O’Connell leads Lions
IAN McGEECHAN has unveiled a British & Irish Lions squad to play South Africa led by Ireland’s Paul O’Connell, with the Irish and Welsh between them having virtually three-quarters of the party.
England’s eight Lions are their lowest for 26 years and almost an entire team’s worth of players could be involved with Munster or Cardiff in the European Cup final one week before the Lions open against a Highveld XV in Rustenburg.
“The tour to South Africa represents a huge challenge for the touring party as we’ll be playing against the world champions,” O’Connell said. “However, I’m confident we have the talent and attitude to represent the famous shirt to the best of our ability and to be successful.”
The Lions’s 10 games include three Tests, with the first in Durban on June 20.