Back Page Betting: All eyes on Ian McGeechan's Lions' selections

British Lions / Ralph Ellis / 10 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

Ralph Ellis discusses whether it's possible to double up in a club and international role as Wasps Director of Rugby Ian McGeechan prepares to name his Lions squad.

In theory there's no reason why being an international manager shouldn't be a part time job. No reason at all why you can't run a club as well as a country.

The international games come in breaks from club action, and day to day working with top players, and preparing for games against other big stars, should deepen your knowledge at every level.

That's the theory. In practice it creates a whole world of conspiracy theories that threaten to undermine any boss. Does he favour players from his own club? How does he react when rivals pull out 'injured' players?

For instance today Guus Hiddinck is unwittingly winding up Tottenham by telling Harry Redknapp he needs to handle Roman Pavlyuchenko differently. Then there were the rumours of trouble in the England Rugby League World Cup camp because of rows between players from Leeds and St Helens.

And in Rugby Union, two weeks before Ian McGeechan names his Lions squad to tour South Africa, there are dark whispers that he will favour players from Wasps where he doubles as director of rugby.

Harlequins boss Dean Richards has already come out in public to express concern that his players - including England lock Nick Easter - might be overlooked.

Their answer, according to former Quins star Will Greenwood, will be to show on the field on Sunday - by earning a Heineken Cup semi-final place - just why they deserve to be picked. Quins are [1.82] favourites to beat Irish giants Leinster, and Greenwood sees it as big chance for Easter to win a duel against Irish number eight Jamie Heaslip.

"The Lions management will watch next week's league games but it's really this weekend which is the final trial," he tells Alex Spink in today's Daily Mirror. "For Quins to play a team that includes six or seven Irish Grand Slammers is a huge opportunity.

"I went on a Lions tour as an uncapped player in 1997 without doubt because of the Heineken Cup. Are there a lot of players sitting nervously in teams not involved in this weekend's quarter-final? You bet there are. Coaches always have ideas about players they have worked with, but Geech has been on enough tours and been at enough clubs to understand he has to take the best people.

"As for Nick, he's been pigeon-holed as a dour English number eight, but he's been in a back row in which Tom Croft has done all the running and Joe Worsley has been defending. This gives him an opportunity to show what he can do when he gets out into the open spaces."

Harlequins, one of the most improved clubs this season, are [13.5] to win the Heineken Cup with Munster still [3.15] favourites.

Five things you might not know about Nick Easter

1. His grandfather Pieter Le Roux played for the Springboks - and his brother Mark plays for Northampton Saints

2. He spent a year in South Africa playing for the Villagers club before coming home to join Orrell.

3. Before playing rugby for a living he worked in the City in a firm of investment bankers

4. He scored four tries for England against Wales in 2007 - the first three of them were all a dive over the line from a yard out

5. His favourite bands are Dire Straits and The Killers- and he coaches amateur side Old Alleynians in his spare time