Charming Sir Clive takes NZ by storm

Sir Clive Woodward

They're not quite true, the rumours that effigies of Lions rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward are being burned in the Welsh valleys -- but they're getting close.

A Welsh fan took drastic action this week when, incensed by Woodward's shock axing of midfield back Gavin Henson, he tore off his red Lions supporters jersey, set it alight and offered the ashes for sale on the internet.

Woodward fended off the pointed Henson questions yesterday with a few ``fantastics'' and ``outstandings'', a continuation of his remarkable press conference spins of the past month.

Is this the same snarky Sir Clive of a year ago, who famously muttered after his England team's heavy second test loss to the All Blacks that ``we deserved to win''?

Top coach, excellent man motivator, but is he an allround good bloke? Or the cynical view: is this one massive public relations drive?

From the moment Woodward delivered his Power of Four sound and vision spectacular to stunned media in Auckland, he has swept from one end of New Zealand to the other on a wave of overwhelming positivity.

The signs of Woodward's pre-tour happy pills were there early on, when he mailed every prospective Lion a Christmas card. In the past fortnight he has made hospital visits and signed autographs for sick children.

Put him behind a microphone and, in Woodward speak, every Lions game has been ``a fantastic contest'', a ``great occasion''.

His players, bar none, have had ``outstanding games'', even the discarded Henson against Southland in Invercargill on Tuesday.

But that still wasn't enough to persuade Woodward he should be in the test side.

He was at it again last night before a rapidly swelling press corps of 100-plus and a dozen television cameras at the Christchurch Town Hall, striding in with his co-coaches and test team, all clad in white Lions polo shirts, to blaring music and snappy wide screen clips of each player. All that was missing was the pyrotechnics.

In his familiar preamble, Woodward gave Southland a ``big thank you'' for their organisation, the ``tremendous game played in the right spirit'' and then peered out to face the questions.

One Welsh reporter, still fuming at Henson's axing and having earlier asked All Blacks flanker Richie McCaw if he was surprised at Colin Charvis' absence from the tour squad, led the charge.

Why, he asked, had Woodward gone back on his pre-tour statement that on Six Nations form, there would be eight Welshmen in his test starting 15.

Yesterday there were just five Welshmen chosen to wear numbers 1-15 and, shock horror, eight Englishmen in the starting side and five more on the bench.

``I can't remember exactly what I said,'' Woodward responded with a mournful shake of the head.

As recently as Sunday Woodward said Wales were setting the standard for everyone to follow in the Six Nations and there would be ``very strong Welsh representation in the test team, I've got no doubt about that''.

A few hours later test contenders Henson, Martyn Williams and Michael Owen were named to play Southland and ruled out of the test side.

Those expecting a pompous, arrogant Woodward have been largely disappointed. Only occasionally has he shot back at a questioner, and he has largely opted out of savaging New Zealand referees.

Asked why Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson didn't play against Otago in Dunedin, he wryly said they were in their suits in the stand and weren't dressed suitably for a match at Carisbrook.

Asked why he repeatedly spoke of the need to have a 45-man squad, he said he was just answering questions, and if he had his way he'd prefer not to go through the exhaustive press conference routine.

This may be a chore for Woodward but, so far, he doesn't seem to mind too much.

- NZPA