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THE occasions on which traditional, nurtured tribal rivalries are set aside are rare. Yet, every four years, when the British and Irish Lions get together you can hear the English cheering the Welsh and the Scots praising the Irish – to a point, anyway!
The year 2013 marks the 125th anniversary of the first Lions tour in 1888 and, to mark the occasion the board has retrospectively issued a number to every player that has represented the Lions on the 28 tours. But we’ll talk about that later.
The tour opener was held in a hot and humid Hong Kong against another invitational team long on tradition yet typically short on cohesion, the Barbarians.
This particular flock of Baa-Baas again featured some of the finest players on the planet and English royalty, in the form of Mike Tindall.
Captained by Italy’s superstar number eight, Sergio Parisse, the Barbarians also featured the All Black’s second leading try-scorer, Joe Rokocoko and the classy half-back partnership of his national colleague, Nick Evans and the French scrum-half, Dimitri Yachvili.
However, it was the South African hooker, Schalk Brits, who made the biggest impact, literally, with a solid punch to the jaw of his Saracens teammate, Owen Farrell, in the opening minutes.
Many pundits questioned whether this strike and Farrell’s retaliation resulted in his below-par performance, the main negative from a surprisingly positive opener.
Temperatures in the 30s with humidity reaching 94 per cent had led to many questions about the necessity of this extra match (Australia only offered nine games), commercial wisdom aside. The opening exchanges certainly added fuel to the furnace as sapped energy levels and a ball that ‘handled like a bar of soap’ created a contest low on thrills but high on spills.
However, the nine Welshmen (despite the absence due to injury of their captain, Sam Warburton), trio of Scots, two English and solitary Irishman soon bared their teeth and demonstrated the greater power of the pride of Lions over the flock of Baa-Baas, dominating the second half to ultimately win 59-8.
The first reaction to the result was one of relief in that there were no injuries to the Lions squad. Indeed, it was their main tour hosts, Australia, that was left to count the cost of the weekend with no less than three of their players being withdrawn from their 25-man squad.
Blindside flanker, Scott Higginbotham will be sorely missed with a dislocated shoulder, his strong form captaining the Rebels having led to 12 appearances for the Aussies in their last 15 outings. The physicality of lock, Sitaleki Timani, will also be missed with local media dubbing the visitors as offering nothing more than ‘brawn’. Digby Ioane, the tricky winger, completes the trio who miss out, although there are hopes that his troublesome knee will allow him to compete in the final test.
Lions boss, Kiwi Warren Gatland, had his own selection restricted by the absence of a significant contingent of his squad who were involved in the finals of domestic competitions, either the Premiership or Pro 12 finals.
However, based on the opening display, it is arguable whether any of those missing, including the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Heaslip will force their way into the starting 15. The same could also apply to Warburton, although Gatland will be pleased that the strength in depth that he possesses will encourage those that start to maintain a high level of performance.
While stand-in skipper, Paul O’Connell, opened the scoring, it was the Welsh contingent that impressed the most. Justin Tipuric impressed with a huge effort in both offence and defence and there were encouraging displays from Jonathan Davies and Toby Faletau while Alex Cuthbert and Mike Phillips scored magnificent tries. Phillips, in particular, was world-class, his craftsmanship leading to many of the scores, adding credence to his own claim that he is the best in the world.
Strategically, the attacking lines were imaginative, with even the more muscular backs, such as Roberts, running at intelligent angles that are difficult to defend. The Lions regularly created mini-breaks allowing Phillips to play off the front foot, allowing him the option of his trademark ball-carries or delayed passes away from the rucks.
Davies showed sumptuous technique while Stuart Hogg showed enough delightful running to suggest that he will seriously challenge Lee Halfpenny for the full-back slot.
Gatland’s Wales and Wasps teams have always favoured power, starting from the front and the scrum did not disappoint.
Next up for the Lions are Western Force in Perth who, despite ranking only 14th on the Super 15 ladder, have a reputation for raising their game against superior opposition.
Gatland has delivered a trademark side containing the biceps highlighted by the Australian media, yet has added thoughtfulness in the running lines and creativity with ball handling and kicking.
He has also demonstrated the benefit of having tried and tested combinations, relying heavily on his Welsh contingent who will be familiar with his methods.
Gatland has enough strength in depth up front to suggest that, even if the starting pack does not steamroll the Aussies, those that finish the game will. I expect this to provide the platform for the backs to demonstrate the variety of attack available and to comfortably win the series.
The pack will secure the Lions the possession that will allow the backs to play with width and pace.
