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2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa

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(Redirected from 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa) International rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009

2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 Lions tour logo
Date30 May – 4 July
Coach(es)Scotland Ian McGeechan
Tour captain(s)Ireland Paul O'Connell
Test series winners South Africa (2–1)
Top test point scorer(s)Wales Stephen Jones (39)
Lions' top point scorer(s)Wales Stephen Jones (65)
Top test try scorer(s)England Tom Croft (2)
Wales Shane Williams (2)
Lions' top try scorer(s)England Ugo Monye (5)
Player of the SeriesWales Jamie Roberts
← New Zealand 2005 Australia 2013 →
Series of rugby union matches
2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa
Summary
P W D L
Total
10 08 00 02
Test match
03 01 00 02
Opponent
P W D L
 South Africa
3 1 0 2

The 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009.

The British & Irish Lions played a three-match Test series against South Africa, with matches in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg, as well as matches against six provincial teams, and a match against the Emerging Springboks, South Africa's second national team. The Lions won all six provincial matches and drew with the Emerging Springboks, 13–13.

South Africa won the Test series, defeating the Lions 26–21 in the first Test, and then 28–25 in the second Test. The third Test was won by the Lions 28–9. The highlight of the series was the second Test, which the Lions led until the 76th minute, when they fell 25–22 behind. Stephen Jones then scored a penalty to tie the score at 25–25 with only two minutes left, but two minutes into injury time, Morné Steyn scored a 52-metre penalty kick to win the match for South Africa, 28–25.

The tour followed the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and preceded the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.

Background

The tour was confirmed by the South African Rugby Union on 21 September 2007. The Lions chief executive John Feehan stated in November 2007 that no home Test match would be played prior to departure, as had taken place in 2005, and that fewer players and personnel would go to South Africa than had gone to New Zealand in 2005.

The Lions' tour manager was Gerald Davies, the head coach was Ian McGeechan, and the captain of the squad was Munster captain and Ireland lock, Paul O'Connell.

The tour schedule was announced by the Lions and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) on 10 April 2008. The final fixture confirmed was the game in Port Elizabeth; on 22 January 2009, SARU announced that they had received permission from the South African government to hold the match on the Youth Day national holiday on 16 June. This match marked the debut of the Southern Kings, a franchise formed in the Southern and Eastern Cape region, following the failure of the Southern Spears.

Head coach Ian McGeechan had planned to take the Lions squad to the Spanish city of Granada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains for a high-altitude training camp, but on 27 April he announced that it had been cancelled because of problems over player availability. The Lions flew to South Africa on 24 May, arriving the following day.

The format was similar to that of the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand. As in 2005, six games were played before the first Test, and a mid-week game between the first and second Tests; unlike 2005, there was no mid-week game between the second and third Tests. Due to its unpopularity, The Power of Four anthem was not used on the 2009 tour.

Schedule

Date Home team Score Away team Venue
30 May Royal XV 25–37 British & Irish Lions Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
3 June Golden Lions 10–74 British & Irish Lions Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
6 June Free State Cheetahs 24–26 British & Irish Lions Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
10 June Sharks 3–39 British & Irish Lions Kings Park Stadium, Durban
13 June Western Province 23–26 British & Irish Lions Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
16 June Southern Kings 8–20 British & Irish Lions Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
20 June South Africa 26–21 British & Irish Lions Kings Park Stadium, Durban
23 June Emerging Springboks 13–13 British & Irish Lions Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
27 June South Africa 28–25 British & Irish Lions Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
4 July South Africa 9–28 British & Irish Lions Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Test series

First Test

South Africa won the first Test in Durban 26–21. Leading 19–7 at half-time and 26–7 after 50 minutes, the Springboks had dominated the scrum until the Lions made several substitutions. The Lions mounted a strong comeback, scoring late tries through Tom Croft and Mike Phillips, but South Africa held on. Inside the last ten minutes of the game, the Lions had two tries disallowed by the TMO. It was later described as an "unbelievable" Test match.

Second Test

The second Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria was won by South Africa 28–25 with the last kick of the game – a penalty by Morné Steyn from inside his own half. The Lions had led 19–8 after an hour, but tries from Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie allowed South Africa to tie the score before Steyn's series-winning kick. It was described as "devastation" for the Lions, with the team ending the game "looking more like a scene from ER as opposed to a rugby team".

