Eddie Butler is pleased to see a more relaxed atmosphere developing around the Lions after the PR nightmares of 2001 and 2005, in The Guardian.
"On Lions tours, time is supposed to be so pressing that every second counts in the construction of a defence, the deconstruction of the tackle area or the rehabilitation of players involved only last weekend in European finals. And yet, here we are, with the Lions having had a day without training this week and column yards being devoted to general thumb-twiddling.
"We were even reduced to discussing ghost writing. Will Austin Healey never sue Eddie Butler? In 2001, I told so many lies trying to protect the little maestro from Graham Henry's thought police that I personally wouldn't believe a word either of us ever said again, except to say that Austin provided a glimpse of an over-managed, secretive world. And perhaps it was a little more interesting than how long Donncha spends in the shower.
"The point is that time doesn't seem quite so pressing after all. The Lions are relaxing, and good on them, before tomorrow's game, an opener that will be won at a canter against an invitation team based around the Griquas. Making comparisons about relaxation levels in 2009 and 2005 are meaningless until every tourist has a game under his belt and the medical team have assessed the damage from the first encounters. We shall have to twiddle our thumbs a while longer."
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