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McGeechan promises back to basics approach in hope that pack mentality can make Lions tour roaring success
Last updated at 23:11pm on 15.05.08Ian McGeechan yesterday vowed to go back to basics to ensure the Lions are successful in South Africa next year. After being confirmed as head coach of the touring party for a fourth time, McGeechan, 61, is determined to restore the Lions' unique ethos and reject the divisive approach adopted by Sir Clive Woodward with catastrophic consequences in New Zealand three years ago.
The evergreen Scot, who was compared to Sir Alex Ferguson during his installation in London yesterday, has already devised a strategy aimed at avoiding any repeat of the bloated operation which resulted in the Lions failing so badly against the All Blacks.
The mane man: McGeechan takes charge of the Lions for a fourth time
For a start, the squad will number 35, not 45. There will be one set of "four or five" coaches, not two sets as was the case last time, and no preconceived segregation of the Test team from the rest.
To reinforce the traditional camaraderie, in short supply last time and shorter still during the intense tour of Australia in 2001, the Lions will return to the traditional policy of two players sharing a room instead of each having his own, as happened during the All Black rout in 2005.
"We can only do what we think is right," said McGeechan, who coached the unbeaten midweek team in New Zealand in tandem with Gareth Jenkins.
"We went out for the occasional pint in 2005 when everyone else had disappeared. Maybe in 2009 we will all be going out for a pint as a whole group.
"The coaches will only know the players if they are coaching them every single day. There will be one coaching team and one set of players.
"It is important that the team is seen as that — a team of one mind which does give you a fighting chance to get the very best out of the players. That is the way I prefer to do it.
"Clive had his perception in 2005, which was an extremely well-organised tour. Everything will be about one very tight group working in very close harmony and everyone getting the opportunity to make his mark.
"With the Lions more than any other team, a coach needs to keep an open mind to look at players and not to work on what you saw two years previously. The challenge for a coach is not to make decisions too quickly about writing someone off or putting someone in."
In New Zealand, Woodward abandoned the dictum which had been the foundation stone of his success with England — always pick on form, never on reputation.
His pre-tour plan was based on a reversal of that policy in a forlorn hope that certain players could recapture the form they had shown in beating the world 18 months earlier.
By confirming the worst-kept secret in the game — that Wasps' venerable director of rugby would be running the show — Lions chairman Andy Irvine paid his compatriot the ultimate accolade.
"There are striking similarities between 'Geech' and Sir Alex beyond the fact that they are both Scottish," said Irvine.
"Both are in their 60s, both have been coaching for a very long time but the hunger and desire is as great as ever.
"The big question when we talked to Ian was: Did he want it? Did he have the desire for one more tour? There's no doubt he has. 'Geech' may be 61 but he's a young 61, as fit as a flea, and he loves the Lions to bits."
Next year's tour will be his fourth as head coach, three more than anyone else. A winner in Australia in 1989, McGeechan did the trick again when the Lions were last in South Africa in 1997, moulding a disparate group into a Test series winning force against the World Cup holders under the leadership of a brooding Englishman who, at that time, had not captained his country — Martin Johnson.
McGeechan will consult England's new manager during the lengthy selection process. "Martin's appointment could not be better from my point of view," said the Scot.
"The ultimate Lions captain, as I saw him, is in charge of England. What I will get from him comes from a knowledge and understanding of the game which is second to none."
The full Lions coaching team will be in place early next season, with Wasps' head coach Shaun Edwards next in the chain of command alongside former Wasp Warren Gatland or Cardiff coach David Young.
"Ian will have the coaching and management team which he wants," said tour manager Gerald Davies.
