De Villiers said the selections made by McGeechan for the Castle South Africa 2009 Lions Series were evidently the result of thorough consideration and many hours of deliberation. He added, however, that there might be a few players who could consider themselves unfortunate not to have made the squad.
“Any selection will have its fair share of surprises but we believe that Ian McGeechan and his team have placed their confidence in what they believe to be the best 37 players in the four Home Unions.
“For us, however, it is more important that we now know exactly who our opposition will be as opposed to which players made it and which did not,” said de Villiers. “It is a good squad, which is what we expected, based on the players who were on form in the Six Nations and understanding the type of players that Ian McGeechan was looking for. “It is also evident that the squad has been picked on form, fitness, combinations and experience. It looks like a well-balanced and experienced group and it will be interesting to see how their Test side takes shape. “As expected the bulk of players are from Ireland and Wales, but the number of England players in the group is evidence of the improvement they showed in the closing stages of the Six Nations.
“I am surprised that Paul O'Connell got the captaincy ahead of Brian O' Driscoll, who was the most successful captain in the Six Nations in 2009 and captained the Lions to New Zealand four years ago.
“Having said that, O'Connell is the captain of Munster and has also captained Ireland at test level and we will not underestimate his leadership capabilities.
“This is a huge accolade for Paul O'Connell and it will come with great responsibility”.
On the Castle South Africa 2009 Lions Series
“I am looking forward to the test series. Now that we know the make-up of the Lions squad we will be able to advance our preparations in terms of our analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, how we expect them to play and how we must prepare for the three tests.
“A Lions tour is always a momentous occasion and 2009 will be no different. Our guys know the magnitude of the task that lies ahead and they know the expectation that there is, especially in view of the disappointments of 1997.
“We have kept a close watch on the Vodacom Super 14 and particularly the players that have formed part of our core group over the past 18 months. We may look at a few newcomers based on the consistency of performances this season.
“There are a few injury concerns presently but we expect that all of the leading contenders will be fit when we assemble in June. We have not yet confirmed the date for our squad announcement as we have to consider the possibility of our having a team in the Super 14 final on May 30.
“One of our main concerns at this stage is the possibility of us having a team or teams in the semi-finals or final of the Super 14 which has to travel to Australasia”.
“Regardless of which teams SA teams might be involved in the Super 14 final, the practice match against a Namibian Invitation XV will go ahead in Windhoek on May 29.
“It is not surprising that the squad is dominated by players from the two teams that contested Six Nations title.
“We always expected them to pick strong and aggressive forwards, which indicates that they see the scrum and lineout as key elements of the contest.
“There is depth in every position, which is what they will need on a long and tough tour. We expect that there will be strong competition for places in all positions, which will make things interesting for us.
“The captain Paul O'Connell is a team man who is well respected internationally and it is obvious they are trying to replicate the vibe and momentum that they had with the same coach in 1997.
“Overall, it is a very strong team and one that will certainly provide a big challenge for us on our home ground, which we are really looking forward to.”
