First Tour match

The British & Irish Lions have arrived in South Africa ready for a 10-match and three Test tour against the World Champions.

If you are anything like me, you can't wait for the action to start.

Here's a couple of funny wee ads to get you in the mood:

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Irish eyes are... something

I will stop with the rugby posts and get back to something like normal service soon, I promise. I just got a wee bit excited about the Lions.

Had to laugh at this picture though.




One of the first publicity shots for the 2009 South Africa tour.

Ronan O'Gara (left) looks like he should be in a boy band, Paul O'Connell (centre) looks like he's escaped from somewhere and Brian O'Driscoll is coming to get you.

Nice tight-fitting shirts too. Can just see them looking great on the big props and hookers...

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The 2009 British & Irish Lions

British and Irish Lions squad to tour South Africa (from the BBC):

Full-back
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

Centres
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

So there we are: 14 Irishmen, 13 Welshmen, 8 Englishmen and 2 Scots.

Some big shocks there. Only 2 stand-offs. Only one 6 Nations captain (Brian O'Driscoll) makes it. There's no place for Ryan Jones or Tom Croft - both of whom would have been ahead of Andy Powell for me. Ugo Monje pips Paul Sackey for a spot on the wing, Keith Earls is a suprise choice at centre and Delon Armitage is wondering why he's been left behind. Harry Ellis looks like he may start at 9 after both him and Tomas O'Leary are selected ahead of Mike Blair. And then there's some huge guys in the pack - Powell, Quinlan and Worsley make it ahead of Jones, Croft and Taylor (who, in fairness, was my wild card pick!). I can't believe Simon Shaw is touring again - the only survivor from 1997 - while Mathew Rees pips Ross Ford and Rory Best for the third hookers spot and Adam Jones goes as an extra prop.

For me, the size of some of these guys provides evidence of how McGeechan wants the side to play. The pack will try to front up against what will be a huge South African pack, while even some of the backs (Jamie Roberts) are huge guys. I think the idea is to beef up the back to allow both Shane and Martyn Williams either to start or to come off the bench to provide a wee bit of flair - something that is considerably missing from this squad. The fact that only two 10s (Jones & O'Gara) are going suggests a conservative gameplan - though that might well come unstuck when the provincial sides target them. Expect we'll have to call up a replacement 10 at some point - Jonny Wilkinson, Danny Cipriani and James Hook should be sitting by their phone.

Prediction - South Africa to win. 3-0. Based on that squad, I don't think we have what it takes. I've been wrong before. Quite often in fact. Maybe I'll be wrong again.

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One hour to go...

Just over an hour until the British & Irish Lions squad is announced and the excitement is reaching unbearable levels in my flat... where I'm all alone and scouring the web for titbits of info.

Here's some of the rumours going around:

• Shane Williams, Wales leading try scorer and IRB World Player of the Year misses out on the squad because of his poor form for the Ospreys and Wales this year.
  
  
• Shane Williams, Wales leading try scorer makes the squad because of his talent and the ability to waltz past huge South Africans.

Okay, those two are somewhat contradictory but here's some that are not:

• The squad will be expanded to 37 players.
  
  
• Josh Lewsey, England World Cup winner, will be a shock inclusion (Wasps connection no doubt helping there).
  
  
• There is no place for Danny Cipriani or Jonny Wilkinson.
  
  
• Gavin Henson might be selected on the basis that we have a distinct lack of flair players playmaker positions.
  
  
• Ryan Jones scrapes in as number 37.
  
  
• Or Andy Powell makes it instead...
  

Roll on 1.30pm!

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Ruck U!

Just a quick post - for rugby fans.

Get yourself off to (former England captain) Will Carling's online rugby club house - RuckU.com - for some good rugby banter. Especially good fun today given the imminent Lions squad announcement.

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British & Irish Lions: Predictor

The British and Irish Lions squad to tour South Africa this summer is announced tomorrow afternoon. Having been challenged by an Irish friend (who, rather predictably has stacked his Lions squad full of Irishmen) here is my thinking regarding the squad. (Probable Test starters in capitals)

Full-back: LEE BYRNE Delon Armitage Rob Kearney
Wing: SHANE WILLIAMS TOMMY BOWE Luke Fitzgerald Paul Sackey
Centre: BRIAN O'DRISCOLL RIKI FLUTEY Jamie Roberts Tom Shanklin
Fly-Half: STEPHEN JONES Ronan O'Gara James Hook
Scrum-Half: MIKE PHILLIPS Dwayne Peel Mike Blair

Prop: GETHIN JENKINS EUAN MURRAY John Hayes Phil Vickery Andrew Sheridan
Hooker: JERRY FLANNERY Lee Mears Ross Ford
Second Row: PAUL O'CONNELL (capt) ALUN WYN JONES Donncha O'Callaghan Nathan Hines Nick Kennedy
Back Row: DAVID WALLACE TOM CROFT JAMIE HEASLIP Martyn Williams Stephen Ferris, Simon Taylor

There.

A squad of 36:

17 Backs and 19 Forwards

12 Irishmen
11 Welshmen
8 Englishmen
5 Scotsmen

There are some big debates there - and some guys who just miss out. No Andy Powell or Ryan Jones after Wales fell away in the Six Nations and Henson's injury keeps him out of my tour party. Leigh Halfpenny was in my first draft... and got cut as I trimmed the backs to 17. I think Simon Taylor might be a surprise pick as Ian McGeechan knows him well from his Scotland days. Danny Cipriani might also have gotten the nod, but I think he's not quite the finished article while Jonny Wilkinson's delayed return to action means a lack of playing time to play his way in. James Hook takes his place with Nicky Robinson running both close.

I was tempted to leave out Shane Williams - so dramatic has his loss of form been - but I don't think Geech would leave out the IRB World Player of the Year, it'd be a PR disaster from the off.

Here's my list of reserves (that narrowly miss out) to be called up in case of injuries:
Chris Paterson
Leigh Halfpenny
Keith Earls
Tomas O'Leary
Joe Worsley
Ryan Jones
Ian Gough
Mathew Rees
Adam Jones

Guess we'll find out how close I am tomorrow. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments.

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