LIONS TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA: IAN McGEECHAN confirmed he will not be replacing injured centre Tom Shanklin as the 2009 British and Irish Lions squad met for the first time yesterday without two other significant names.
Northampton refused to release Scotland prop Euan Murray for a five-hour session of handshakes, introductions, planning and sponsors commitments.
Shanklin was ruled out of the South Africa tour after suffering a dislocated shoulder and McGeechan’s decision will come as a disappointment to potential replacements such as Delon Armitage and Gordon D’Arcy.
McGeechan had originally named a 37-man squad to cover the possibility of 14 Lions being involved in Saturday’s Heineken Cup final if Munster and Cardiff had both reached Murrayfield.
But with only five Lions involved in Leinster’s clash with Leicester on Saturday, McGeechan decided he would trim the party back down to help accelerate the squad’s development. The Lions only have six games before the first Test and McGeechan said: “With the short run-up to that first Test it is getting that balance to give players game time.
“The way it has fallen with the European Cup final it has allowed us to free up a few other players, particularly in that 13 channel.
“Luke Fitzgerald and Keith Earls can play there and we knew that when we picked the squad. I didn’t see the necessity to bring someone else out at 13 without giving the opportunity to the players that we have got. By going back to 36 players it does up the game time for some of them.”
Instead, it is the European Challenge Cup final on Friday night that has caused the headache, with Northampton, who face Bourgoin at The Stoop, invoking their right not to release Murray outside of a Test week.
The Lions squad leave for Johannesburg next Sunday. Their opening game is against a Royal XV in Rustenburg on May 30th. The Royal Highveld squad includes Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius and centre Deon van Rensburg. “The Lions must know they are coming to South Africa for a first match that won’t be easy,” said Highveld coach Chaka Willemse.
ROYAL HIGHVELD XV(squad): Russell Jeacocks (Leopards), Colin Lloyd (Leopards), Egon Seconds (Griquas), Bjorn Basson (Griquas), Deon van Rensburg (Leopards), Basil de Doncker (Leopards), Hanno Coetzee (Griquas) Riaan Viljoen (Griquas), Naas Olivier (Griquas), Michael Bondesio (Leopards), Jacques Coetzee (Pumas), Sarel Pretorius (Griquas), Jonathan Makoena (Griquas), RW Kember (Leopards) Devon Raubenheimer (Griquas), Wilhelm Koch (Leopards), Jaco Bouwer (Pumas), Ligtoring Landman (Leopards), Rudi Mathee (Leopards), Jacques Lombard (Griquas), Bees Roux (Griquas) Rayno Barnes (Griquas), Hannes Franklin (Pumas), Pellow van der Westhuizen (Leopards) Albertus Buckle (Griquas), Dawie Steyn (Pumas), Stef Roberts (Griquas).
Quinlan appeals
MUNSTER’S ALAN Quinlan will attend an appeal hearing in Glasgow tomorrow afternoon along with his legal representative, former Ireland international Donal Spring, reports Gavin Cummiskey.
The three-man independent appeal committee comprises Prof Lorne Crerar, Rod McKenzie (both Scotland) and Judge Jeff Blackett (England).
Quinlan is seeking to overturn a 12-week suspension after being found guilty last week of making contact with the eye area of Leinster captain Leo Cullen in the Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park on May 2nd.
The independent disciplinary committee determined the offence to be at the low-range level of seriousness but the long-serving Munster and Irish flanker is suspended until September 9th and is due to be replaced in the Lions squad by Leicester’s Tom Croft.
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