David Leggat: Commander Clive and the armada

A few years back, former Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer was asked if he had a piece of advice for a squad about to embark on a rugby tour of New Zealand.

His tip? Fellas, if you do nothing else in the first two games, tackle. Miss tackles in that opening week and you might as well pack up and head home, he said, because you'll be dog tucker around the provincial traps.

If memory serves, that was the 1993 Lions, the last representatives of the united four nations to have a crack at emulating their predecessors of 1971, the only Lions to win a series in New Zealand.

The '93 lot didn't win the series, did win one test and weren't bad, certainly superior to a couple of earlier versions who were spectacularly unsuccessful.

A fair chunk of the world's forests have gone into speculation on who will make up the Lions' touring party to be named on Monday night.

Partly that's down to the acres of newsprint in Britain given over to writers and assorted rugby experts cogitating on the composition of the group, and partly down to the amount of room needed to write out all the names.

Coach Sir Clive Woodward is bringing 44 or 45 players - covering every eventuality, you understand, on an 11-match tour - and 26 management. After a while it gets boring. Every possible combination has been pored over, examined for chinks, until you scream, 'Enough'.

Of course, when you're planning to write down 40-plus names, just about every player in Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland will have had a mention. Okay, maybe not the hopeless Scots.

But there are certain assumptions you can make and feel you won't be left with the yolk running down your face on Tuesday morning.

* Ageing Englishmen will be chosen, particularly in the forwards. Why? Because they have the hard edge deemed necessary to succeed out here and because, of the four nations, England alone know what it's like to win in New Zealand.

* Wales will be represented by some perky backs, might well provide the test halfback pairing of Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones, and will have a smattering in the forwards.

* Ireland are expected to contribute some hard men in the pack and the captain in classy Brian O'Driscoll.

* You will need only the fingers of one hand to count the size of Scotland's contribution.

British newspapers have had their experts picking weekly teams for the first test in Christchurch on June 25 since the Six Nations Championship began in February.

But this is a tour like no other Lions trek.

Forget the sheer size and scale of the operation.

There are important matters to be dealt with, like players being told they must arrange their own insurance.

Such is the professional age. The insurance bill is tipped to be more than 700,000 ($1.8 million) as it is.

If the Lions weren't bringing an armada, perhaps the compensation could have been bumped up.

Lions chief executive - yes, you did read that title correctly - John Feehan also confirmed that "we will not insure Jonny Wilkinson's knee".

As the team hasn't been named yet, this does drop a rather broad hint on a key selection.

Wilkinson has not played an international since drop-kicking England to the World Cup in Sydney in November 2003, and has pulled out of Newcastle's match against Worcester tomorrow.

So Sir C will pick him, with fingers crossed behind his back.

The players are grumpy they're getting only 20,000 each for the tour.

It could have been double that, but the clubs and provincial sides of the four countries got release fees of 15,000 a player from the Lions organisers.

To be sure, a tour like no other. Still, why not sit down over the weekend and see how close you get to Sir C's choice.

It will certainly be easier than working through the minefield of off-field bits and bobs.