On April 30th 2013, Warren Gatland put months of speculation to
an end by revealing the names of the 37 men charged with delivering the British
and Irish Lions a series victory for the first time since 1997.
There were no real surprises (apart from the absences of
Chris Robshaw and Rory Best) and as expected the core of the squad was
dominated by the Six Nations champions Wales. Their 15 man contingent is the biggest
in 36 years and is headed by skipper Sam Warburton, who at 24 becomes the
youngest Welsh captain in Lions history. Warburton is a player who Gatland
holds in high regard, he made him captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the
Kiwi clearly believes his leadership qualities are crucial to the Lions quest
for glory.
It is worth remembering that during this year’s Six
Nations campaign Warburton turned down the chance to lead Wales to concentrate
on his own performance, a move which ultimately paid off as Wales claimed their
second successive title. So it will be interesting to see if he will be able to
handle the pressure and expectation that comes with captaining the British and
Irish Lions.
While it is difficult to argue with the makeup of the
squad, it does feel as though Gatland has decided to stick with what he knows
and what he trusts. This is highlighted by the selection of Dan Lydiate; the
flanker was named player of the tournament during the 2012 Six Nations, but has
only recently recovered from a serious ankle injury, playing just a handful of
games this season.
It seems as though Gatland wants to play a game very
similar to the one which has brought him success with Wales - a style built
around overpowering the opposition in the forwards, kicking intelligently and
using big backs to smash over the gainline.
And while this gameplan has successfully dispatched the
best the Northern Hemisphere has to offer, it is has consistently come up short
against the Southern Hemisphere powerhouses. In fact, you have to go back to
2008 for the last time Wales notched a win against one of the “big three”, that
was a 21-18 victory over Australia. Since then the Wallabies have recorded
eight consecutive wins against Wales, including a 3-0 series win last summer.
During this period the other three home unions have all
registered wins against Robbie Deans’ side. England have beat the Australians
in Sydney and then at Twickenham.
Scotland produced one of the biggest shocks of last season by winning in
Newcastle, and Ireland caused the upset of the 2011 World Cup by beating the
Wallabies.
So the bare form suggests that the Lions will once again
come up short if they play a game in the mould of Wales. Gatland and his
coaching staff have to find a gameplan that doesn’t involve just trying to
outmuscle the Australians for 80 minutes.
There is a belief that the Lions have the edge in the
forwards and it is an area where the coaches feel they can dominate the
Australians. They will look to blow the Wallabies off the park, predominantly
in the front-five. The power of Adam Jones and co. will set the platform and
tone for the rest of the side. Combining this power with the mobility and
handling of players such as Tom Croft, Jamie Heaslip and Justin Tupuric will
give the Lions great balance upfront, and also provides the coaches flexibility
to change the gameplan at any time in the match.
The selections made in the backs have left Gatland little
room for manoeuvre in terms of changing the way the Lions can play. Of the four
centres only Brian O’Driscoll brings any sort of craft and subtlety to the
midfield. That is why the link between Jonny Sexton and O’Driscoll is so crucial
to the success of this tour. Should the Irish legend be unavailable then
options outside of Sexton become very limited. The Leinster fly-half will be
called upon to create everything for this backline, because sending the big
runners at the Australian midfield will only work so many times. Using the
likes of Manu Tuilagi and Jamie Roberts as decoy runners may prove just as
effective as smashing them over the gainline.
As is always the case this test series will be decided by
the finest margins and that is why finding that balance between power and guile
is one Warren Gatland and his coaches have to find. Going for the all-power
game will give the Lions a terrific platform but it is what the Wallabies are
expecting. Conversely playing an open game will suit the hosts who have
outstanding counter-attackers in Quade Cooper, Kurtley Beale and James
O’Connor.
For now attention now turns to Hong Kong and the Lions
opening game against the Barbarians. This game will give us the first
indication of how the class of 2013 will play in their quest to reach the top
of Everest and win a Lions test series.
Below is my side for the first test.
My British Lions XV 1st Test v Australia
1. Cian
Healy
2. Dylan
Hartley
3. Adam
Jones
4. Paul
O’Connell
5. Alun
Wyn-Jones
6. Tom
Croft
7. Sam
Warburton ©
8. Jamie
Heaslip
9. Mike
Phillips
10. Jonny
Sexton
11. George
North
12. Manu
Tuilagi
13. Brian
O’Driscoll
14. Tommy
Bowe
15. Leigh
Halfpenny
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