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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/