Gatland’s men face the test

There is little in sport that generates more debate than the selection of the squad before the tour of the British and Irish Lions and Warren Gatland’s announcement last week was no different.

Having delivered a successful return from his last outing at the helm in Australia, combined with the improvement in form of several of the Six Nations teams, expectations have been raised.

That the tour is to New Zealand, the best team in the world, has raised the discussion to new levels.

The number one side playing against a selection of the best individuals from countries currently ranking second, fourth, fifth and eighth (Wales dropping two places as a result of several narrow defeats, the final in controversial circumstances to the team they are now below, France).

Historically there has been no tougher place for a Lions team to tour. In 113 years they have secured only six Test wins while succumbing to 29 defeats. The only team to emerge with a series win was the fabled class of 1971, led by Welshman John Dawes.

Gatland has again turned to a Welshman, Sam Warburton, which is an interesting choice as he would not be amongst the starters in the first XV selected by many pundits. He becomes only the second player to captain the Lions twice.

However, it does demonstrate the approach that Gatland wishes to adopt and his need to have this reinforced from within.

Much has been made of his decision to omit Dylan Hartley (who was born in New Zealand), the successful England captain who led his side on a world-record equaling run of 18 consecutive wins. Intriguingly, this is the third successive Lions tour on which the England captain has not been selected. In addition, Joe Launchbury, who won two man-of-the-match awards and came fourth in the player of the tournament vote, has also been omitted.

However, England’s template for success is very different from the one that Gatland has used in the past and I believe that for him to try to emulate that would be a mistake. His critics would argue that replicating the style of his Welsh teams would also be an error!

Indeed each of the four nations providing players has their own distinct style and, while the coach has a seriously talented squad at his disposal, it will be a tremendous challenge to get them playing well together.

The schedule is tough with the Lions due to face the top five domestic sides along with several other representative teams before the three-Test series. While there is a need to play matches to enhance the cohesion, the modern-day game is so physically demanding that players also need to rest. 

I would not be surprised to see many of those receive a call. Ahead of the last tour Gatland claimed that, on average, he expected to need eight replacements. To counter that this year, he has increased the squad size by four.

There are still some surprises in his squad. Much has been made of the fact that there are only two Scottish players, despite having beaten both Ireland and Wales, who both count representatives in double digits.

Several players, such as Gray and Russell can count themselves unlucky, but perhaps not more than the English players listed above. It is the first time since 1908 that the Scots will not have a representative in the pack.

What is a surprise is that there are so many Welsh players, some of whom appear to have been chosen based on their reputation and past performance rather than current form. Yet, while this is perhaps a nod to their experience, particularly of touring with the Lions, Gatland has selected 25 debutants, many of whom aren’t starters for their own country!

Iain Henderson, for example, started only two of Ireland’s Six Nations matches, while Ben Te’o has started only once for England, while Kyle Sinckler has not started at all. The same is true of Jamie George, the man who has apparently ousted the England captain. George has started every one of his 17 appearances on the bench.

In isolation this may appear odd. However, if you consider that Hartley was unlikely to be selected to start ahead of the Ireland captain, Rory Best, then perhaps George – and others – have been specifically selected to hurt the Kiwis off the bench.

Of all the teams in the Six Nations it is Ireland that has produced the template, stopping both of the world’s top two teams on undefeated runs. From the selection of several heavy-duty ball-carriers it looks as though Gatland will be playing direct rugby, seeking territory and set-piece mastery while forcing All Black mistakes and feeding off them.

The Kiwis are favourites to complete a series whitewash although Gatland cannot be excused for not having enough firepower at his disposal. 

On the return to his homeland the onus is now on him to make the Lions roar.