Woodward admits to being ‘too soft’ in training

LIONS captain Brian O’Driscoll is relishing the chance to quickly atone for his side’s defeat to the New Zealand Maori against Wellington on Wednesday.

O’Driscoll is one of three players that started the 19-13 defeat to the Maori in Hamilton on Saturday to have been named in the team to face the NPC powerhouse at the Westpac Stadium.

Josh Lewsey returns at full-back with Julian White at prop while Gethin Jenkins also starts in the front row having come on at the Waikato Stadium as a second-half substitute.

“I’m just glad to be given the chance again so quickly and on Wednesday we can prove what this Lions team is all about,” O’Driscoll said at the team’s new headquarters in Christchurch yesterday.

Having admitted to being out-muscled on Saturday in the Lions’ first defeat of their tour to New Zealand, head coach Clive Woodward admitted he may have been too soft on his players in training.

“I’ve been very keen to keep everyone fresh, but maybe we need to up the ante in training,” Woodward said. “Maybe we’ve been a little bit lacking in the amount of contact work we’ve been doing. As we get closer to the Test matches, we need to stop making excuses. New Zealand’s game against Fiji (a 91-0 victory) was no more than a training run. I want us to arrive a little more match-hardened than the New Zealand team.

Woodward has named what appears to be his likely Test back division to take the field at the Westpac Stadium on Wednesday night.

O’Driscoll will partner Wales’ Gavin Henson in the centres for the second time this tour after their Bay Of Plenty outing.

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson finally makes his tour debut with Dwayne Peel inside him at scrum-half while the back three sees Lewsey keep his place at full back, this time with Gareth Thomas and Jason Robinson on the wings.

The front row also could re-appear for the first test, with Ireland hooker Shane Byrne a replacement for the woeful Steve Thompson. He is joined by Jenkins at tighthead and White at loosehead prop.

There still seem to be places up for grabs in the back five, where England locks Ben Kay and Danny Grewcock form the second row. Simon Easterby, the replacement for Lawrence Dallaglio, makes his Lions debut at flanker with Neil Back free to play at last having served a suspension. Martin Corry makes his fourth appearance this year, this time at No 8 and as vice captain.

Wellington’s utility back Ma’a Nonu is the only All Black that will face the Lions ahead of the Tests, New Zealand coach Graham Henry said yesterday in Hamilton as he named his 26-man squad for the series. All other players named will remain in training camp and under wraps until the first Test in Christchurch on June 25.

Henry caused a stir when he chose to go without specialist cover for Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, omitting flanker Marty Holah and fly-half Andrew Mehrtens from his squad, while wing sensation Joe Rokocoko was also overlooked.

“We want Richie to play every minute of every Test,” Henry’s assistant coach Steve Hansen said, “and it’s better for Marty to keep on playing with the Junior All Blacks than sitting around watching.”

The same applies to Carter with Henry preferring to rely on centre Aaron Mauger and full-back Leon MacDonald as back-up at No 10 and for kicking duties should the first choice fly-half come a cropper.

Rokocoko has paid the price for poor form and has been kept out, ironically, by his cousin, Sitiveni Sivivatu, who scored four tries on his debut on Friday night in the 91-0 slaughter of Fiji in Auckland. Super 12-winning Crusaders star Rico Gear and Doug Howlett were the other wings to get the nod.

NEW ZEALAND SQUAD for Lions Test matches: Backs: D Carter, R Gear, D Howlett, B Kelleher, L MacDonald, J Marshall, A Mauger, M Muliaina, M Nonu, S Sivivatu, C Smith, T Umaga

Forwards: J Collins, C Hayman, C Jack, C Johnstone, S Lauaki, R McCaw, K Mealamu, A Oliver, J Ryan, G Somerville, R So’Oialo, M Tuiali’i, A Williams, T Woodcock. Additional training players: D Whitcombe, J Gibbes.