He has admitted to being tempted into the Ireland role, in part, by the carrot of a less hectic pace of life, so it was ironic yesterday to hear Joe Schmidt talk about being whisked through the suburban traffic of Paris on a motorbike at 140kph.

The British and Irish Lions will face a Bay of Plenty side containing 10 players with Super 12 experience when the teams meet on Saturday.

Bay of Plenty Steamers captain Wayne Ormond has vowed his team will front up against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.

Eleven current or former All Blacks including Carlos Spencer have been named in the New Zealand Maori squad for matches against Fiji and the British and Irish Lions next month.