Byrne wants no regrets

Ireland hooker Shane Byrne is relishing every minute of his first Lions tour, openly admitting: “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

But the 38 times-capped Leinster forward might just have given himself a chance of crowning his trip to New Zealand in style.

An outstanding display against Wellington last night has thrust Byrne into Lions Test contention, with the opening All Blacks showdown looming in Christchurch next week.

Competition is tough, with England hooker Steve Thompson and Scotland’s Gordon Bulloch also in the frame, yet Byrne has ensured he is there at the sharp end, come Test selection time.

“You can’t think about it, because you would drive yourself nuts. You have just got to make sure you are in a position whereby you have done what you can,” he said.

“You don’t want to be there, asking yourself questions ‘why didn’t I do this, why didn’t I do that?’ You just want to make sure that you have put your hand up, and I am there if they want to me.

“I was well aware that the Wellington game was my chance, so I very definitely was going out with that in mind.

“This is great. Being on the tour provides a real buzz, and I am enjoying every minute.”

Lions head coach Sir Clive Woodward, meanwhile, believes he is on course to deliver one of his primary tour objectives – producing a “fit and fresh” Lions team for next week’s first Test.

The Lions head to Dunedin tomorrow, and an appointment with Otago, as Woodward’s Test selection D-day draws ever closer.

Time is running out for players to make an impression before facing the All Blacks back in Christchurch, but Woodward delivered an upbeat message from the Lions’ den.

“The whole aim has been to make sure when Brian O’Driscoll runs out next Saturday, he’s got behind him a very well prepared, fresh team. I think I am on course to deliver that, and if we do, we’ve got a chance,” he said.

Several of Woodward’s Test team selections are automatic choices – O’Driscoll, full-back Josh Lewsey, scrum-half Dwayne Peel, lock Paul O’Connell and number eight Martin Corry, to name five – but he insists that chances remain to make a case, both against Otago and when the Lions tackle Southland in Invercargill next Tuesday.

“To me, winning is what sport’s about. If you win, you tend to move forward with a bit of momentum. If you lose, it’s a setback,” Woodward added.

“The Lions tours to his country and every country have changed so much. It’s not like it used to be, where you might kind of go out and play a second-rate team.

“Every game we play on this trip is full-on, and it doesn’t matter if you are playing Saturday or Wednesday.

“We have got to get rid of this lingo of ‘dirt-trackers’ because there are not enough games. We only play 11 matches, and it’s a midweek team only because it plays on a Wednesday. Apart from that, the definition goes out of the window.”