Sir Clive heads a large pride

Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward has outlined today the off-field structure that will be put in place for next summer's British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and scotched recent rumours there would be two separate touring squads.

The Lions will assemble the largest touring party in history with 44 players and 26 management personnel.

"There were a number of challenges that resulted from the 2001 Tour that needed addressing, from the amount of travelling to the imbalance of playing levels across the squad," said Woodward.

"It's not a case of having two teams of players, it's a case of having two sets of coaches so proper focus can be given to the mid-week games and the Saturday games.

"We will now take 44 players and we will have two sets of coaches, and that's the only real difference - a bigger coaching team.

"We not only believe that this is the best way forward with regard to the welfare of the players but also strongly believe that the flexibility of this system is the best means for preparing all 44 members of the squad for test match rugby."

Lions manager, the former England and Lions skipper Bill Beaumont said: "In preparation for a tour of this magnitude we will be looking to assemble the largest touring party in Lions history with 44 players and 26 management. We have had to look long and hard at the best way that we are going to organise ourselves as a party to achieve success in New Zealand and achieve our ultimate aim of winning the Test series."

As a result of this requirement the Lions are adapting the format of the more traditional tour from being based wholly locally in each venue to being principally based between Provincial games in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland for the duration of the tour. 

Beaumont continued: "This is a critical part of preparing not only for the tough matches that we will face against the provincial sides but also for the build up to the Tests against the All Blacks.

"However, a key feature of any Lions Tour is our involvement directly with each of the communities that we visit. For this reason we have spent a considerable amount of time with the NZRU putting together a significant programme of interaction by the Lions squad in each of the venues and communities that we play in'

"In more than any other recent Lions Tour, we plan to put in place a programme that will see the Lions players get out into the local communities, whether through visits to schools, coaching sessions or community activity throughout the Tour."

"In addition we must also not forget the very significant positive contribution the visiting Lions fans will bring to each of the local communities in New Zealand."

Steve Tew, Deputy Chief Executive NZRU, added: "We fully expect that this Tour will one of the biggest sporting events that the country has ever seen. We will continue to work hard with the Lions to ensure that the format and structure of the tour will provide fans of both sides with the classic encounters that they have come to expect with a Lions Tour.

"We recognise the impact that the Lions have not only on the local economies but also the benefits that they can bring to local communities. Through the community activity that we have planned for throughout the tour, New Zealanders will have an unprecedented opportunity for interaction with the touring party through specific events at the grassroots level."