Campbell Swaps Number 10 for Rugby Lions' Den

Whatever fate befalls the British and Irish Lions rugby squad on their tour of New Zealand, for which they depart on Wednesday, the results will be presented with as much spin as a scrum-half's pass.

Among the 29-strong management team assembled by the coach, Sir Clive Woodward, for the tour, a back-room force that almost matches the 44 players, is Alastair Campbell, fresh from helping Tony Blair back to Downing Street.

Mr Campbell, 47, was asked by Sir Clive, the coach who masterminded England's World Cup win in 2003, to oversee communications and media relations on the tour.

He accepted without hesitation; since leaving his full-time role at Downing Street after the Iraq war - he returned as an adviser for the election campaign - Mr Campbell has spent much of his time working on the fringes of sport.

A contract with News International has seen him writing articles on his sporting heroes for the Times, and he has completed a marathon and a triathlon to raise money for leukaemia research.

The chance to travel with the Lions, a coalition of the finest players from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and the biggest draw in the sport, to New Zealand, the most passionate rugby nation on Earth, was plainly too good to resist.

"I'm doing it primarily because Sir Clive asked, but his reasons were quite interesting," Mr Campbell said. "He said the pressure and interest in rugby on players and coaches has increased, and that I knew about the media, handling high-profile people and high-pressure situations.

"Someone like me can't hope to make a difference in sport in the way you can politics in terms of communication; in politics, communication is such a big part of the package.

"But I hope that what I can bring is an understanding of what it's like to be subject to scrutiny when you are focusing on something else.

"I hope to give the players the space and room to do their jobs while leaving the media feeling reasonably content with what they are getting."

His presence in New Zealand may be most useful when Prince William arrives for the final two Test matches.

But the tour also means Mr Campbell will not be available to back London's 2012 Olympic bid in Singapore on July 6.

His association with the Times has already raised the hackles of the rugby press; the Rugby Writers Club has written to the Lions management complaining that his contract is a conflict of interests.

Mr Campbell insists that he will not abuse his relationship with the Lions to fulfil his contract with the Times, and speaks favourably about sports journalists.

"The main difference between sports journalists and the lobby is that in sport, if the team wins it's generally a better story. In politics usually they are happier if things balls up."

The Lions tour may be less intense than a general election, but not much when the opponents are New Zealand, where rugby union is followed more passionately than anywhere else in the world.

Derek Wyatt, Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey and a former England international, says Mr Campbell could be a busy man.

"Sometimes it seems like there is more politics in sport than there is in politics, and the interest in New Zealand will be intense," he said.

"In New Zealand everybody is interested in the game and the Lions is a far bigger deal than Downing Street or even domestic politics.

"It is a fish bowl and it will be a challenge, particularly if any of the players step out of line in a bar, or get involved in any controversial incidents on the pitch. That's when Clive will be looking to Alastair for advice."

During the last Lions tour, to Australia in 2001, players revealed their frustration with the team management in national newspaper columns, including Austin Healy, whose articles in the Guardian insulted Australians in general and individual opponents in particular.

Mr Campbell will want to avoid a repeat of such own goals, and all columns will be vetted before publication.