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I trust that the Lions party have arrived in New Zealand firmly believing that they have a good chance of winning the Test series I certainly think that they have. Now, he is in charge of the New Zealanders and despite having home advantage this time, the same thing could happen to him again.Sir Clive Woodward's squad are much better equipped in manpower and resources than Henry's were in Australia and events might not conspire against Woodward as they did against Henry.It is going to be close and the way the two leaders square up to each other over the next month or so is going to be a fascinating aspect of the tour.If the First Test was due to be played next week rather than 25 June you would be worried at the way the Lions played against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium last Monday evening. There is only a thin line between winning and losing at that rarefied level and if they get the breaks they can succeed. "We've got the makings of a great Test side,'' Woodward said "We respect the All Blacks but we don't fear them.''. "Prince William has been invited by the Lions to join them on their tour to New Zealand. The invitation came from Sir Clive Woodward and is for the Prince to spend time with them in the build-up to the Second and Third Tests and attend both games.''Sir Clive said it would add to the sense of occasion It will certainly add to the security of the tour.
If Prince William wants to watch the Lions fine, but the last thing the tourists need is yet another addition, by Royal Appointment, to a party that could spin out of control.As amiable as he was you wouldn't have seen Carwyn James putting up with this nonsense. Nor would he have had Neil Back, who is suspended for four weeks, ostensibly working as a water carrier in Cardiff but fitted with an earpiece and acting as a tactical go-between.This is the first professional tour to New Zealand and that should favour the Lions, who have considerable resources. Woodward is doing a Roman Abramovich but even that may not be enough The Test count is 26-6 to the All Blacks. It made Henry's life a misery and the upshot was a 2-1 series win for the Wallabies.Presumably Campbell, Tony Blair's consigliere, will be censor in chief in New Zealand but there's one small problem. He'll be sending the odd despatch back on life with the Lions and who is going to censor the censor?And then there's the statement from Clarence House. Having won the World Cup and left Twickenham, the series is Woodward's last challenge in rugby. It is not easy to disagree with somebody who has won the World Cup but too many coaches - the Lions have 10 - can spoil the broth.The All Blacks have three, all of whom have intimate knowledge of the game in Britain, and that is quite enough thank you.There are other disturbing signs The omission of Mark Cueto did not make any sense.
The Sale wing was belatedly added after the withdrawal of Iain Balshaw, but the selection of Balshaw did not make much sense either. What on earth, in the name of New Labour, is he doing on this tour? OK, so the Lions management had a rough ride in Australia in 2001 when several players sold esprit de corps down the Swan River with ill-timed articles that were poison-penned back to Blighty. Nor did the fact that Ireland have more players on duty than Wales. Two of the most potent players in the game, Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson, are not what they were and are by no means certain of making the cut.Then there is the shadow cast by Alastair Campbell. Woodward is red hot on attention to detail; James beat him to it.The coach of coaches, who never coached Wales, compiled dossiers on the New Zealand players and provinces which enabled him to pick sides for specific matches way in advance. He asked Dave Sexton, then the manager of Chelsea, about his training schedules and also borrowed ideas from Wigan rugby league club.John Dawes, the only Lions captain to return from New Zealand victorious, said of his coach: "He was a man who gave so much to other people He never asked for anything for himself. "The success rate in Australia is 60 per cent, in South Africa 30 per cent and in New Zealand 10 per cent It's a tough, tough place to go That's why you want to go there.
