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Wasps Six will make Lions roar, says Dallaglio
Chris Jones, Rugby Correspondent22.10.08
Lawrence Dallaglio is confident the British and Irish Lions will avoid the disastrous mistakes of the 2005 tour to New Zealand by opting for six past and present London Wasps coaches and fitness experts for the three-Test battle in South Africa next May.
In an unprecedented move, the Lions organisers will announce in Dublin today a London Wasps "takeover" of the most famous touring rugby team in the world.
Tour manager Gerald Davies will confirm that head coach Ian McGeechan, the Wasps director of rugby, has assembled a management team comprising Shaun Edwards (Wasps head coach), Warren Gatland (former Wasps director of rugby), Rob Howley (ex-Wasps scrum-half), Craig White (ex-Wasps fitness expert) and Rhys Long (ex-Wasps game analyst).
Gatland, Edwards and Howley are the coaching trio who guided Wales to Grand Slam success in the Six Nations last season. White and Long are now part of that management set-up.
Crucially, all of those involved know each other well. That is in stark contrast to Sir Clive Woodward's tour three years ago when the All Blacks completed a series whitewash as the Lions operated two separate teams for Saturdays and midweek matches.
While critics will claim this is a case of "jobs for the Wasps boys" Dallaglio insists the calibre of men involved gives the Lions a head start on the 10-match tour which starts on 30 May. He also dismisses the poor start made by Wasps this season as irrelevant to the Lions.
Dallaglio, who will help identify potential back-row players for the squad, said: "The news is a great reflection on Wasps and it's great for the Lions because the right people have been chosen. They really are a coaching team, even before the tour starts, because everyone has worked closely together in the past.
"I am sure the lessons of 2005 played a part in this set-up. The way the Lions are going to play will be transmitted very easily to the players. These are the best possible coaches."
Tony Copsey, the Wasps managing director, today confirmed the Lions had approached the club about using McGeechan and Edwards as both are under contract and their release for the tour had been agreed.
"We are very supportive of what the Lions want to do," he said.
Danny Cipriani will be targeting his first appearance for the Lions if he makes a successful return for England in next month's Twickenham internationals and the Six Nations. The Wasps fly-half, 20, admitted today that he still has a lot to live up to at international level having been added to the 32-strong England senior squad following his successful return from a horrendous ankle injury.
Cipriani said: "There is still a lot for me to prove but I'm delighted that Martin Johnson [England manager] has shown such confidence in me. Since my injury this has been my target to get back and ready for. I am so excited about meeting up with the England guys."
England face the Pacific Islanders, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand on consecutive Saturdays starting on 8 November.
Reader views (4)
All I ll say is remember SA 97, we weren t expected to do much then either.
- James Powers, London, England
Edward, you've got a bad case of foot in mouth there, best get it treated soon before it turns into something more serious. A little humility is necessary. As the Tri-Nations showed, the Boks have lost their way since their 2007 World Cup success - and if you really think there are only going to be a total of four Welshmen and Irishmen in the tour party, you are sadly mistaken. Do yourself a favour and take a look at modern rugby history again - especially the role of a certain Ian McGeechan, as a player and coach - before you delude yourself any further that the series will be anything but competitive
- Mike Mcgrath, Hong Kong
Edward - you are well behind the times I am afraid and think your posting must be tongue in cheek. As an Englishman, I can say fairly that there may well be more Irishman and Welshman in the squad on merit than Englishmen.
And in terms of your key positions . . did you not see Tom Rees eclipse Richie McCaw in the recent England All Backs series? And Tom may well not make the starting line up because of the competition.
I think you must be joking about the 3 guys you name - they are all well finished, and in the case of Hill and Lol both would probably admit to playing one season too many.
The interesting question is how good will Cipriani be in a great team . .
- Pete Smith, Dubai, UAE
Unless the Lions are prepared to include French players in their squad they have no chance of beating South Africa. There is not one player from Scotland of international ability whilst Wales and Ireland are unlikely to have more than two players each included in the Squad. This means that England will supply at least 25 players. Of those 25 no more than half a dozen are of international quality. If one looks at the key positions of full back scrum half and loose forward who is going to fill those positions South Africa has the best full back in the world the best scrum half and three of the four best loose forwards as well as the two best locks. The last thing we need in South Africa is another Lions performance similar to 2005. Recent tours by Wales England and Ireland do not inspire me with any confidence unless you can force players like Richard Hill Lawrence and Martin to come out of retirement The skill level shown by British players in recent Heineken cup matches leaves much to be desired.
- Edward Hollyhoke, Cape Town South Africa
