Beirne one of three to boost their Lions stock against Japan
After the months and months of anxiety, of the “will they or won’t they” and of the threat of a break with tradition, the British and Irish Lions finally got their 2021 tour of South Africa underway on Saturday, albeit on the far more familiar turf of Murrayfield.
If relief was the chief emotion as the whistle started proceedings in the historic fixture against Japan in the Scottish capital, it was quickly replaced by dismay as both Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric were early first half casualties for Warren Gatland’s side.
As important as developing chemistry and refining the game plan is in these opening salvoes of a Lions tour, avoiding injuries to key players is just as crucial, and by 15:30 on Saturday, the Lions had already lost two of their most influential players to injuries that would go on to prevent them taking their spot on the plane to South Africa.
Gatland moved swiftly, naming Conor Murray captain of the side in Jones’ absence, with Adam Beard taking his place in the squad and Josh Navidi filling in for Tipuric. Able deputies, certainly, but to lose two players who would have had extremely strong cases to be in the starting XV when the Lions take to the field for the first Test in Cape Town in just under a month’s time, their departures marred any euphoria about a winning start to Gatland’s third tour as head coach of the invitational side.
There is no like-for-like replacement for the experience and leadership that Jones brings, whilst Tipuric was the only specialist flanker in the original squad with a Lions Test to his name. Hamish Watson and Tom Curry will both have eyes on Tipuric’s spot in Gatland’s preferred XV to take on the Springboks, but neither have been on a tour previously, let alone played in a Test. A heavy burden of leadership will fall on Maro Itoje in the engine room, too.
Of course, it wasn’t all doom and gloom on Saturday and there were plenty of positives to take from the outing against Japan as well. It may have just been the first foray in a 9-game itinerary, but already players will have been jockeying for starting jerseys, with several putting their best foot forward.
Tadhg Beirne, one of three debutants to cross the whitewash, stood out with his all-round game.
If the Lions are going to look to turn the corner on the Bok defence and/or keep phases alive, Beirne’s ability as a passer and an offloader was on show on Saturday, as he looked comfortable taking contact or moving the ball from the inside and the outside of a three-man pod. His line outside of Iain Henderson for his second half try was also a prominent reminder of the athleticism that he brings to the mix.
He did well at the rear of the lineout when targeted, too, including salvaging a significantly underthrown ball in the first half. He sealed the edge well at the maul and disrupted two Japanese throws in defence.
There were some blind offloads that South Africa could well punish him for, as well as a couple of missed tackles where he was set too early and the Japanese carriers were able to evade him. All in all, however, it was an impressive performance from Beirne who did his bid for the six jersey no harm at all, not least so due to the strong showings from Japanese back rowers Pieter Labuschagne, Kazuki Himeno and Tevita Tatafu in opposition.
Both Courtney Lawes and Taulupe Faletau offered plenty from the bench following their first half replacements of Jones and Tipuric, though it was perhaps Kyle Sinckler who stole the show with the impact he was able to bring from the pine.
A surprise omission from the original squad and then only called up for this game due to Zander Fagerson’s back spasm, the Bristol Bears tighthead brought all of the energy and physicality that we have come to expect from him, during his impactful 30-minute cameo.
Like Beirne, his handling skill created space for the Lions, whilst he also showed his ability to carry the rock when asked to. His point of difference, however, was the ferocity he brought in the defensive line, though also combining that punch with some composed decision-making and reads that helped the Lions take the sting out of a surging Japanese side.
His scrum work was also strong and as an injection of impetus after a very solid 50 minutes from Tadhg Furlong, his role was greatly beneficial to the Lions. Gatland could do far worse than reuniting his starting and replacement tightheads from the 2017 tour of New Zealand for another ride next month when they take on the Springboks.
There is plenty of debate surrounding how the Lions will line up at 10-12-13 and what the game plan will be to try and unlock that well-drilled South African defence. A lot of people are calling for Owen Farrell to be at 12 outside of Dan Biggar, who had a good game at 10 on Saturday, but Bundee Aki did not shy away from showing what he is capable of as a more direct force outside of 10.
His out-to-in line off the lineout early in the first half left the Japanese defence scrambling, whilst he was a welcome pressure valve on Biggar’s shoulder when the defence was set and the line speed was good.
Furthermore, his tackles in the tight were dominant and he was a threat to get back to his feet and win the jackal on more than one occasion. He forced three turnovers in all and that is something the Lions will need to prize in South Africa next month, especially with the ball security and retention work of the Bok pack being amongst the best out there.
With the defensive skill and understanding of Robbie Henshaw at 13, any lateral mobility or tracking ability that you potentially lose with Aki in at 12 over Farrell, was shown to be minimal, albeit against a side that, on paper, should not pose as much of a threat as the Springboks.
Ultimately, the decision at 12 will come down to a philosophy call from Gatland in terms of what it is he believes the Lions will need to do in order to beat South Africa, but Aki has shown he is a genuine option, even if many are pencilling Farrell into the 12 jersey on the assumption Biggar may start at 10.
Nevertheless, it is still early days for the Lions and, unfortunately, there will be more injuries to come. They, even more so than form, will shape the final XV that Gatland opts for.
For now, though, the trio of Beirne, Sinckler and Aki have all made statements as to why they should continue to be heavily involved for the Lions as the tour begins in earnest next week when Gatland and his charges arrive in Johannesburg.
Comments on RugbyPass
This is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
2 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
4 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to comments