BRITISH & IRISH LIONS

McGeechan calls for 'Lion spirit'

May 14 2008

Newly-appointed head coach Ian McGeechan has vowed to restore the unique spirit and ethos of the British and Irish Lions when he leads next year's tour to South Africa.

McGeechan, 61, was the unanimous choice of the Lions board to take charge of the 2009 challenge, the fourth time he has held the most prestigious coaching role in northern hemisphere rugby.

In his presentation, McGeechan outlined his philosophies to a sympathetic Lions board anxious to move on from Sir Clive Woodward's ill-fated 2005 tour.

Woodward sidelined many Lions traditions, using 51 players, two separate coaching units and essentially splitting the squad into midweek and Test teams.

But it is an approach McGeechan, Lions chairman Andy Irvine and team manager Gerald Davies all disagree with and the 2009 touring party is to be cut by "10-15 per cent."

McGeechan plan to take just one coaching unit - four or five specialists - and around 35 players, who will be expected to share rooms.

"When I spoke to the Lions committee they asked me what my principles are and how I see a tour running," said McGeechan.

"The Lions have always been so important to me. The Lions are special and unique. You can't compare them to anything else you do as a British and Irish coach or player.

"I have a very strong philosophy and some of the traditions are so important to making sure the Lions have a fighting chance of succeeding.

"I firmly believe you need a very tight group. We will have one coaching team and one group of players.

"You have to understand each other and that process is often accelerated if players share rooms because they get to know each other that much better, that much quicker.

"All preparations for the 2009 tour will be about one group working very closely together. The fact it's against the world champions also makes it a massive challenge.

"In 2005 I thought there were a lot of players in British and Irish rugby just coming off their peak. Now we have a lot of players coming towards their peak. It is exciting"

McGeechan's Lions pedigree is second to none. In terms of success and longevity at the top, he was compared by Irvine to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

McGeechan played all four Tests on the unbeaten 1974 tour to South Africa and made four more appearances against the All Blacks in 1977.

He has coached the Lions to series victories over Australia in 1989 and South Africa in 1997 but lost on two trips to New Zealand, as head coach in 1993 and assistant in 2005.

However, three years ago McGeechan was in charge of the midweek team and his "dirt-trackers" went through their tour unbeaten.

"I enjoyed the group of players I was working with in 2005 and we did go out for a pint midweek when everybody else had disappeared. Maybe in 2009 we will go out for a pint as a whole group," he laughed.

Nevertheless, bonding time will be short in South Africa. There are just six matches before the first Test for McGeechan and his staff to build a team to face the Springboks.

In 1997, when the tour was three matches longer, props Paul Wallace and Tom Smith and lock Jeremy Davidson emerged from nowhere to be key players in the 2-1 Test series victory.

The temptation now, as Woodward discovered to his cost in 2005, is to travel with a pre-conceived idea of a Test line-up rather than allow it to emerge.

But McGeechan and Davies, who will have a say in selection, are determined that keeping an open mind is key to the Lions' chances of success despite the limited build-up.

"You can't have players cast aside without that hope. If you take that hope away from them, why should they be on the tour in the first place?" said Davies.

"We bring the traditions of the past to bear on the present."

McGeechan hopes to have the whole coaching team in place by the autumn, with Wales coach Warren Gatland and Wasps colleague Shaun Edwards favourites to be involved.

A compensation deal has been agreed between the Lions and Wasps which allows McGeechan to split his time next season in the build-up to the tour.

Some of his non-rugby responsibilities will be delegated but McGeechan is anxious to keep a hands-on rugby involvement at Wasps, particularly with the new experimental laws coming in next season.

"I need to understand what the ramifications of those are and you can only do that with hands-on coaching," said McGeechan.

McGeechan will turn to a group of senior players and ex-Lions to help his squad selection process.

One of those will be Martin Johnson, England's newly-appointed team manager who captained the Lions on the victorious tour of 1997 and to Australia four years later.

"I will be talking to the ex-Lions I know, particularly those who have been successful in the past because they know what it takes," said McGeechan.

"From my point of view, Johnno's appointment couldn't be better because I have the ultimate Lions captain, as I saw him, now in charge of England.

"I know that what information I get back from him has come from a huge basis of knowledge and understanding that is second to none. That is a huge advantage to me."