Ian McGeechan has today announced his squad for the forthcoming British Lions Tour of South Africa.

Whilst there will be a few eyebrows raised at the absence of England captain Steve Borthwick, Wales Captain Ryan Jones, and several others, there can be no denying that the large number of Irish players included in the squad all earnt their places folloing an excellent 6 Nations Campaign.

The full squad is:

Forwards: Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Andy Powell (Wales), David Wallace (Ireland), Stephen Ferris (Ireland), Alan Quinlan (Ireland), Joe Worsley (England), Martyn Williams (Wales), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O’Connell (Ireland), Donncha O’Callaghan (Ireland), Simon Shaw (England), Nathan Hines (Scotland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Andrew Sheridan (England), Phil Vickery (England), Euan Murray (Scotland), Jerry Flannery (Ireland), Lee Mears (England), Matthew Rees (Wales)

Backs: Lee Byrne (Wales), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Shane Williams (Wales), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Ugo Monye (England), Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Tom Shanklin (Wales), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Keith Earls (Ireland), Riki Flutey (England), Ronan O’Gara (Ireland), Stephen Jones (Wales), Mike Phillips (Wales), Harry Ellis (England), Tomas O’Leary (Ireland)

Munster and Ireland forward Paul O’Connell will skipper the team.

The Lions are due to arrive in Johannesburg early in the morning of  Monday 25th May, and, following an ‘arrivals’ press conference, they will immediately begin preparations for their opening game against at Highveld XV at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace on Saturday, May 30.

See the full match schedule for the British Lions Tour of South Africa.

This week has seen the South African Rand fall close to record 5-year lows against the British pound (GBP), the US Dollar, and the Euro.  

This is great news for holiday makers as this makes accommodation and safaris across the region cheaper at a time when many people are looking to save money where they can, and as South Africa is just entering it’s long summer months there has rarely been a better time to book a holiday of a lifetime in Africa.

Our special offers and budget safari lodges highlight some of the special deals currently on offer.

It has been announced yesterday that Nationwide Airlines are able to issue airline tickets again.

Long-haul flights between Johannesburg and London-Gatwick have now resumed and limited domestic flights have started again from last Sunday.

Tracey & Paul Campbell of Travel Butlers were delighted to attend a recent event held at the South African Embassy in London hosted by the Mantis Collection, South African Airways and The South Africa FIFA World Cup Organising Committee.

The 120+ guests from the travel industry were treated to many fascinating speakers including Virginia McKenna (founder of the Born Free Foundation), Will Carling (the former England Rugby captain speaking about his recent family safari in South Africa), and Adrian Gardiner (founder of the Shamwari Reserve and Chairman of the Mantis Collection).

The evening was a huge success, and given the prestigious location and illustrious speakers, Tracey & Paul were particularly honoured to receive The Adrian Gardiner Award For Innovation on behalf of Travel Butlers

Nationwide Airlines resumed its long-haul flights between London-Gatwick and Johannesburg on Saturday 8th December and limited domestic flights also resumed yesterday (Sunday 9th December).

This follows the SA Civil Aviation Authority reinstating Nationwides Certificate of Airworthiness, which had been suspended since 30th November.

Domestic flights will return to normal over the next few days as more aircraft are cleared to fly, meanwhile Nationwide say they are contacting customers to notify them of any changes to their schedule for flights over the coming days.

Further information is available from Nationwide Airlines call centre in South Africa (tel: 0861 737 737), ticketing offices and on www.flynationwide.co.za

Travel Butlers are delighted to have joined the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), a UK-based organisation commited to the positive development of travel and tourism in Africa.