- guardian.co.uk, Sunday July 1 2001 02.17 BST
Rumours of acute discontent among the Lions squad were finally lent official credence by Matt Dawson's column in yesterday's Daily Telegraph. And the Lions scrum-half faces the management today to explain the criticisms that he levelled at their regime, hours before the first Test.
Dawson was an unused replacement in Brisbane, although coach Graham Henry's decision not to throw him into the fray was nothing to do with the player's controversial views, manager Donal Lenihan claiming they had not yet been seen.
Although Lenihan refused to discuss the article, Dawson's England coach Clive Woodward hinted that if he were in charge of the Lions party, the player would be punished.
'It's going to be serious,' Woodward told Sky Sports. 'He'll be feeling pretty stupid now. But after such a magnificent victory they want to think about that and not about anything negative he's said. Hopefully the Lions management will have a word with him and then get on with next week.'
In his Tour Diary, Dawson launched an assault on individual members of the Lions management team, claiming he 'wasn't inspired' by Henry and that Lenihan treated the squad 'like children'. Dawson claimed the 'mindless' training routines were too long and severe, and the squad were being 'flogged'. He also criticised England coaches Andy Robinson and Phil Larder for being 'too distant', adding that their training with the Lions differed from their approach to the national set-up.
But yesterday's result will do much to quell the fire. 'I haven't seen the article,' said Lenihan, 'but we will have a chat with Matt and see what is going on. I would be amazed if this was true.'
Now that Lenihan knows how true it is, Dawson knows he must face his own moment of truth. Indeed, he will seek out the management of his own volition. He has already shown signs of contrition. 'The last thing I want to do is upset team morale,' he told BBC Online. His fate lies in the management's hands.
