FORMER England captains Bill Beaumont and Fran Cotton are the two leading candidates to be appointed manager of the Lions' tour of South Africa next year.

Duncan Paterson, former Scottish scrum-half and manager, has also been in the frame for the job and the four home unions will announce their decision today.

Beaumont and Cotton have remarkably similar backgrounds, and importantly, experience of South Africa.

Cotton toured South Africa with Campbell in 1972 and with the Lions in 1974 and 1980. He won 31 England caps against Beaumont's 34. Beaumont was the Lions' captain in South Africa in 1980.

The manager will nominate his own coaches in time for the selection process to start when the season opens in August.

Ironically, an English manager faces the prospect of having no English players in the squad if the feud over TV rights between England and the other three nations is not resolved.