NEWS ROUND-UPSHAUN EDWARDS looks certain to join his Wasps colleague Ian McGeechan with the British and Irish Lions in South Africa next year. The club have cleared the way for McGeechan, their director of rugby, to be named tomorrow as Lions head coach for a fourth time.
Premier Rugby in England is considering bringing forward the 2009 Premiership final, which coincides with the first fixture of the Lions tour. Wasps expect Edwards, their head coach, to tour, and they are concerned about the implications if the final is not shifted.
The 10-match Lions tour opens against a Highveld XV in Rustenburg on May 30th, the day the Premiership final is set for Twickenham.
"There are a number of issues," said Wasps' chief executive Tony Copsey. "I have no doubt Geech is the best man for the job, not just because of his considerable experience, ability and his outstanding track record with the Lions, but because he is not in charge of a national side. And being involved with a Premiership side which has a number of cross-border fixtures means he will see the majority of the players who will be in contention for the squad. If we are asked to release him, we will.
"The problem has arisen because . . . the Lions were due to leave for South Africa at a later date. The tour was suddenly brought forward by the home unions and it has left the clubs with fixture complications. As Shaun is sure to be part of the Lions' management team, it gives Wasps a potential problem with the Premiership final in mind."
Premier Rugby last month rejected a request to switch the last day of the Premiership with the Heineken Cup final, which is scheduled for the previous week. Their chief executive, Mark McCafferty, pointed out that the Lions would be in a bigger fix if teams such as the Ospreys and Munster reached the European final. If Wasps make it, McGeechan and Edwards will have to book a later flight.
Meanwhile, as Martin Johnson is fast discovering, managing the England team has its complications. In an ideal world he would be selecting from an injury-free pool of players all clamouring to board the plane to New Zealand on June 2nd.
In reality, the 32-man squad for the two-Test series against the All Blacks is likely to exclude some prominent names who, after a series of phone consultations with Johnson in recent days, will be given a break at the end of a gruelling World Cup season.
Among those already on the sidelines or seriously contemplating a recuperative summer are Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery, Harry Ellis, Lewis Moody, Toby Flood, Ben Kay and James Simpson-Daniel.
Moreover, injuries to Mike Tindall, Matt Stevens, Lee Mears and Paul Sackey at the weekend were untimely to say the least.
Johnson did have some encouraging news yesterday when it became clear that Sackey's knee problem is not desperately serious.
An MRI scan on Tindall's twisted ankle proved inconclusive, and both are set to be named in the squad today; Tindall is still nursing hopes of being appointed tour captain.
Guardian Service