Controversy

The week of the third Test was marked by controversy and intense media interest surrounding the suspended Springbok players Schalk Burger and Bakkies Botha after a very physical second Test.

Burger was yellow-carded in the first minute, after he appeared to gouge Luke Fitzgerald's eye. Burger was subsequently banned for eight weeks for "making contact with the face in the eye area." He was cleared of gouging, as his action was found to be "reckless" but not intentional.

Burger was widely criticised, with many commentators believing he should have been sent off for the incident. Brian O'Driscoll was among many who criticised South Africa coach Peter de Villiers after he said Burger's actions should not even have led to a yellow card.

Bakkies Botha was banned for two weeks for a dangerous charge on prop Adam Jones, which left Jones with a dislocated shoulder. SA Rugby expressed their confusion over the reasons for Botha's ban with the coach calling it a "textbook cleanout". An appeal was lodged but the initial ruling was upheld. Coaches and players expressed concern about the impact such an interpretation might have on a core component of the game, with Lions player Phil Vickery and forwards coach Warren Gatland lending their support to Botha's case. The injured Jones himself later came out in defence of Botha saying:

"Botha shouldn't have been banned for it, nowhere near it. I don't have any complaints. He just cleared me out of the ruck and I got caught. Everyone counter-rucks nowadays and, if anything, I was in the wrong place. He just hit me and I was unlucky. So I was surprised to see he got banned. I know we didn't cite him so I don't know why the independent commissioner did. It was just a fair ruck from a hard player. When I have met him before he seems like a tidy enough bloke so I'm not seeing it as anything malicious."

The Springboks came out for the third Test wearing white armbands with the words "Justice 4" on, in protest over perceived inconsistencies in the citing process. This protest was investigated by the IRB for allegedly "bringing the game in disrepute", and the team and management were fined accordingly.

Third Test

The Lions won the third Test on 4 July at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, beating the Springboks 28–9, in what The Times called "one of the best and most heroic performances in the history of the Lions". Having already won the series, the Springbok squad saw 10 changes from the previous week, and the Lions also saw substantial changes. The Lions led from the start, and Shane Williams scored two tries. England lock Simon Shaw was sin-binned for striking Springboks scrum-half Fourie du Preez with his knee in this test and received a two-week ban as a result. This was the first Test victory for the Lions in eight years, their last being in Brisbane in 2001.

Jamie Roberts was voted the Lions' sponsors' 'Player of the Series' by British and Irish journalists.

Results

All times are local (UTC+2)
30 May 2009
15:00
Royal XV25–37 British & Irish Lions
Try: Koch 17' c
Barnes 26' m
Roux 65' c
Con: Olivier
Viljoen
Pen: Olivier (2) 9', 23'		ReportTry: Bowe 38' c
Byrne 67' c
A.W. Jones 75' c
O'Gara 79' c
Con: O'Gara (4)
Pen: O'Gara (3) 6', 42', 72'
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Attendance: 12,352
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
3 June 2009
19:10
Golden Lions10–74 British & Irish Lions
Try: Frolick 36' c
Con: Pretorius
Pen: Pretorius 14'		ReportTry: Roberts (2) 6' c, 40' c
O'Driscoll 10' c
Monye (2) 21' m, 68' c
Croft 29' c
Bowe (2) 47' c, 57' c
Hook 74' c
Ferris 80' c
Con: S. Jones (6/7)
Hook (3/3)
Pen: S. Jones (2) 12', 17'
Coca Cola Park, Johannesburg
Attendance: 22,218
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
6 June 2009
15:00
Free State Cheetahs24–26 British & Irish Lions
Try: Demas 25' c
du Preez 33' c
Uys 72' c
Con: Potgieter (2)
Strydom
Pen: Potgieter 41'		ReportTry: Ferris 10' c
Earls 16' c
Con: Hook (2/2)
Pen: Hook (4) 5', 19', 37', 49'
Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
Attendance: 23,710
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
10 June 2009
19:10
Sharks3–39 British & Irish Lions
Pen: Kockott 29'ReportTry: Mears 22' c
Phillips 41' m
Fitzgerald 59' c
Byrne 67' c
Heaslip 80' c
Con: O'Gara (3/4)
Hook (1/1)
Pen: O'Gara (2) 48', 52'
ABSA Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 21,530
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
13 June 2009
15:00
Western Province23–26 British & Irish Lions
Try: Pietersen 63' m
Pen: De Waal (4/5) 3', 40+2', 47', 60'
Drop: De Waal (1/1) 19'
Pietersen (1/2) 27'		ReportTry: Bowe 28' m
Monye 35' c
M. Williams 55' m
Con: S. Jones (1/3)
Pen: S. Jones (2/3) 6', 11'
Hook (1/2) 77'
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 34,176
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
16 June 2009
15:00
Southern Kings8–20 British & Irish Lions
Try: Mbiyozo 71' m
Pen: Van der Westhuyzen 1'		ReportTry: Monye 49' c
Penalty try 68' c
Con: O'Gara (2/2)
Pen: O'Gara (2/3) 26', 43'
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Attendance: 35,883
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

