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Murray keeps a perk despite Jones retaking Lions tour captaincy

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Lions boss Warren Gatland has confirmed that fit-again Alun Wyn Jones has resumed his original role as tour captain, taking the responsibility back off Conor Murray. However, the Irishman has ensured he hasn’t given up all captaincy privileges, Gatland joking that Murray made sure he held onto the hotel suite allocated to the tour captain which he moved into last Sunday when the Lions first arrived in Cape Town before Jones flew in.

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Murray was chosen by Gatland on June 26 in Edinburgh to become tour captain after Jones had sustained what was described at the time as a tour-ending shoulder dislocation. It soon emerged, though, that Jones was going to make an attempt to quickly recover and following a full contact training session with Wales on Tuesday, he was recalled by the Lions and flew into Cape Town on Thursday morning.

Gatland stated at a media briefing that he would need to have a discussion with Murray and Jones regarding the tour captaincy and it was after Saturday’s 49-3 win over the Stormers that the Lions boss confirmed the veteran Welsh lock had been restored as skipper but that it guaranteed him nothing when it came to the Test team selection debate for next Saturday’s first Test against the Springboks.

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“Alun Wyn has come back into that (captaincy) role and Conor is comfortable,” explained Gatland at his virtual media conference following the beating of the Stormers. “He stepped in to do it but Alun Wyn was named as tour captain before so it’s brilliant he has come back and Conor is the first to admit that he was more than comfortable for Alun Wyn to come back.

“That is a measure of him as a person as much as anything, but he wasn’t prepared to give up his bedroom suite though. He got the captain’s bedroom suite! But it was easy in terms of that (conversation) and we will see how the preparation goes next week and if Alun Wyn is involved or if he is not involved we will look at potentially who leads the team.”

Jones came off the bench to play 26 minutes against the Stormers just 21 days after he sustained his shoulder dislocation against Japan at Murrayfield. Gatland was pleased to see him back but was giving little away about what his second row selection pecking order was ahead of next weekend’s opening showdown versus the Springboks. “He put a few shots in and defended well, a couple of touches as well. The big thing for him was to get through that period to see how he was afterwards,” enthused Gatland.

“He wasn’t out there a long time and I haven’t really had a chat with him just to see how the lungs were. But I know how hard he has worked the last year or so. He was desperate to make the Lions. He felt in 2017 he wasn’t at his best and he has really been exceptional in the way he has prepared for this tour. It was a shame he picked up that injury, but it is great to have him back.

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“We will have that discussion about is there a role for him either as a starter, as a bench player or not involved next week. We have got some options and it has been a brilliant week for us. We got exactly what we wanted in terms of Wednesday knowing what is coming next week. If we hadn’t that South Africa A game or if we had the A team they put out today [Saturday] against the Bulls then we possibly wouldn’t have been as tested as we were on Wednesday. From that point of view, the preparation for next week gives us an insight on what to expect and it will definitely help preparation going into the first Test.”

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J
Jon 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

28 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

28 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks 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 comments
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