Warren Gatland has had his final meeting with his assistants, Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree, and Rob Howley. The names of the players are inked and the phone calls have been made.
All that is left to do is hold the press conference and read off the list of the British and Irish Lions touring party.
With a squad of between 36 and 38 likely to be named, the current Welsh national coach is expected to select at least 15 players (and perhaps as many as 18 or 19 which is fully half of the squad) from his own side who are the reigning Six Nations Champions.
That could get things off to a rocky start before the 10-match tour even leaves Heathrow.
Relying too heavily on Wales to provide the backbone of the Lions could backfire massively on Gatland as the only time he has beaten the Robbie Deans coached Wallabies is way back in November 2008 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Deans and the Wallabies have won the last eight in a row against Gatland and the Welsh. In fact the Wallabies have had far more trouble against England (lost two of the last four), Ireland (lost one and drew one of the last three) and Scotland (lost the last two) in recent times.
It is the captaincy question however that will be looked at most closely. Debate over the little ‘c’ has caused quite a ruckus in the lead up to this press conference.
In reality, none of the three front runners are certainties to feature in the starting XV for the Lions on June 22 in Brisbane. Welsh captain Sam Warburton was relegated to the bench during the Six Nations while former Lions captains and Irish veterans Paul O’Connell (who captained the 2009 tour to South Africa) and Brian O’Driscoll (who captained the 2005 tour to New Zealand) are 33 and 34 respectively and may be replaced by younger men.
Michael Lynagh has pointed out that the ‘management’ group of the Lions so far features no Irishmen – the tour manager is Scottish and the coaching team is Welsh and English, and that a smart play politically would be appoint one as captain.
The most likely outcome, as reported by several news outlets citing unspecified leaks, is that Welsh captain Sam Warburton will get the nod as the Lions captain.
Many commentators (this one included) believe that such an appointment weakens the backrow of the Lions and it will be interesting to see how the news is greeted by the press.
One thing is certain, armchair selectors across the home nations and down here in Australia will be watching this press conference as closely as Robbie Deans and his coaching team (which now includes Nathan Sharpe) will be. They announce a reaction tomorrow morning.
Join us here on The Roar from 8:00pm AEST to join the discussion on 2013 incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.
Colin N
Guest
And that's relevant to the Lions how?
Mike
Guest
FWIW, these are Gatland's comment about Wilko reported in the Independent: "He wasn't available. He said he really appreciated the call but he was committed to Toulon and would not be able to travel with the squad. I made the call to include him in the squad, I wouldn't have made it otherwise. But we wanted the whole squad to play in Hong Kong and he couldn't make that commitment." Other reports also say tha Wilkinson said he wasn't sure if his body was up to it. However, Wilkinson has been saying similar things since he started playing test rugby! I reckon we are going to see him before the tour is out and he worries me more than the two first fives they have got at the moment.
Mike
Guest
Why would the Lions be expected to dominate at the scrum?
Mike
Guest
Agreed. We need the mindset of the All Blacks, where every Test is a must-win affair, regardless of the reputation (or lack thereof) of the opposition
Mike
Guest
I want to see Australia win consistently, including against New Zealand. Unfortunately, Jiggles' level of "analysis" is what we see to often in public debate, and it is this mindset that is a major factor in holding Australian rugby back.
Mike
Guest
"ah right so every loss against the All Blacks are due to the players, but the other ones are not" There are a lot of reasons for losses, Jiggles, but no they aren't 100% the fault of the coach. Not ever. I know you can't accept this, but just keep working on it mate - eventually you will come to terms with reality.
Mike
Guest
"Deans has shown time and time again that he has no feel for selections and tactics." *LOL* Jiggles, you don't have the slightest clue about what "feel" Deans has for selections or tactics, that much is obvious. Anyway, I am sure Robbie will be happy for you to keep on with your rants - anyone reading them will soon be convinced that this Deans guy must be doing something right and we should keep him. ;)!
Mike
Guest
Biltongbek, I am disappointed in you. You should know better than to use common sense, facts or intelligence when talking to the Deans haters! There are only two things that matter to them: (a) They cannot accept that a foreigner can ever coach the Wallabies (b) They require the Wallabies to have a success record like that of New Zealand - even though there is not the slightest historical reason to expect so. And never, ever, suggest to them that other issues in Australian rugby are more important - they are convinced that once Deans is gone, the Wallabies will win 75% of their matches and they do NOT want anyone to think about other issues - in their mind that distracts from the overriding imperative to get rid of Deans. The irony is that they have probably prolonged Deans' tenure at the ARU - their poor arguments make him look good!
Hal
Guest
Colin N wasn't Wales supposed to be the "best ever side to leave the country" last year as well? How'd that turn out for them?
ohtani's jacket
Guest
What, like a third of the Wallabies team? Maitland is a head scratcher, but I don't think there will be too many children turning to their mothers asking "what next?"
James
Guest
so its ok for a kid to believe that in sports you can turn you back against a country you aspired to play for your whole life but when the going gets tough, you ditch it for something more easier?
Ben.S
Roar Guru
Forgot about Bowe. I'd take him over Cuthbert.
Ben.S
Roar Guru
'and now he looks like the form player in his position throughout europe' Oooohhhhh no he doesn't.
Banger
Guest
Too true, I stand corrected
mania
Guest
thanx BB- its always about the piggies first and foremost. i reckon though aus has an abundance of rookies coming thru to complement the incumbants, rpovided deans picks them.
Billy Bob
Guest
Agreed GS7, but I hope the WB's are drilled on the strength of their opponents. They will all need to bring their A game.to win. I hope our selections and coaching are based on attacking genius and not just dam building to counteract lions supposedly 'mountainous' centres.
Billy Bob
Guest
Agreed mania, Wallaby fans need to ask about the young dreams of certain key players before they throw any rocks at Maitland. Harris, cooper, Kepu come to mind. Maitland is a side issue. The issue is the pigs and the plans that the WB's have to dominate and unleash slick sticky passing in the backs.
Billy Bob
Guest
Selections aside Lions can never be underestimated
dan
Guest
Yep, I'm sure he'd rather be an all black. Much as Mike Harris would rather be an all black. He went where he could get a game. Seems fair to me.
mania
Guest
maitland dreaming to be an AB is no secret. why come down on the guy for making an international side? can u say you've achieved anywhere near his success? saying he didnt stand out in NZ rugby is harsh. there were a lot of fans who reckoned he should be in the AB's. how does maitland not have a backbone?