First Test

20 June 2009
15:00
South Africa 26–21 British & Irish Lions
Try: Smit 5' c
Brüssow 46' c
Con: Pienaar (2/2)
Pen: Pienaar (3/4) 11', 32', 35'
F. Steyn (1/2) 20'		ReportTry: Croft (2) 22' c, 67' c
Phillips 74' c
Con: S. Jones (3/3)
ABSA Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 47,813
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Team details
South Africa British & Irish Lions

FB 15 François Steyn
RW 14 JP Pietersen
OC 13 Adrian Jacobs downward-facing red arrow 74'
IC 12 Jean de Villiers downward-facing red arrow 57'
LW 11 Bryan Habana
FH 10 Ruan Pienaar red cross icon 64' to 74'
SH 9 Fourie du Preez downward-facing red arrow 69'
LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira downward-facing red arrow 64'
HK 2 Bismarck du Plessis
TP 3 John Smit (c) red cross icon 64' to 76'
LL 4 Bakkies Botha downward-facing red arrow 57'
RL 5 Victor Matfield
OF 6 Heinrich Brüssow downward-facing red arrow 51'
BF 7 Juan Smith
N8 8 Pierre Spies
Substitutes:
PR 16 Gurthro Steenkamp upward-facing green arrow 64'
PR 17 Deon Carstens upward-facing green arrow 64' downward-facing red arrow 76'
LK 18 Andries Bekker upward-facing green arrow 57'
N8 19 Danie Rossouw upward-facing green arrow 51'
SH 20 Ricky Januarie upward-facing green arrow 69'
CE 21 Jaque Fourie upward-facing green arrow 57'
FH 22 Morné Steyn upward-facing green arrow 64'
Coach:
South Africa Peter de Villiers
FB 15 Wales Lee Byrne downward-facing red arrow 37'
RW 14 Ireland Tommy Bowe
OC 13 Ireland Brian O'Driscoll
IC 12 Wales Jamie Roberts
LW 11 England Ugo Monye
FH 10 Wales Stephen Jones
SH 9 Wales Mike Phillips
LP 1 Wales Gethin Jenkins
HK 2 England Lee Mears downward-facing red arrow 49'
TP 3 England Phil Vickery downward-facing red arrow 44'
LL 4 Wales Alun Wyn Jones downward-facing red arrow 69'
RL 5 Ireland Paul O'Connell (c)
BF 6 England Tom Croft
OF 7 Ireland David Wallace downward-facing red arrow 66'
N8 8 Ireland Jamie Heaslip
Substitutes:
HK 16 Wales Matthew Rees upward-facing green arrow 49'
PR 17 Wales Adam Jones upward-facing green arrow 44'
LK 18 Ireland Donncha O'Callaghan upward-facing green arrow 69'
FL 19 Wales Martyn Williams upward-facing green arrow 66'
SH 20 England Harry Ellis
FH 21 Ireland Ronan O'Gara
FB 22 Ireland Rob Kearney upward-facing green arrow 37'
Coach:
Scotland Ian McGeechan
Team Kick % Line breaks Defenders beaten Passes in contact Mauls won Possession lost Tackles made Tackles missed Scrums Lineouts Penalties conceded
South Africa 75% 0 2 2 28/32 10 101 8 7/7 9/10 9
British & Irish Lions 60% 4 8 15 78/82 11 42 4 11/15 9/12 12
23 June 2009
19:10
Emerging Springboks13–13 British & Irish Lions
Try: Demas 80' c
Con: De Waal (1/1)
Pen: Rose (2/4) 37', 49'		ReportTry: Earls 15' c
Con: O'Gara (1/1)
Pen: O'Gara (1/2) 8'
Hook (1/1) 77'
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 39,418
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Second Test

