# 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa

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.
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

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.
The Lions' tour manager was Gerald Davies, the head coach was Ian McGeechan, and the captain of the squad was Munster captain and Ireland lock, Paul O'Connell.
The tour schedule was announced by the Lions and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) on 10 April 2008. 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. 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. The Lions flew to South Africa on 24 May, arriving the following day.
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.

## Schedule

| 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
### First Test

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.

### Second Test

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".

#### Controversy

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.
Burger was widely criticised, with many commentators believing he should have been sent off for the incident. 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.
Bakkies Botha was banned for two weeks for a dangerous charge on prop Adam Jones, which left Jones with a dislocated shoulder. 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. 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."
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. This protest was investigated by the IRB for allegedly "bringing the game in disrepute", and the team and management were fined accordingly.

### Third Test

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". 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. 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. This was the first Test victory for the Lions in eight years, their last being in Brisbane in 2001.
Jamie Roberts was voted the Lions' sponsors' 'Player of the Series' by British and Irish journalists.

## Results

    All times are local (UTC+2)
* 30 May 2009 15:00
| Royal XV | 25–37 | British & Irish Lions |
| Try: Koch 17' c Barnes 26' m Roux 65' c Con: Olivier Viljoen Pen: Olivier (2) 9', 23' | Report | 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 Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
* 3 June 2009 19:10
| Golden Lions | 10–74 | British & Irish Lions |
| Try: Frolick 36' c Con: Pretorius Pen: Pretorius 14' | Report | 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 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
* 6 June 2009 15:00
| Free State Cheetahs | 24–26 | British & Irish Lions |
| Try: Demas 25' c du Preez 33' c Uys 72' c Con: Potgieter (2) Strydom Pen: Potgieter 41' | Report | Try: Ferris 10' c Earls 16' c Con: Hook (2/2) Pen: Hook (4) 5', 19', 37', 49' |
* Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein Attendance: 23,710 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
* 10 June 2009 19:10
| Sharks | 3–39 | British & Irish Lions |
| Pen: Kockott 29' | Report | 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 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
* 13 June 2009 15:00
| Western Province | 23–26 | 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 | 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 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
* 16 June 2009 15:00
| Southern Kings | 8–20 | British & Irish Lions |
| Try: Mbiyozo 71' m Pen: Van der Westhuyzen 1' | Report | 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 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
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 | Try: Croft (2) 22' c, 67' c Phillips 74' c Con: S. Jones (3/3) |
* ABSA Stadium, Durban Attendance: 47,813 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Team details :
| FB | 15 | François Steyn |
| RW | 14 | JP Pietersen |
| OC | 13 | Adrian Jacobs | | 74' |
| IC | 12 | Jean de Villiers | 57' |
| LW | 11 | Bryan Habana |
| FH | 10 | Ruan Pienaar | 64' to 74' | 64' to 74' |
| SH | 9 | Fourie du Preez | 69' |
| LP | 1 | Tendai Mtawarira | 64' |
| HK | 2 | Bismarck du Plessis |
| TP | 3 | John Smit (c) | 64' to 76' | 64' to 76' |
| LL | 4 | Bakkies Botha | 57' |
| RL | 5 | Victor Matfield |
| OF | 6 | Heinrich Brüssow | 51' |
| BF | 7 | Juan Smith |
| N8 | 8 | Pierre Spies |
| Substitutes: ||
| PR | 16 | Gurthro Steenkamp | 64' |
| PR | 17 | Deon Carstens | 64' | 76' |
| LK | 18 | Andries Bekker | 57' |
| N8 | 19 | Danie Rossouw | 51' |
| SH | 20 | Ricky Januarie | 69' |
| CE | 21 | Jaque Fourie | 57' |
| FH | 22 | Morné Steyn | 64' |
| Coach: ||
| Peter de Villiers ||
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne | 37' |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll |
| IC | 12 | Jamie Roberts |
| LW | 11 | Ugo Monye |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins |
| HK | 2 | Lee Mears | 49' |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery | 44' |
| LL | 4 | Alun Wyn Jones | 69' |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell (c) |
| BF | 6 | Tom Croft |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace | 66' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| Substitutes: ||
| HK | 16 | Matthew Rees | 49' |
| PR | 17 | Adam Jones | 44' |
| LK | 18 | Donncha O'Callaghan | 69' |
| FL | 19 | Martyn Williams | 66' |
| SH | 20 | Harry Ellis |
