Woodward drops a Lions hint

Clive Woodward has chosen Ireland's captain Brian O'Driscoll to lead the Northern Hemisphere team against their Southern Hemisphere counterparts in the IRB Rugby Aid match at Twickenham on March 5th.

Woodward is head coach of the Northern Hemisphere team but it's in his capacity as Lions coach for the summer tour to New Zealand that has set tongues wagging about his choice of captain.

O'Driscoll is a leading contender for the Lions honour and Woodward's decision to name him captain of the Northern Hemisphere team is seen as a precursor to the Lions nomination. The former England supremo though was giving nothing away.

He simply stated that: "We have a fantastic group of players that are being invited to play and I am looking forward to choosing the starting XV for the game in March and working with such an outstanding player as Brian in his role as captain."

O'Driscoll is joined by fellow Irish internationals David Humphreys, Paul O'Connell and Malcolm O'Kelly. The Scottish triumvirate of scrumhalf Chris Cusiter, number eight Simon Taylor and hooker Gordon Bulloch have already been named in the team.

Woodward added: "I think that all of the rugby community recognises the importance of getting behind this game, not only the players and coaches but administrators, clubs and unions, all of whom are looking to support the nations affected by the tragedy.

He has named former Ireland coach Brian Ashton and Llanelli's director of coaching Gareth Jenkins to help him prepare the Northern Hemisphere team.

Woodward's Southern Hemisphere counterpart Rod Macqueen named a very strong team and one that included the captains of New Zealand (Tana Umaga), Australia (George Gregan) and South Africa (John Smit), with Gregan being handed the overall honour.

Omar Hasan of Argentina and Rupeni Caucau of Fiji, who have both expressed a strong desire to play, are awaiting final confirmation from their clubs that they can be released. They will join Fijians Ifereimi Rawaqa and Serili Bobo, and some of the leading players from the SANZAR countries.

Macqueen admitted: "We are fortunate to have many leaders in the team and the players are very enthusiastic about the match. With the help of Morné du Plessis and Ian Jones, we have assembled the best possible team to represent the South in what is sure to be an historic and entertaining match. We would like to thank the unions and also CEOs and coaches of the clubs and provinces who have released their players. They have recognised the magnitude of this cause and put the tsunami match ahead of their own competitions, for which they should be congratulated."

The proceeds from the match will go to the IRB's humanitarian partner, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) to support their vital work in the long-term rebuilding of the region following the devastating tsunami on December 26th, 2004.

Meanwhile, RTÉ has won the battle for the rights to broadcast the Six Nations on both television and radio.

The public service broadcaster announced that they had negotiated a deal up to and including the 2009 rugby season.

This guarantees that every Six Nations match will be available live to RTÉ viewers and listeners under the terms of the deal, which lasts for four seasons from 2006. Glen Killane, RTÉ Head of TV Sport, said: "We're thrilled to be able to make this announcement which means that once again, all of the Irish public will be able to watch rugby's most competitive tournament live on free-to-air television.

"Bringing the big competitions to the widest possible audience is one of the things we strive to deliver, and the RBS Six Nations certainly falls into that category. We're looking forward to ensuring that this continues in the years ahead."

John Feehan, Chief Executive, RBS Six Nations said: "The RBS Six Nations are delighted to be renewing their longstanding relationship with RTÉ, the major sports broadcaster in Ireland.

"The RBS Six Nations is a wonderful tournament and this agreement will continue to bring it to the widest possible audience on both television and radio."

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE (versus Northern Hemisphere, Twickenham, March 5th): C Latham (Australia); R Caucaunibuca (Fiji), J Fourie (South Africa), T Umaga (New Zealand), S Bobo (Fiji); A Mehrtens (New Zealand), G Gregan (Australia, captain); C Hoeft (New Zealand), J Smit (South Africa), O Hasan (Argentina), V Matfield (South Africa), I Rawaqa (Fiji), S Burger (South Africa), P Waugh (Australia), J Kaino (New Zealand).