27 June 2009
15:00
South Africa 28–25 British & Irish Lions
Try: Pietersen 12' m
Habana 63' c
Fourie 74' c
Con: M. Steyn (2/2)
Pen: F. Steyn (1/2) 40+1'
M. Steyn (2/2) 68', 80+1'		ReportTry: Kearney 7' c
Con: S. Jones (1/1)
Pen: S. Jones (5/5) 3', 15', 61', 70', 78'
Drop: S. Jones (1/1) 36'
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Attendance: 52,511
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Team details
South Africa British & Irish Lions

FB 15 François Steyn
RW 14 JP Pietersen
OC 13 Adrian Jacobs
IC 12 Jean de Villiers downward-facing red arrow 56'
LW 11 Bryan Habana
FH 10 Ruan Pienaar downward-facing red arrow 61'
SH 9 Fourie du Preez
LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira
HK 2 Bismarck du Plessis
TP 3 John Smit (c)
LL 4 Bakkies Botha downward-facing red arrow 59'
RL 5 Victor Matfield
OF 6 Schalk Burger yellow card 1' to 11'
BF 7 Juan Smith downward-facing red arrow 59'
N8 8 Pierre Spies
Substitutes:
HK 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle
PR 17 Deon Carstens
LK 18 Andries Bekker upward-facing green arrow 59'
N8 19 Danie Rossouw upward-facing green arrow 59' downward-facing red arrow 61'
FL 20 Heinrich Brüssow upward-facing green arrow 61'
CE 21 Jaque Fourie upward-facing green arrow 56'
FH 22 Morné Steyn upward-facing green arrow 61'
Coach:
South Africa Peter de Villiers
FB 15 Ireland Rob Kearney
RW 14 Ireland Tommy Bowe
OC 13 Ireland Brian O'Driscoll downward-facing red arrow 65'
IC 12 Wales Jamie Roberts downward-facing red arrow 67'
LW 11 Ireland Luke Fitzgerald
FH 10 Wales Stephen Jones
SH 9 Wales Mike Phillips
LP 1 Wales Gethin Jenkins red cross icon 23' to 31' downward-facing red arrow 45'
HK 2 Wales Matthew Rees
TP 3 Wales Adam Jones downward-facing red arrow 45'
LL 4 England Simon Shaw
RL 5 Ireland Paul O'Connell (c)
BF 6 England Tom Croft
OF 7 IrelandDavid Wallace downward-facing red arrow 68'
N8 8 IrelandJamie Heaslip
Substitutes:
HK 16 Scotland Ross Ford
PR 17 England Andrew Sheridan upward-facing green arrow 23' downward-facing red arrow 31' upward-facing green arrow 45'
LK 18 Wales Alun Wyn Jones upward-facing green arrow 45'
FL 19 Wales Martyn Williams upward-facing green arrow 68'
SH 20 England Harry Ellis
FH 21 Ireland Ronan O'Gara upward-facing green arrow 67'
WG 22 Wales Shane Williams upward-facing green arrow 65'
Coach:
Scotland Ian McGeechan
Team Kick % Line breaks Defenders beaten Passes in contact Mauls won Possession lost Tackles made Tackles missed Scrums Lineouts Penalties conceded
South Africa 55.6% 4 14 3 56/63 16 97 8 5/7 8/9 11
British & Irish Lions 100% 3 8 5 83/87 11 84 14 6/6 12/15 12

Third Test

4 July 2009
15:00
South Africa 9–28 British & Irish Lions
Pen: M. Steyn (3/3) 12', 40+1', 68'ReportTry: S. Williams (2) 25' m, 33' c
Monye 54' c
Con: S. Jones (2/3)
Pen: S. Jones (3/4) 9', 72', 73'
Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Attendance: 58,318
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Team details
South Africa British & Irish Lions

