Rugby: Woodward Gets Winning Feeling

Sir Clive Woodward says he feels the same this week as he did before the final two games of England's triumphant World Cup campaign in 2003. Now, as then, he is convinced the critics are wrong to doubt his side's ability, and his sense of deja vu will have increased after hearing Otago's coach Wayne Graham criticise the Lions for their perceived negative playing style.

In an echo of the insults that used to swirl around Woodward's England, Graham has done his best to stir the pot before tomorrow's game at Carisbrook by claiming the Lions pay far more attention to disrupting opponents and influencing referees than playing positive rugby.

"Let's face it, their game at scrum time is about disruption," said the former All Black back-row forward as his team prepared to welcome a Lions side led by the Scotland hooker Gordon Bulloch, the tourists' third captain in five games. "They'll pull every trick they know to try and disrupt your scrum. And at the contact area they're developing ways to disrupt or steal your ball.

"They're big guys who like lying all over the ball and they seem to be allowed to leave their feet, which is something I thought was outside the laws of the game. Once they do go to ground they don't want to get out of there. They'll just lie there and try to disrupt things."

As for leaning on referees, he feels the Lions are getting away with too much: "It's been an eye-opener just how much the Lions' playing XV try and manipulate the decisions."

Woodward will not be surprised another provincial coach has attempted to ruffle the Lions in the wake of the Wellington coach John Plumtree's view that the All Blacks "would have scored 60 points against us" instead of the modest tally of 23 achieved by the touring team on Wednesday.

Having placated the travelling press corps by relaxing the restrictions on media access to the Lions, Woodward is far more concerned with ensuring his team arrive at tomorrow week's Test in Christchurch in prime shape, and accordingly has picked a side for tomorrow containing few likely Test starters.

The 30-year-old Bulloch needs a top-notch game to slip past Shane Byrne and Steve Thompson in the hooker ratings. However, the backs Geordan Murphy, Shane Williams and Charlie Hodgson may yet enter the Test equation if they continue to impress. The new arrival Ryan Jones also makes his Lions debut at No8. Alongside him in the back row is Lewis Moody, who was declared fit after recovering from a knee injury. Woodward, though, has rejected claims that potential key players such as Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson need more rugby before the first Test; fresh legs are more important, he argues.

"If all our quality players had played twice a week the team would be on its knees by now and we'd get smashed in the Test matches," he said, insisting the Lions did not get sufficient praise for their winning efforts against Wellington. "No one looks at the score, they look at performance. To me, winning is everything. I feel a little like I felt after the World Cup quarter-final. Unlike everyone else, I thought England had half a chance against France and I think this team has half a chance as well."

Otago have 13 Super 12 players, although the All Blacks Anton Oliver, James Ryan and Carl Hayman are missing, and New Zealand are resigned to being without Oliver for the first two Tests of the series because the hooker's calf injury is taking longer than expected to mend.

Even so Otago are likely to offer a more serious test than Wellington could muster, another reason why Woodward is interested to see which of his Lions respond best to the challenge. "We've got to get rid of this 'dirt-trackers' lingo. There are clearly players involved in this team who are going to be in the Test team."