Defence the best form of attack for Gatland's Lions
The Lions will leave the sparkling rugby to All Blacks when they arrive in New Zealand – but the tourists could well win the work-rate battle, writes James Harrington.
His Imperial Galactic Rugby Overlord Steve Hansen wasted no time in laying into Warren Gatland’s Lions’ squad for the looming tour of New Zealand.
Within hours of the reveal of the Lions at Syon, Hansen had questioned the omission of Dylan Hartley. He later suggested that there were no surprises in the 41-man selection.
Gatland, he said, had shown his hand – and we all have a season of Warrenball Redux to look forward to.
Which would be depressing.
At first glance, it’s hard to argue. Sixteen of the 41 players – a shade under 40% of those on Gatland’s squad sheet – were also on the plane to Australia back in 2013. That’s a big number, especially over the four-year Lions-tour cycle. Equally, there are some big, big guys in the party, all ready to squeeze their massive frames into XXL or larger Lions jerseys. And few of them are Beauden Barrett-subtle in their rugby style.
And yet, this is not a reboot of 2013 squad, and Hansen knows it. Yes, the Lions circa 2013 was pure smash-and-smash-again-then-grab rugby that worked for long enough to beat Australia.
Fast forward to 2017. New Zealand are superior in every conceivable way – and innumerable inconceivable ways – to Australia four years ago. Even the tourists’ dirt-tracker midweek games are against opponents superior in every conceivable way to Australia four years ago.
As a result, Lions tactics must be better in every conceivable way to Australia four years ago. So there’s no wonder that, with preparation time farcically short, Gatland has assembled a squad of strong characters in both mind and body. Those players who pass for rugby wizards in the English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish game have been left behind in favour of fighters and grafters and never-say-diers.
Look at the clubs the players come from. Only Elliot Daly plays for Premiership leaders Wasps, a side that picks up try-scoring bonus points for fun and boasts the competition’s leading try-scorer in Christian Wade. Hell, even Eddie Jones has left most of Wasps’ backline brilliance at home for England’s tour of Argentina.
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There’s a reason for the double snub. Wasps rely on their ability to score a shit-tonne of points and hope they concede no more than a shit-tonne-minus-one. It makes for exciting, thrill-a-minute club rugby at the Ricoh, but it ain’t going to work in internationals. And it really, really ain’t going to work against the All Blacks.
If you want to see what this year’s Lions will be like, look instead at Saracens, who supply six of this year’s New Zealand tourists.
They may rarely spontaneously Beaudify opponents into dazzled oblivion, but they will regularly – through sheer force of will – grind them into submission over the course of 80 minutes.
In this year’s European Champions Cup semifinal in Dublin, they kettled two-time European champions Munster from first whistle until last. The Irishmen dominated both possession and territory but grew frustrated, and then desperate, as that dual advantage failed to tell. And Saracens countered clinically.
Similar to Wasps in their pomp and circumstance era between 2004 and 2008, when they won four Premiership titles and two European crowns with a ragtag bunch of Oakland A’s-style misfits, or Leicester from a few years’ earlier still, when Martin Johnson’s death eyebrows ruled Welford Road and the Tigers pack ruled everyone else, Saracens have distilled something that smells like team spirit.
It’s that selfsame will that Gatland wants imprinted on his players’ souls. It’s almost All Blacks-like in ethos, but very typically English in character.
The Lions will leave the individual brilliance to their opponents – who are far better suited for that role, anyway. But they will work as a unit to stifle as much of it as possible from can ’til can’t.
Hansen knows that New Zealand will face a team stronger than any they have played since long before the 2015 World Cup. He comprehends full well that the Super Rugby sides lined up for the dirt-tracker games will face a team less willing to give up yards, feet or inches than any they usually meet. That will fight for every blade of grass.
Gatland’s Lions will be an immoveable object in New Zealand. We’ll find out what happens when they meet the All Blacks’ unstoppable force.
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Comments on RugbyPass
I think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
8 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
61 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to comments