FB 15 Zane Kirchner downward-facing red arrow 57'
RW 14 Odwa Ndungane
OC 13 Jaque Fourie red cross icon 23' to 24'
IC 12 Wynand Olivier
LW 11 Jongi Nokwe downward-facing red arrow 64'
FH 10 Morné Steyn
SH 9 Fourie du Preez downward-facing red arrow 41'
LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira downward-facing red arrow 72'
HK 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle downward-facing red arrow 41'
TP 3 John Smit (c)
LL 4 Johann Muller
RL 5 Victor Matfield
OF 6 Heinrich Brüssow
BF 7 Juan Smith
N8 8 Ryan Kankowski
Substitutes:
HK 16 Bismarck du Plessis upward-facing green arrow 41'
PR 17 Gurthro Steenkamp upward-facing green arrow 72'
PR 18 Deon Carstens
LK 19 Steven Sykes
N8 20 Pierre Spies upward-facing green arrow 64'
FH 21 Ruan Pienaar upward-facing green arrow 41'
FB 22 François Steyn upward-facing green arrow 23' downward-facing red arrow 24' upward-facing green arrow 57'
Coach:
South Africa Peter de Villiers
FB 15 Ireland Rob Kearney
RW 14 England Ugo Monye
OC 13 Ireland Tommy Bowe
IC 12 England Riki Flutey downward-facing red arrow 55'
LW 11 Wales Shane Williams
FH 10 Wales Stephen Jones
SH 9 Wales Mike Phillips
LP 1 England Andrew Sheridan
HK 2 Wales Matthew Rees downward-facing red arrow 37'
TP 3 England Phil Vickery downward-facing red arrow 55'
LL 4 England Simon Shaw yellow card 37' to 47' downward-facing red arrow 69'
RL 5 Ireland Paul O'Connell (c)
BF 6 England Joe Worsley red cross icon 31' to 34' downward-facing red arrow 66'
OF 7 Wales Martyn Williams downward-facing red arrow 76'
N8 8 Ireland Jamie Heaslip
Substitutes:
HK 16 Scotland Ross Ford upward-facing green arrow 37'
PR 17 Ireland John Hayes upward-facing green arrow 55'
LK 18 Wales Alun Wyn Jones upward-facing green arrow 69'
FL 19 Ireland David Wallace upward-facing green arrow 76'
FL 20 England Tom Croft upward-facing green arrow 31' downward-facing red arrow 34' upward-facing green arrow 66'
SH 21 England Harry Ellis upward-facing green arrow 55'
FH 22 Wales James Hook
Coach:
Scotland Ian McGeechan
Team Kick % Line breaks Defenders beaten Passes in contact Mauls won Possession lost Tackles made Tackles missed Scrums Lineouts Penalties conceded
South Africa 100% 3 5 12 64/69 16 93 5 5/6 15/18 9
British & Irish Lions 62.5% 7 5 15 66/77 10 102 5 6/7 9/10 16

Lions squad

The Lions announced a 37-man squad on 21 April 2009. Before the start of the tour Tomás O'Leary, Tom Shanklin and Jerry Flannery all withdrew because of injuries and Alan Quinlan was suspended. During the tour, Leigh Halfpenny, Stephen Ferris, Euan Murray, Lee Byrne, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll, as well as Ferris' replacement Ryan Jones, were forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury. Nathan Hines was suspended for one week because of a dangerous tackle against the Emerging Springboks.

