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JOHNNO LINES UP 5-MATCH OZ TOUR
By Alex Spink 30/12/2009
Martin Johnson has been given the go-ahead to take England's rugby squad on its longest summer tour for 10 years.
England play back-to-back Test matches against Australia in Perth and Sydney next June but Johnson has added three midweek games to the trip.
He sees the tour Down Under, a year before the 2011 World Cup, as perfect preparation for the New Zealand showpiece.
On the Tuesday before the June 12 Test in Perth, Johnson has arranged for England to take on Super 14 outfit Western Force.
A week later they will warm up for their June 19 Test against the Wallabies in Sydney with a clash against Australia A. And instead of returning home at the end of the Test series, England will fly to Auckland to take on the New Zealand Maori.
Johnson's plans have been broadly supported by Premier Rugby, the body representing England's top clubs, though the detail has to be agreed.
But Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler said: "It seems the sensible thing to do in terms of preparation for the World Cup.
"You want as many people as possible to have experience of playing in southern hemisphere conditions ahead of the competition."
England last embarked on a Lions-style tour in 2000 when Clive Woodward's squad played two Tests and three midweek matches in South Africa.
2010 DATES
June 8: Western Force (Perth)
June 12: Australia (Perth)
June 15: Australia A (Sydney)
June 19: Australia (Sydney)
Tba: NZ Maoris (Auckland)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby/...5875-21930894/
mmmm nice. Wonder how much tix will cost for Force v Poms.
"12 Years aSupporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue
More rugby for Perth
More rugby for Western Force players not in Wallaby squad![]()
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Another trip west to pencil in for next year.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
happy days!.....
members equity i hope?
BOKKE“Let me put it this way, A Springbok team contains Afrikaners, Englishmen, coloureds and blacks. It has parochial foes in Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Cheetahs and Lions. It is a recipe for war! Yet in all the years of John Smit’s captaincy, there has never been one unhappy customer, not one voice of rebellion against his leadership. He is the glue that holds the Springboks together. The man is a legend!”- Jake White
Oh yes please, please, pleeeeease! Not too much to hope for, is it?!
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Keeping the Faith ... right here in Perth!
Awesome. The players will love it! Not often you get to take on an international side especially not the English.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.