Lions supremos put tour on back burner

Graham Henry and Andy Robinson will formally suspend their Lions alliance throughout the Six Nations to ensure that nothing conflicts with their national interests.

Wales coach Henry and his England rival will not be attending any further selection meetings for the summer tour of Australia until the domestic championship has run its course, from the first match in Cardiff on February 3 to the last, in Rome two months later.

'My focus is on England against Wales,' said Robinson. 'That's the way it has to be.'

Henry said:'We have had four meetings, putting every candidate into one of three categories.The Six Nations will determine where they all stand at the end of it. In the meantime, Andy and I will be very busy with our national teams.'

England have already carried out a first-hand inspection of the Millennium Stadium and its newly-laid pitch.

'The brand new surface is brilliant,' said manager Clive Woodward. 'I don't care whether the roof is open or not. It won't make any difference to the game.' Paddy Johns' international career, begun in 1990, is almost certainly over. He is left out of Ireland's training squad for the Six Nations.