre
Tom Shanklin (29) Cardiff Blues and Wales
Jamie Roberts (22) Cardiff Blues and Wales
Brian O'Driscoll (30) Leinster and Ireland
Keith Earls (21) Munster and Ireland
Riki Flutey (29) Wasps and England
Fly-half
Stephen Jones (31) Llanelli Scarlets and Wales
Ronan O'Gara (32) Munster and Ireland
Scrum-half
Mike Phillips (26) Ospreys and Wales
Harry Ellis (26) Leicester and England
Tomas O'Leary (25) Munster and Ireland
Prop
Gethin Jenkins (28) Cardiff Blues and Wales
Adam Jones (28) Ospreys and Wales
Andrew Sheridan(29) Sale and England
Phil Vickery (33) Wasps and England
Euan Murray (28) Northampton and Scotland
Hooker
Jerry Flannery (30) Munster and Ireland
Lee Mears (30) Bath and England
Matthew Rees (28) Llanelli Scarlets and Wales
Lock
Paul O'Connell, capt (29) Munster and Ireland
Alun Wyn Jones (23) Ospreys and Wales
Donncha O'Callaghan (30) Munster and Ireland
Nathan Hines (32) Perpignan and Scotland
Simon Shaw (35) Wasps and England
Back-row
Andy Powell (27) Cardiff Blues and Wales
Jamie Heaslip (25) Leinster and Ireland
Alan Quinlan (34) Munster and Ireland
Martyn Williams (33) Cardiff Blues and Wales
David Wallace (32) Munster and Ireland
Joe Worsley (31) Wasps and England
Stephen Ferris (23) Ulster and Ireland
Lions Tour 2009 - the story so far
Please check back regulary for up to date news.
In the meantime, here is the post mortem of the New Zealand Tour - 2005:
Sir Clive Woodward was guarded about his sporting future after overseeing a dismal Lions tour to New Zealand.
"We can analyse this tour until we are blue in the face, but we lost. You can win down here with a Lions tour, there is no doubt about that, but you need everyone fully fit and fully fresh. It is very important that the Lions ethos continues. We came here to win the Test series, and we didn't achieve that."
All Blacks coach Graham Henry, meanwhile, gave his backing to future Lions tours, with the next overseas mission planned for South Africa in 2009.
"I think the Lions brand is something special. Every time they tour is something special. The Lions must survive, most definitely. Every time they tour is a major occasion, and I think it is essential the Lions continue. It is a special team. Players in Great Britain and Ireland see it as the peak of their rugby careers, and it would be very disappointing if that was taken away in the future. I think it is essential the Lions continue."
And how about this little snippet from Sir Clive Woodward? Sir Clive Woodward has responded to criticism of his management of the Lions' tour to New Zealand by insisting he ought to have named an even bigger squad. Woodward has come under heavy fire for his decision to take a Lions record 51 players for the three-Test series plus almost as many technical and support staff. Departing Chief Woodward dismissed much of the criticism and instead stated he had been generally satisfied with the way the trip had progressed. Woodward told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek he would have this advice for his successor: "I would say take more players, play more games and make the Lions bigger and better." - methinks he lives in Cloud Cuckoo Land!
But wait.... all is not lost. Some sense at last from Sir Clive Woodward who described as an "over-reaction" suggestions the Lions cannot survive in the professional era. "I still think the Lions is a great concept. The supporters over there were just fantastic, they have all had a great trip and hopefully they will do again in South Africa in four years time." Yes, we will have a great time thank you Sir, and hopefully you will see some great TEAM WORK and POSITIVE RESULTS from the comfort of your new boardroom at Southampton!
