Woodward sticks with old comrades

RUGBY/Lions Tour: The day before, Graham Henry had veered slightly toward experience and form in basing his selection around a proven, winning team. For his part, Clive Woodward jumped headlong into the tried and trusted formula of his English World Cup-winning side, while in places blithely ignoring form.

Perhaps only Woodward could be predictable yet puzzling. From a long way out, this was the kind of team for the first Test that you expected it to be, all the more so when the vibes from the camp and press conferences intimated Jonny Wilkinson would be accommodated at inside centre.

The golden boy is one of eight of that World Cup-winning team to be dusted off and provide the bulk of the side to face the All Blacks in the first Test in Christchurch on Saturday, with another four on the bench. And importantly, they have actually beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand (in Wellington two years ago).

The team's youngest player is 23-year-old scrumhalf Dwayne Peel, while five of the pack are aged 31 or over, and the starting XV has a combined 696 caps.

Wilkinson is one of six players who have started only one match out of six on this tour, in large part owing to circumstances, but it's puzzling that he and Shane Byrne (who joins Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell in the starting line-up, with Shane Horgan on the bench) weren't employed more. Wilkinson especially, has played only seven matches this calendar year and on his sole tour start, against Wellington, looked more in need of games than anyone.

He's more an Ivan Lendl than a John McEnroe, and his selection is based more on past achievements than form, all the more so as he is being employed in a position where he last played for England in 1999.

"I went with Jonny because I almost feel that centre is his better position - but I don't think there is a lot of difference between 10 and 12," said Woodward in part explanation.

"Watching the Six Nations I was immensely impressed with Stephen (Jones) and Dwayne, especially in the second half against France. Under pressure they really delivered and that's when I first started thinking who is going to play outside them.

"They have taken their chances on this tour and when Jonny became fit, watching him play and knowing him as a player, putting him at 12 was always an option. Playing Jonny at 12 alongside Stephen is a huge bonus. There is a left-foot/right-foot kicking option and it also gives you great strike power in terms of your passing game."

This left-foot/right-foot combination strongly hints at the Lions applying territorial pressure on the All Blacks with a kicking game, and the selection of Byrne and Ben Kay over Steve Thompson and Danny Grewcock highlights the importance of a secure lineout with which to launch their maul.

The forecast, despite recent unseasonally fine weather, is for heavy rain at the weekend, all the more likely with a night-time kick-off. And certainly the signals are that O'Driscoll and the outside three will be unleashed selectively at best.

"It's an incredibly exciting backline, both attacking-wise and defensively," maintained Woodward, and there does appear to have been a very high emphasis placed on the abilities of all the chosen backs to adhere to Phil Larder's defensive system.

Another curiosity is the choice of Robinson at fullback with Josh Lewsey on the wing, even though the latter has looked far more of a strike option at fullback than the former rugby league man ever has, and what's more, Robinson's one appearance on tour was on the wing. Again, the back three line-up suggests defence was uppermost in mind.

Aside from the positional concerns over Robinson and Wilkinson, neither can be said to be a form selection, and ditto Richard Hill over Simon Easterby, Martin Corry over Ryan Jones, the high-impact Andy Sheridan over the veteran Graham Rowntree and Will Greenwood on the bench.

Curiously, despite having said the 22 sent to Invercargill to play Southland would not be considered for the first Test, Woodward revealed that in light of that scratchy win, the performances of several players were reviewed with a mind to changing the 22 for the first Test.

It seems Gavin Henson was again uppermost in his thoughts, and he also mentioned Donncha O'Callaghan and Lewis Moody by name, though it may have in part been a sop to the Welsh in particular and the midweekers in general.

Henson, he said, had "done everything right, he's done nothing wrong at all". Which, of course, cannot be the case. At any rate, it made you wonder how, if this were so, he didn't make the 22.

Woodward seems acutely conscious of the bad press he is receiving in Wales. For even though four of their Grand Slam team have made the starting 15, there is uproar over the exclusion of Shane Williams as well as Henson and Michael Owen.

The Lions head coach maintained he was unaware of what the national divvy-up was when reminded of his previous number crunching in favour of Irish and Welsh players at the start and end of the Six Nations. For the record, it's eight English, four Welsh and three Irish (with a 13-5-4 spilt in the 22). Bar the injury to Lawrence Dallaglio and Byrne's accuracy over the misfiring Thompson, this is a team and squad that could have been picked a long way out.

And yet for all the contradictions in this selection, there is a logic to them in that it all adheres to Woodward's mantra about delivering the best-prepared and freshest team to play for the Lions at the start of a series.

As an aside, the body language of the assistants suggests Andy Robinson is much happier than Eddie O'Sullivan, whose profile has palpably dipped in the last week and a half. But you have to admit it: Woodward has been true to his own hunches.

15. Jason Robinson (England)

14. Josh Lewsey (England)

13. Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland) capt

12. Jonny Wilkinson (England)

11. Gareth Thomas (Wales)

10. Stephen Jones (Wales)

9. Dwayne Peel (Wales),

1. Gethin Jenkins (Wales)

2. Shane Byrne (Ireland)

3. Julian White (England)

4. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)

5. Ben Kay (England)

6. Richard Hill (England)

7. Neil Back (England)

8. Martin Corry (England)

Replacements: Steve Thompson (England), Graham Rowntree (England), Danny Grewcock (England), Ryan Jones (Wales), Matt Dawson (England), Will Greenwood (England), Shane Horgan (Ireland).

First Test: Jade Stadium, Christchurch, Saturday, 8.10am Irish time