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2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa

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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.

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
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 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

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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.[1]

The Lions' tour manager was Gerald Davies,[2] the head coach was Ian McGeechan,[3] and the captain of the squad was Munster captain and Ireland lock, Paul O'Connell.[4]

The tour schedule was announced by the Lions and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) on 10 April 2008.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] The Lions flew to South Africa on 24 May, arriving the following day.[8]

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.[9]

Schedule

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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

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First Test

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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.[10]

Second Test

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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 [American television series] ER as opposed to a rugby team".[11]

Controversy

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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.[12][13]

Burger was widely criticised, with many commentators believing he should have been sent off for the incident.[14][15] 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.[16]

Bakkies Botha was banned for two weeks for a dangerous charge on prop Adam Jones, which left Jones with a dislocated shoulder.[17] 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.[18] 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."[19][20]

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.[21] This protest was investigated by the IRB for allegedly "bringing the game in disrepute", and the team and management were fined accordingly.[22]

Third Test

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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".[23] 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.[24] 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.[25] This was the first Test victory for the Lions in eight years, their last being in Brisbane in 2001.[26][27]

Jamie Roberts was voted the Lions' sponsors' 'Player of the Series' by British and Irish journalists.[28]

Results

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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'		Report[29]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)[31]
3 June 2009
19:10
Golden Lions10–74  British & Irish Lions
Try: Frolick 36' c
Con: Pretorius
Pen: Pretorius 14'		Report[32]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)[31]
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'		Report[33]Try: Ferris 10' c
Earls 16' c
Con: Hook (2/2)
Pen: Hook (4) 5', 19', 37', 49'
Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
Attendance: 23,710[30]
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)[31]
10 June 2009
19:10
Sharks3–39  British & Irish Lions
Pen: Kockott 29'Report[34]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)[31]
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'		Report[35]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)[31]
16 June 2009
15:00
Southern Kings8–20  British & Irish Lions
Try: Mbiyozo 71' m
Pen: Van der Westhuyzen 1'		Report[36]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)[31]

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'		Report[37]Try: Croft (2) 22' c, 67' c
Phillips 74' c
Con: S. Jones (3/3)
ABSA Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 47,813[30]
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)[31]
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'		Report[38]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)[31]

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'		Report[39]Try: 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[30]
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)[31]

Third Test

4 July 2009
15:00
South Africa  9–28  British & Irish Lions
Pen: M. Steyn (3/3) 12', 40+1', 68'Report[40]Try: 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)[31]

Lions squad

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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.[41] Nathan Hines was suspended for one week because of a dangerous tackle against the Emerging Springboks.[42]

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

Lions management

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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.[43]

Coaches

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Name Role Home union Nationality
Ian McGeechan Head Coach[43]   Scotland   Scotland
Warren Gatland Forwards Coach[43]   Wales   New Zealand
Graham Rowntree Scrummaging Coach[43]   England   England
Rob Howley Attack Coach[43]   Wales   Wales
Shaun Edwards Defence Coach[43]   Wales   England
Neil Jenkins Kicking Coach   Wales   Wales

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cleary, Mick (21 November 2007). "South Africa to see leaner-looking Lions". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Davies named 2009 Lions manager". BBC Sport. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  3. ^ "McGeechan given Lions coach role". 14 May 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  4. ^ "O'Connell handed Lions captaincy". BBC Sport. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Lions announce itinerary for 2009 tour to South Africa" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 10 April 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2008.
  6. ^ "Final British & Irish Lions tour date confirmed" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  7. ^ Mairs, Gavin (27 April 2009). "Lions cancel altitude training camp in Spain". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  8. ^ Austin, Simon (24 May 2009). "Lions squad land in South Africa". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  9. ^ "S Africa 26-21 Lions - Live". Sky Sports. 20 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Expert View: South Africa v Lions". RTÉ. 20 June 2009. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Expert Analysis: South Africa 28–25 Lions". RTÉ. 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  12. ^ "Rugby: Burger cleared of eye-gouging accusation – Sport – NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  13. ^ Chillies Website Architects. "OFM Sport | Schalk Burger cleared of eye-gouging". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  14. ^ "Saru, De Villiers apologise for eye-gouging comments – Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source". Archived from the original on 1 July 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  15. ^ Edwards, Shaun (29 June 2009). "Schalk Burger's gouging was despicable and he should have been dismissed". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  16. ^ "O'Driscoll blasts de Villiers". RTÉ. 1 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  17. ^ "Botha banned for charge on Jones". RTÉ. 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 1 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  18. ^ "Lions offer solace to Springbok Botha over ban". MSN sports. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "Planet Rugby | Rugby Union Tournaments | British & Irish Lions | Botha exonerated by Adam Jones". Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  20. ^ "WalesOnline – RugbyNation – News – Bakkies Botha hit was just one of those things, says Adam Jones". Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  21. ^ "IRB to investigate Springboks' Bakkies Botha protest". The Guardian. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Springboks fined over 'Justice for Bakkies' armband protest". The Guardian. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  23. ^ Jones, Stephen (4 July 2009). "Lions restore pride with record-equalling win". The Times. London. Retrieved 5 July 2009.[dead link‍]
  24. ^ "Williams sparks pride-salvaging Lions win over Boks". Khaleej Times. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  25. ^ "Shaw cited for dangerous play". RTÉ. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  26. ^ "South Africa 9–28 Lions (RTÉ)". RTÉ. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  27. ^ "O'Connell proud that Lions 'dug deep'". RTÉ. 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  28. ^ "Roberts awarded top Lions honour". BBC Sport. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  29. ^ "Royal XV 25-37 Lions". BBC News. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Heartbreak on the Highveld". 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Referees for Lions' tour". sareferees.co.za. SA Rugby Referees. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  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. ^ a b c d e f 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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