The Lions will start their 10-match tour of South Africa next year on the same day as the Guinness Premiership final is played at Twickenham.

Moves to get the play-off rescheduled have failed and the tourists may not only be flying out short of a number of players but if, as expected, Ian McGeechan and Shaun Edwards are appointed to the management team, they would also be two coaches light if Wasps qualify for the final. Premier Rugby said yesterday that switching the play-off date with the Heineken Cup final, which has been set for the final week of the season, could exacerbate the problem with the Ospreys and Munster as potential trophy contenders.

The Lions had been due to depart at the end of May, but the tour was brought forward by a week. The first of three Tests is in Durban on June 20, leaving those players who are involved in the Premiership final with little time to stake their Test claims.

The decision on the Lions head coach will be made this month, but the Welsh Rugby Union has ruled out allowing Warren Gatland to be considered. The WRU's chief executive, Roger Lewis, said the demands of the job were incompatible with Wales' plans. "We may have won the grand slam but . . . we are determined the build on the success. If the Lions wanted Warren to be involved in a different capacity, such as forwards coach for example, we would consider that."

Wales tour South Africa this summer. Their captain, Ryan Jones, is the favourite to lead the Lions but is likely to face competition from Ireland's Paul O'Connell and whoever becomes England captain when Martin Johnson takes charge in July.

Leicester's Seru Rabeni has had his appeal against a 14-week ban for alleged eye-gouging rejected by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel.

Lions tour May 30 Highveld XV (Rustenburg); June 3 Golden Lions (Johannesburg); June 6 Cheetahs (Bloemfontein); June 10 Sharks (Durban); June 13 Western Province (Cape Town); June 16/17 tbc Coastal XV (Port Elizabeth); June 20 South Africa (Durban); June 23 Emerging Springboks (Cape Town); June 27 South Africa (Pretoria); July 4 South Africa (Johannesburg).