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The Lions last tour was to Australia in 2001 when they lost the Test Series 2-1 and lost only one of the mid-week games. See Lions 2001
Announced on 11th April, England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has been omitted from the Lions squad. Wilkinson was left out of the 44-man touring party announced by Sir Clive Woodward as he is not yet fully fit. Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll will captain the squad, with Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back among 20 Englishmen selected. O'Driscoll is one of 11 Irish players called up, while there are 10 members of the Welsh Grand Slam-winning squad and just three Scots.
Woodward stressed that Wilkinson, who has suffered a string of injury problems, could still make the squad if he can prove his fitness. Fellow World Cup winners Mike Tindall (foot) and Phil Vickery (broken arm) are in the same position. "If they confirm genuine form and fitness in the coming weeks, they could still go," said Woodward. "The clock is against Tindall and Vickery, but I don't think the clock is against Wilkinson."
Woodward picked 14 members of the England squad which he guided to World Cup glory in 2003. But he said: "If we were playing this weekend, the majority of the starting XV would come from Wales and Ireland, with two players from England and one from Scotland."
Woodward called up Dallaglio despite his recent retirement from international rugby, while Back will become the oldest-ever Lion at the age of 36. The Leicester flanker retired from the England scene after being discarded by Woodward in the Six Nations campaign last year. Back and Dallaglio are joined for a third Lions tour by Richard Hill, who has just recovered from a serious knee injury.
Woodward declared himself impressed with the form of fly-half Stephen Jones, who is one of seven Wales backs to make the squad. But there was no place in the squad for flanker Colin Charvis, who has just returned after a foot injury.
Ireland have the second biggest contingent despite their patchy Six Nations form, with Woodward confident O'Driscoll has the leadership qualities needed to succeed Down Under.
Original Lions Squad
Backs: I Balshaw (England), G Murphy (Ireland), J Robinson (England), G Thomas (Wales), S Williams (Wales), J Lewsey (England), S Horgan (Ireland), D Hickie (Ireland), T Shanklin (Wales), B O'Driscoll (Ireland, capt), G Henson (Wales), O Smith (England), G D'Arcy (Ireland), W Greenwood (England), S Jones (Wales), R O'Gara (Ireland), C Hodgson (England), M Dawson (England), D Peel (Wales), G Cooper (Wales), C Cusiter (Scotland).
Forwards: G Rowntree (England), A Sheridan (England), M Stevens (England), G Jenkins (Wales), J White (England), J Hayes (Ireland), G Bulloch (Scotland), S Thompson (England), A Titterrell (England), S Byrne (Ireland), D Grewcock (England), B Kay (England), M O'Kelly (Ireland), D O'Callaghan (Ireland), P O'Connell (Ireland), M Owen (Wales), R Hill (England), N Back (England), M Williams (Wales), L Moody (England), S Taylor (Scotland), M Corry (England), L Dallaglio (England).
Tour Schedule & Results
The British and Irish Lions are scheduled to play 11 rugby matches during their 2005 tour of New Zealand this summer.
This will include 3 test matches against the All Blacks and 1 match against New Zealand Maori. All games kick off at 7.10pm New Zealand Time (NZT), which is 8:10 am British Summer Time (BST).
23 May 2005 British and Irish Lions 25 Argentina 25 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
4 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions 34 Bay of Plenty 20 Rotorua International
Stadium
8 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions 36 Taranaki 14 Yarrow Stadium, New
Plymouth
11 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions v. NZ Maori Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
15 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions v. Wellington Westpac Stadium,
Wellington
18 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions v. Otago Carisbrook, Dunedin
21 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions v. Southland Rugby Park,
Invercargill
25 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions v. All Blacks Jade Stadium,
Christchurch
28 Jun 2005 British and Irish Lions v. Manawatu Arena Manawatu,
Palmerston North
2 Jul 2005 British and Irish Lions v. All Blacks Westpac
Stadium, Wellington
5 Jul 2005 British and Irish Lions v. Auckland Eden Park, Auckland
9 Jul 2005 British and Irish Lions v. All Blacks Eden Park,
Auckland
All games in New Zealand will be aired on Sky Sports.
