John Dalziel's Lions role is well deserved but it won't necessarily help me says prop

Pierre Schoeman says he has learned from John Dalziel, the Scotland forwards coach. | SNS Group / SRU

Pierre Schoeman believes John Dalziel’s appointment to the British & Irish Lions’ coaching team is thoroughly deserved but he is not sure it will necessarily help his own hopes of winning a call-up for the summer tour.

Dalziel, the Scotland forwards guru, was one of five assistant coaches announced last week by Lions boss Andy Farrell for the three-Test trip to Australia. Schoeman believes Dalziel is one of the most meticulous people in the game and feels he can really add something to Farrell’s backroom team where he’ll join Ireland coaches Simon Easterby, John Fogarty, Andrew Goodman and England’s Richard Wigglesworth.

Schoeman has hopes of being in the squad and feels his performances in the second half of the Six Nations can boost his chances. But he is under no illusions that Dalziel’s presence on the coaching team will ease his passage.

Pierre Schoeman says he has learned from John Dalziel, the Scotland forwards coach. | SNS Group / SRU

“You still have to earn it,” warned the Edinburgh loosehead prop. “But massive credit to him [Dalziel]. People always say about Finn Russell that he's the guy that does the most like analysis work behind the scenes and I feel JD is the same.

“The amount of work he puts in, like in the contact area and set piece, he just makes the ship sail smoothly. I learned a lot from him as well.”

Farrell will name his Lions playing squad at an event at the O2 in London on May 8 and Schoeman is hoping that his Six Nations performances will enhance his chances.

“I definitely feel towards the end - the Ireland, Wales and France games were probably my best games,” he said. “I do feel it's part of my aspirations and my goals.

“You can only control the controllables. So just to play well for Edinburgh now is my focus. We come here, we train, we gym hard, we do our S&C hard, we do our prep bloody hard. We focus on the pitch and when we're off, we switch off. And then you obviously have your goals and aspirations.

“When you win, it makes things easier, I think, for selection as well as a team. So individually, you give your best to the team and that will up your possibility, I would say. But yeah, controlling the controllables as best as you can.”

Pierre Schoeman during an Edinburgh Rugby training session ahead of the Challenge Cup ties against the Emirates Lions. | SNS Group

Schoeman’s focus is on Lions of a different kind this week. His Edinburgh team are taking on the Emirates Lions in the last 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Friday, hoping to extract a measure of revenge for the hammering they took against the South African side in Johannesburg earlier this season.

The Lions won the United Rugby Championship match 55-21 having led 48-0 at half-time, a record first-half score in the league. It was all the more humbling for Schoeman because he brother, Juan, was playing for the opposition.

“I’ve beaten him three times to two when he played for the Sharks, so hopefully we can make it four to two,” said the Edinburgh Schoeman. “And I don't know what my parents will say, but I'm still raging for that Ellis Park game.”

The Lions were on the wrong side of a heavy beating of their own at the weekend when they lost 42-0 to Glasgow Warriors, with all the points being scored in the first half. Edinburgh will look for a similarly fast start at Hive Stadium on Friday as they seek a place in the quarter-finals.