| FH | 21 | Ronan O'Gara |
| FB | 22 | Rob Kearney | 37' |
| Coach: ||
| Ian McGeechan ||
| Team | Kick % | Line breaks | Defenders beaten | Passes in contact | Mauls won | Possession lost | Tackles made | Tackles missed | Scrums | Lineouts | Penalties conceded |
| South Africa | 75% | 0 | 2 | 2 | 28/32 | 10 | 101 | 8 | 7/7 | 9/10 | 9 |
| British & Irish Lions | 60% | 4 | 8 | 15 | 78/82 | 11 | 42 | 4 | 11/15 | 9/12 | 12 |
* 23 June 2009 19:10
| Emerging Springboks | 13–13 | British & Irish Lions |
| Try: Demas 80' c Con: De Waal (1/1) Pen: Rose (2/4) 37', 49' | Report | 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 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
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 | 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 Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Team details :
| FB | 15 | François Steyn |
| RW | 14 | JP Pietersen |
| OC | 13 | Adrian Jacobs |
| IC | 12 | Jean de Villiers | | 56' |
| LW | 11 | Bryan Habana |
| FH | 10 | Ruan Pienaar | | 61' |
| SH | 9 | Fourie du Preez |
| LP | 1 | Tendai Mtawarira |
| HK | 2 | Bismarck du Plessis |
| TP | 3 | John Smit (c) |
| LL | 4 | Bakkies Botha | | 59' |
| RL | 5 | Victor Matfield |
| OF | 6 | Schalk Burger | 1' to 11' |
| BF | 7 | Juan Smith | | 59' |
| N8 | 8 | Pierre Spies |
| Substitutes: ||
| HK | 16 | Chiliboy Ralepelle |
| PR | 17 | Deon Carstens |
| LK | 18 | Andries Bekker | | 59' |
| N8 | 19 | Danie Rossouw | | 59' | 61' |
| FL | 20 | Heinrich Brüssow | | | 61' |
| CE | 21 | Jaque Fourie | | 56' |
| FH | 22 | Morné Steyn | | 61' |
| Coach: ||
| Peter de Villiers ||
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll | 65' |
| IC | 12 | Jamie Roberts | 67' |
| LW | 11 | Luke Fitzgerald |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins | 23' to 31' | 23' to 31' | 45' |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees |
| TP | 3 | Adam Jones | 45' |
| LL | 4 | Simon Shaw |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell (c) |
| BF | 6 | Tom Croft |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace | 68' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| Substitutes: ||
| HK | 16 | Ross Ford |
| PR | 17 | Andrew Sheridan | 23' | 31' | 45' |
| LK | 18 | Alun Wyn Jones | 45' |
| FL | 19 | Martyn Williams | 68' |
| SH | 20 | Harry Ellis |
| FH | 21 | Ronan O'Gara | 67' |
| WG | 22 | Shane Williams | 65' |
| Coach: ||
| Ian McGeechan ||
| Team | Kick % | Line breaks | Defenders beaten | Passes in contact | Mauls won | Possession lost | Tackles made | Tackles missed | Scrums | Lineouts | Penalties conceded |
| South Africa | 55.6% | 4 | 14 | 3 | 56/63 | 16 | 97 | 8 | 5/7 | 8/9 | 11 |
| British & Irish Lions | 100% | 3 | 8 | 5 | 83/87 | 11 | 84 | 14 | 6/6 | 12/15 | 12 |
Third Test
* 4 July 2009 15:00
| South Africa | 9–28 | British & Irish Lions |
| Pen: M. Steyn (3/3) 12', 40+1', 68' | Report | 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)
Team details :
| FB | 15 | Zane Kirchner | | | 57' |
| RW | 14 | Odwa Ndungane |
| OC | 13 | Jaque Fourie | 23' to 24' | 23' to 24' |
| IC | 12 | Wynand Olivier |
| LW | 11 | Jongi Nokwe | 64' |
| FH | 10 | Morné Steyn |
| SH | 9 | Fourie du Preez | 41' |
| LP | 1 | Tendai Mtawarira | 72' |
| HK | 2 | Chiliboy Ralepelle | 41' |
| TP | 3 | John Smit (c) |
| LL | 4 | Johann Muller |
| RL | 5 | Victor Matfield |
| OF | 6 | Heinrich Brüssow |
| BF | 7 | Juan Smith |
| N8 | 8 | Ryan Kankowski |
| Substitutes: ||
| HK | 16 | Bismarck du Plessis | 41' |
| PR | 17 | Gurthro Steenkamp | 72' |
| PR | 18 | Deon Carstens |
| LK | 19 | Steven Sykes |
| N8 | 20 | Pierre Spies | 64' |
| FH | 21 | Ruan Pienaar | 41' |
| FB | 22 | François Steyn | 23' | 24' | 57' |
| Coach: ||
| Peter de Villiers ||
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney |
| RW | 14 | Ugo Monye |
| OC | 13 | Tommy Bowe |
| IC | 12 | Riki Flutey | | 55' |
| LW | 11 | Shane Williams |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips |
| LP | 1 | Andrew Sheridan |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees | | 37' |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery | | 55' |
| LL | 4 | Simon Shaw | 37' to 47' | 69' |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell (c) |
| BF | 6 | Joe Worsley | | 31' to 34' | 31' to 34' | 66' |
| OF | 7 | Martyn Williams | | 76' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| Substitutes: ||
| HK | 16 | Ross Ford | | 37' |
| PR | 17 | John Hayes | | 55' |
| LK | 18 | Alun Wyn Jones | | 69' |
| FL | 19 | David Wallace | | 76' |
| FL | 20 | Tom Croft | | 31' | 34' | 66' |
| SH | 21 | Harry Ellis | | 55' |
| FH | 22 | James Hook |
| Coach: ||
| Ian McGeechan ||
| Team | Kick % | Line breaks | Defenders beaten | Passes in contact | Mauls won | Possession lost | Tackles made | Tackles missed | Scrums | Lineouts | Penalties conceded |
| South Africa | 100% | 3 | 5 | 12 | 64/69 | 16 | 93 | 5 | 5/6 | 15/18 | 9 |
| British & Irish Lions | 62.5% | 7 | 5 | 15 | 66/77 | 10 | 102 | 5 | 6/7 | 9/10 | 16 |

## Lions squad

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. Nathan Hines was suspended for one week because of a dangerous tackle against the Emerging Springboks.
| 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

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.

### Coaches

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