Woodward's plans for NZ
Clive Woodward has outlined his plans for the Lions tour of New Zealand. He said:
"To play for the Lions is hugely special. It is a step up from playing for your country. I think that if you are a player who continues to get picked for England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales every year, to get selected for the Lions is a very special felling.When the report came back from the 2001 tour, it said that there was a need for less players and less matches. I think the complete opposite. I think we have got to make the Lions year very special in terms of talking about it, selection and always having the aim of beating the All Black.People still talk about 1971, which was a great Lions team with lots of Wales players, and about the Test matches. That's what it's all about to me - winning Test matches. I've won the World Cup with England. Now it's my intention to give a group of British and Irish players the chance of winning a Lions series. But as well as that you have to enjoy the tour, and to do that you have to go about things a little differently than the way that it was done in 2001.
One of my key objectives outside winning the Test matches, is to make sure that next June / July everyone comes back from that Lions tour, whether you're a player coach or doctor, having enjoyed themselves. Now to do that, you have to do things differently. You have got make the Lions even more special, and that's something that I think I can do. It requires more funding and you need to be realistic about what you are trying to achieve. I will be taking a large group of players but there won't be two teams. I want all of the players challenging for a Test space. I can't over-emphasis the importance of having two coaching teams. I think that one of the problems with the 2001 Tour was that a lot of emphasis was put on the Saturday team or Test match team.
For me, as a coach, you can't prepare the two teams in a week - you just can't do. We will have two distinct coaching teams which will prepare all of the players in order to try and force my hand to pick them for the Test match side. Whether they are playing in the Test team or the mid-week team they will have to play well to get their place. The players aren't stupid. They know that fundamentally the Saturday team is your core team; but to get into that team they are going to have to play well. I will sit down with the 44 players that I'm going to take and tell them that's the way I operate. With a squad the size of that, there are going to be a lot of disappointed players, but you have got to manage that disappointment and make sure that everyone supports the guys who are in the team. It is something that I experienced during the World Cup. The way the eight players who didn't get into the World Cup Final squad conducted themselves proves it works. You can't allow any break-out groups and we have all got to have the goal of winning the three Test matches. I've won the World Cup with England. Now it's my intention to give a group of British and Irish players the chance of winning a Lions series".
See the Official Lions Web Site at: www.lionsrugby.com/
Tour Results
Saturday 4 June: Bay of Plenty 20-34 Lions
Wednesday 8 June: Taranaki 14-36 Lions
Saturday 11 June: NZ Maori 19-13 Lions
Wednesday 15 June: Wellington 6-23 Lions
Saturday 18 June: Otago 19-30 Lions
Tuesday 21 June: Southland 16-26 Lions
Saturday 25 June: New Zealand 21 Lions 3 (1st Test) - Jade Stadium, Christchurch
First Test Report:
On an atrocious night in Christchurch, the Lions suffered a heavy defeat in the first Test against New Zealand after losing captain Brian O'Driscoll. who was stretchered off after just one minute with a dislocated shoulder.All Black fly-half Daniel Carter kicked two penalties before Ali Williams crossed after a poor Lions line-out. Sitiveni Sivivatu scored a stunning try after the break while the Lions could only add a Jonny Wilkinson penalty. The Lions also lost Richard Hill through injury and Shanklin has been ruled out for the rest of the Tour after sustaining an injury in training. There will be some tough selection decisions ahead of the Second Test.
New Zealand: MacDonald; Howlett, Umaga (captain), Mauger, Sivivatu;
Carter, Justin Marshall; Woodcock, Mealamu, Hayman; Jack, Williams; Collins,
McCaw, So'oialo.
Replacements: Witcombe, Somerville, Gibbes, Lauaki, Kelleher, Muliaina,
Gear.
Lions: Robinson; Lewsey, O'Driscoll (captain), Wilkinson, Thomas;
Jones, Peel; Jenkins, Byrne, White, O'Connell, Kay; Hill, Back, Corry.
Replacements: Thompson, Rowntree, Grewcock, Jones, Dawson, Greenwood,
Horgan
Referee: Joel Jutge (France)
Tuesday 28th June: Manawatu 6-109 Lions
Saturday 2nd July: New Zealand 48-18 Lions (2nd Test)
Tuesday 5th July: Auckland Blues 13-17 Lions
Saturday 9th July New Zealand 38-19 Lions (3rd Test)