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'It's going to be brutal at times': The chastening 2009 tour lesson that influenced Lions selection of Jonny Hill
It was a surprise when the name of Jonny Hill was read out by Lions chairman Justin Leonard at Thursday’s 2021 squad announcement. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is a Test level rookie, a nine-cap second row who only made his international debut for England last October.
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All the chat about the Lions for months on end had been about how Alun Wyn Jones, Maro Itoje and James Ryan were the locks who would blaze the trail and be right in the thick of it when Warren Gatland’s team goes toe-to-toe with the Springboks in July.
However, too many people read the room wrong. Whereas Welsh veteran Jones will travel as skipper following a stellar Guinness Six Nations, the form of the other two alleged second row squad shoo-ins wasn’t where it needed to be.
Itoje had sufficient credit in the bank to ensure selection but Ryan didn’t and he paid a heavy price when the 37-strong squad was unveiled. Gatland included a half-dozen second rows other than the much touted Ryan, a contingent where a number of them can capably play at blindside as well.
Rather than Ryan, Tadhg Beirne and Iain Henderson were the Irishman to make the cut, while there was also allowance made for Courtney Lawes to make it back in time from his England injury. It was the Hill selection that piqued most engine room interest, though, and Gatland used a query about why the Exeter player was chosen to reopen a wound that has festered since the Lions last toured South Africa in 2009 and lost the Test series 2-1.
'The absence of James Ryan is related to physicality as well for me. I know he’s only recently returned from injury but he was dominated when Leinster lost to La Rochelle last weekend.'
The @AndyGoode10 Column ???https://t.co/DV0kkyUDqW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 7, 2021
“He is a young player we think can keep improving and put the other second rows under pressure,” said Gatland about the bruising physicality Hill goes about his business with. “He is a big man and what pleased me was you wouldn’t have thought he had a brilliant Six Nations but he has gone back to Exeter and played some really good rugby.
“I thought Exeter and in particular him against Bristol was outstanding. We have had a look at that. If you look at our second rows we have tried to get a balance between matching what South Africa bring to that department and we have got to have the ability to bring that physicality.
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“It’s something we learned in 2009 that not having played the South Africans in the lead-up games – and it is going to happen on this tour as well with the Test players – we went in thinking we were in better shape than we were. All of a sudden you come up against the Test players and what surprised us was we weren’t prepared for the physicality or picked a side that didn’t quite interpret that.
“South Africa have gone back to their DNA. Looking at them in the (2019) World Cup and looking at the documentary they made, it shows you what their mentality is and it’s about being physical and winning that physical battle. So we want to play some good rugby but at times we are going to have to roll our sleeves up, get in the trenches and battle it out with them because it is going to be tough and it is going to be brutal at times.”
What counted against Sincks and Billy V…#LionsRugby #Lions2021 #Lions
https://t.co/vI6HCACORg— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 7, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments