by Michael Corcoran
One day while out walking during the early part of the Lions Tour to New Zealand in 2005, I came across one of the squad's Irish players. I inquired about how he was getting on and also asked about one of the other Irish players and how his tour was going.
Imagine my surprise when I was told that this player 'was part of the other squad and we have different schedules'.
The player continued: 'I slipped a note under his door asking to meet up for a coffee, but I have not heard back from him yet'.
That was 2005 – a Test series which ended in a disastrous 3-0 defeat for the Lions. The 2009 Tour under Ian McGeechan and Paul O’Connell will be completely different, at least if the early indicators are anything to go by. Opinions have been canvassed from those on previous tours, questions have been asked and answers, some brutally honest, have been given. The signs are that what has been said has been acted on by those in charge.
Small, tightly knit group selected
That review process is one of the reasons Ian McGeechan has chosen a small, tightly knit group. On the last tour to New Zealand, the squad was far too large, the coaches and support staff even larger, and the hotel bills for accommodation even larger still.
This time, the coaching team has been carefully picked. McGeechan has worked with most of them. He trusts them.
McGeechan's experience of previous Lions tours is key. He coached the Lions in 1989 (beat Australia 2-1 in Tests), 1993 (lost 2-1 to New Zealand in Tests), and the team that won in South Africa (2-1) in 1997 and also coached the midweek side on that unhappy 2005 trip. As a player, he toured in 1974 - the 'invincibles' who won 21 matches out of 22 and drew the other - and 1977, where the Lions lost the Test series 3-1 but won 21 of 22 other games. He has a vast store of knowledge and knows what went wrong in New Zealand in 2005 from direct experience.
The proportionate national composition of the squad also differs significantly from the last time. In 2005, 13 English forwards (and seven backs) left for New Zealand. This group originally contained eight Englishmen in total.
Meanwhile, 14 Irishmen were named in the original squad, confirming again how strong the game is in this country right now.
As an aside, despite what was said during the 6 Nations Championship, the Irish and Welsh players do like each other and do get on. At least that’s the impression I get. With such a short tour - they play 10 matches in 6 weeks - let's hope I am proven right.
O'Connell v O'Driscoll: a difficult choice
With the England, Wales and Scotland captains initially left out, though Mike Blair has joined the squad because of Tomás O'Leary's injury, the choice of captain also came down to two Irishmen: Paul O’Connell or Brian O’Driscoll.
Both, obviously, have very impressive CVs.
O’Driscoll was thought to have strengthened his case by leading Ireland to Six Nations glory, and Leinster's Heineken Cup success adds to the perception that the Clontarf native is experiencing a mid-late career peak.
But McGeechan’s decision to pick O’Connell ran true to form. He went for Martin Johnson in 1997, and Raphael Ibanez and Laurence Dallaglio were the Wasps captains when ‘Geech’ was Director of Rugby. The Scot has always preferred to have his captain come from the forwards.
Given that the last four Rugby World Cup-winning captains - John Smit in 2007, Martin Johnson in 2003, John Eales in 1999 and Francois Pienaar in 1995 - were also all forwards, it is hard to disagree with the logic.
O’Connell has had mixed fortunes as captain of Ireland but he has an excellent track record when leading Munster in recent years. Under the big second row, they won the Heineken Cup in 2008 and overall, they have won 14 of their 17 Heineken Cup games. That is simply unparalleled in Europe.
In terms of style, O’Connell tends to lead by example. He is happy to let others do the talking when needed, and is not afraid to share the responsibility of the job.
That said, he does have an excellent rugby brain, and when he speaks everybody sits up and takes notice. Expect some 'interesting' discussions on Tour.
Leadership group will be vital
But, like Ireland, the Lions will rely on a leadership group. I don’t expect Brian O’Driscoll to just sit in the background and keep his head down and get on with playing rugby – he is experienced and will be expected to make his voice heard.
The likes of Martyn Williams, Phil Vickery, Mike Blair, Joe Worsley, Stephen Jones, Ronan O’Gara and Simon Shaw are other potential members of the 'Executive Captaincy Committee'. I expect that this group will be drawn from across the squad, not just from among the big name players.
Overall, though, this will be one squad with one coaching team. Combinations will be mixed and matched, and there will not be a ‘midweek’ or ‘Saturday’ team before the plane takes off. Crucially, every player will know he has an opportunity to fight for a Test start.
But the above is part of what makes the Lions and the Lions examination so unique. For the last four years these players have been enemies. Now, they have to come together in a very short space of time. They will each ask the question ‘can I trust this person to back me up when the going gets tough?’.
The answer each individual player arrives at will be vital to the outcome of the Test series.