Player Position Home union Club Notes
Jerry Flannery Hooker Ireland Ireland Munster Originally selected; withdrew before tour due to injury; replaced by Ross Ford
Ross Ford Hooker Scotland Scotland Edinburgh Replacement for Jerry Flannery before tour
Lee Mears Hooker England England Bath
Matthew Rees Hooker Wales Wales Scarlets
John Hayes Prop Ireland Ireland Munster Replacement for Euan Murray during tour
Gethin Jenkins Prop Wales Wales Cardiff Blues
Adam Jones Prop Wales Wales Ospreys Withdrew due to injury during tour
Euan Murray Prop Scotland Scotland Northampton Saints Withdrew due to injury during tour; replaced by John Hayes
Tim Payne Prop England England London Wasps Replacement due to injury to Andrew Sheridan during tour
Andrew Sheridan Prop England England Sale Sharks
Phil Vickery Prop England England London Wasps
Nathan Hines Lock Scotland Scotland Perpignan Suspended for a week for a dangerous tackle against the Emerging Springboks
Alun Wyn Jones Lock Wales Wales Ospreys
Donncha O'Callaghan Lock Ireland Ireland Munster
Paul O'Connell (c) Lock Ireland Ireland Munster
Simon Shaw Lock England England London Wasps
Tom Croft Flanker England England Leicester Tigers Replacement for Alan Quinlan before tour
Stephen Ferris Flanker Ireland Ireland Ulster Originally selected; withdrew due to injury during tour; replaced by Ryan Jones
Ryan Jones Flanker Wales Wales Ospreys Replacement for Stephen Ferris; withdrew on arrival in South Africa due to previous injury
Alan Quinlan Flanker Ireland Ireland Munster Originally selected; suspended before tour; replaced by Tom Croft
David Wallace Flanker Ireland Ireland Munster
Martyn Williams Flanker Wales Wales Cardiff Blues
Joe Worsley Flanker England England London Wasps
Jamie Heaslip Number eight Ireland Ireland Leinster
Andy Powell Number eight Wales Wales Cardiff Blues
Mike Blair Scrum-half Scotland Scotland Edinburgh Replacement for Tomás O'Leary before tour
Harry Ellis Scrum-half England England Leicester Tigers
Tomás O'Leary Scrum-half Ireland Ireland Munster Originally selected; withdrew before tour due to injury; replaced by Mike Blair
Mike Phillips Scrum-half Wales Wales Ospreys
James Hook Fly-half Wales Wales Ospreys Replacement for Leigh Halfpenny before tour
Stephen Jones Fly-half Wales Wales Scarlets
Ronan O'Gara Fly-half Ireland Ireland Munster
Gordon D'Arcy Centre Ireland Ireland Leinster Replacement due to injuries among backs
Keith Earls Centre Ireland Ireland Munster
Riki Flutey Centre England England London Wasps
Brian O'Driscoll Centre Ireland Ireland Leinster Withdrew due to injury during tour
Jamie Roberts Centre Wales Wales Cardiff Blues Named the 2009 Lions Player of the Series
Tom Shanklin Centre Wales Wales Cardiff Blues Originally selected; withdrew before tour due to injury
Tommy Bowe Wing Ireland Ireland Ospreys
Luke Fitzgerald Wing Ireland Ireland Leinster
Leigh Halfpenny Wing Wales Wales Cardiff Blues Originally selected; joined tour late due to injury; replaced by James Hook; withdrew due to recurrent injury
Ugo Monye Wing England England Harlequins
Shane Williams Wing Wales Wales Ospreys
Lee Byrne Fullback Wales Wales Ospreys Withdrew during tour due to injury
Rob Kearney Fullback Ireland Ireland Leinster

Lions management

23 backroom staff were appointed by the Lions, slightly down from the 26 on the 2005 tour to New Zealand. The Lions reverted to having only one management structure, rather than a separate team for the midweek side. The tour manager was former Wales and Lions player Gerald Davies.

Coaches

Name Role Home union Nationality
Ian McGeechan Head Coach Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland
Warren Gatland Forwards Coach Wales Wales New Zealand New Zealand
Graham Rowntree Scrummaging Coach England England England England
Rob Howley Attack Coach Wales Wales Wales Wales
Shaun Edwards Defence Coach Wales Wales England England
Neil Jenkins Kicking Coach Wales Wales Wales Wales

See also

References

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  32. "Golden Lions 10-74 Lions". BBC News. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  33. "Cheetahs 24-26 Lions". BBC News. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  34. "Sharks 3-39 Lions". BBC News. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  35. "Western Province 23-26 Lions". BBC News. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  36. "Southern Kings 8-20 Lions". BBC News. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  37. "South Africa 26-21 Lions". BBC News. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  38. "Emerging Springboks v Lions as it happened". BBC News. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  39. "South Africa 28-25 Lions". BBC News. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  40. "South Africa 9-28 Lions". BBC News. 4 July 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  41. "Injured Byrne out of Lions tour". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 June 2009.
  42. "Banned Hines misses out for Lions". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  43. ^ www.lions-tour.com. "The 2009 British & Irish Lions Management Team". Archived from the original on 1 July 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.

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