Woodward sends for the dad's army

Among those who failed to win Lions selection are England regulars Joe Worsley, Harry Ellis, Ben Cohen, Jamie Noon and Steve Borthwick. He has picked untried Sale prop Andy Sheridan and clubmate Andy Titterrell, the hooker.

Woodward believes a Test series triumph will even eclipse his World Cup success and said: "In my view, that would be an achievement to match any other, and I mean any other.

"I know it will be hard but I believe we can win . I have gathered a team of world-class coaches and picked a squad that is strong in all departments with the making of a great test team.

"I know that Jonny Wilkinson , Phil Vickery and Mike Tindall want to go and this is the best way of keeping that prospect alive. If Jonny makes it all well and good. But his appearance in the Test team is far from guaranteed.

"If we were playing this weekend the majority of the starting XV would come from Wales and Ireland with two players from England and one from Scotland."

Meanwhile, the All Blacks and other New Zealand rugby teams are secretly using hormone tests to monitor aggression in players - and lift their performances in the build up to this summer's Lions tour.

Teams including the Auckland Blues, the Chiefs and the Highlanders are taking saliva from players before and after games to check their testosterone levels.

The home-grown "esop" tests were developed by Crown entity HortResearch and may be the teams' secret weapon against more technologically complex performance tools used by overseas squads such as the Lions.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry said esop testing was giving coaching staff valuable information on how to prepare teams.

"We are always looking for an edge in all sorts of ways, be it through diet, training methods and development of players, on and off the field," Henry said. "Esop is just one of these.

News of the tests comes after several high-profile incidents including Ali Williams's rucking during a Blues-Crusaders Super 12 match last month. Williams was suspended for six weeks when he rucked Crusaders forward Richie McCaw in the head. New Zealand media report that the hormone levels of the Blues, who played erratically on the night, were "off the charts".

The esop test - otherwise known as electrosonophoresis - is a simple saliva analysis that detects several hormones, including testosterone, which repairs and grows muscles but also makes players aggressive. Rugby teams have been trying to alter testosterone levels through diet and rest in order to improve physical performance and recovery, but more importantly, to stop players attacking others.

The Blues would not talk about the test, wanting to keep the groundbreaking technology secret.

All Black flanker McCaw is causing real concern even though the Lions series doesn't start until late June after he suffered another concussion-McCaw, the best flanker in world rugby, was hurt playing for the Crusaders against the Bulls in Pretoria in a Super 12 match and will be monitored by the team's medical staff.

McCaw suffered from concussion last season after clashing heads with All Blacks team-mate Xavier Rush in the first test against England.

The injury, which made him feel cloudy and gave him headaches, forced him out of the Tri-Nations. He only returned to playing midway through the NPC for Canterbury after 14 weeks on the sidelines.

The Lions have moved to head off a controversy concerning the insurance-of injured stars such as Wilkinson on the tour.

As Standard Sport revealed last week, Wilkinson will have to find his won personal accident cover for the tour.

The Lions have issued a statement, saying: "We do not believe any player is uninsurable. The regulations laid down by the Lions Committee are quite clear.

"No player will travel without insurance.

"Those not eligible for insurance due to a pre-existing injury will be found alternative cover, or an agreement will be reached with the player to ensure any potential loss is underwritten."