Woodward to re-form England's World Cup party
England’s World Cup coaching team is set to be reunited for the Lions tour of New Zealand next summer.
Clive Woodward will announce his 26-man Lions management group tomorrow morning.
High-profile names to be revealed at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium will include former Lions coach Ian McGeechan and Ireland boss Eddie O’Sullivan, but key members of Woodward’s World Cup coaching staff have also been lined up.
Andy Robinson, Woodward’s former coaching assistant who was promoted to the England top job last week, is poised for a second successive Lions trip, along with current England defence coach Phil Larder and goalkicking guru Dave Alred.
All three were part of the Graham Henry 2001 Lions management team in Australia.
Scottish doctor James Robson, an integral component of recent Lions tours, will join Woodward in New Zealand as medical chief, while a strong rugby league influence should be exerted by Larder and Oldham-born Mike Ford.
Ford played the 13-a-side code with Wigan, Castleford and South Queensland, among others, and also won Great Britain honours during a 20-year league career.
The highly-rated Ford currently works in a defence capacity for Saracens and the Irish national squad. He linked up with O’Sullivan three years ago.
Llanelli Scarlets rugby director Gareth Jenkins, who was overlooked for the job of Wales coach last March, is likely to complete Woodward’s front-line appointments.
It is understood that Robinson, O’Sullivan and Larder will have responsibility for the weekend Lions team, with a midweek team combination comprising McGeechan, Jenkins and Ford, leaving Woodward to oversee both squads.
“The Lions will be a thoroughly professional set-up,” said Woodward, who is due to announce his 44-man playing squad following the conclusion of this season’s RBS Six Nations Championship.
The tour party will leave London on May 25 next year, ready for an 11-game itinerary that features three Tests against the All Blacks, plus appointments with Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, New Zealand Maori, Wellington, Otago, Southland, Manawatu and Auckland.
For McGeechan, especially, it offers a chance to complete his personal Lions jigsaw, having plotted Test series victories against Australia (1989) and South Africa (1997).
McGeechan’s 1993 Lions, captained by Gavin Hastings, were beaten 2-1 by the All Blacks in a gripping series.
His involvement in the latest Lions expedition could prove significant, while Robinson will be spurred by events Down Under three years ago when Martin Johnson’s tourists came unstuck through an identical series score against the Wallabies.
England, albeit in the non-cap Churchill Cup competition, will be on tour in Canada next June, but it is thought that short trip could be overseen by the likes of Joe Lydon and Jim Mallinder, if Robinson has Lions commitments.
The Scottish Rugby Union, meanwhile, already appear to have made plans for their director of rugby McGeechan’s two-month absence.
“We are planning for next year, and will have the right management structures in place to accommodate the fact a number of employees could potentially be involved in the British and Irish Lions tour,” said SRU chief executive Phil Anderton, following the appointment of Keith Grainger as SRU commercial and marketing director and director of professional rugby.
For Jenkins, the trip at last offers him a chance to showcase his undoubted coaching skills at the highest level.
He led Llanelli to Heineken Cup semi-final appearances in 2000 and 2002 – on both occasions they were denied victory by late penalty goals – and it proved a major shock when he was not appointed Wales coach seven months ago.
Jenkins was a red-hot favourite for the job, but Welsh Rugby Union chiefs appointed Mike Ruddock instead, leaving Jenkins – and the nation’s rugby supporters – in a state of bewilderment.
The one appointment that will not be made tomorrow is the identity of Woodward’s Lions captain.
Ireland skipper Brian Driscoll, who led his country to a Six Nations Triple Crown last term, is the popular choice, although his Test team-mate Paul O’Connell and former England leader Lawrence Dallaglio are among alternative contenders with strong claims.
