Audition time. In retaining 11 of the starting team from last week’s benchmark win over the Crusaders - the high point of the tour to date - for Saturday’s meeting with the Maori All Blacks, Warren Gatland has rewarded those performers with a chance to provide the core of the first Test side to play New Zealand a week subsequently.
“A lot of players performed well individually and it was a strong collective. We wanted to make a few changes but reward a significant part of that team that played that night,” said Gatland soon after the delayed announcement of the team.
“Again it’s building on last week’s game, it’s a massive challenge. You know that another significant performance against the Maori gives you a chance to be a part of that first Test match.”
Opportunity knocks
Opportunity thus knocks for Peter O'Mahony, who has the honour of captaining the side, Sean O'Brien and Tadhg Furlong as well as Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton, one of the four additions to that starting line-up from a week ago along with Maro Itoje, Anthony Watson and Leigh Halfpenny.
In retaining the backrow trio that went so well against the Crusaders, Gatland has not picked Sam Warburton. "It's important for him, I thought that he got a run out against the Highlanders. I thought he was good for a long period of the game. Sean O'Brien hasn't had a lot of rugby either. So they'll both get game time and Sam gets another chance on Saturday night to come and perform."
“He’s well aware of the competition that is there at the moment. He fully understands that that loose forward trio went outstandingly well against the Crusaders. One of the reasons we selected him as captain of the squad is that he is an absolute quality player but also, this tour isn’t about Sam Warburton it’s about putting the squad first, and so if he’s not involved in the first Test because of the performance on Saturday night he will fully understand that. But he’ll get some game time and some opportunity to keep improving his match fitness because he hasn’t had a lot of rugby in recent weeks.”
When asked if O’Brien was now ahead of Warburton in the pecking order, Gatland said: “No. We recognise that loose forward trio went really well on Saturday. The challenge for them is to repeat it. And if they do it again, we’ll make what we think is the right selection for the Test match.”
Mojo
Gatland felft that Sexton appeared to arrive a little low on confidence before rediscovering his form when pressed into a third game in the opening eight days of the tour, dovetailing with Owen Farrell for the last 50 minutes against the Crusaders.
“Johnny needs more rugby and we’re building on that. He was really good off the bench the other day and the combination of 10 and 12 was pretty seamless. He was just down a little on confidence but he’s got a bit of his mojo back, and we wanted to give him a start against the Maori.”
Farrell was named on the bench before being ruled out with injury and replaced by Dan Biggar - but fitness providing he still seems the favourite to start the first Test, and while there is a growing school of thought that the Lions may opt for a Farrell-Sexton axis on Saturday week, this still seems highly unlikely.
An option for the final quarter or half-hour maybe, but Ben Te'o still looks the likeliest option at inside centre, not least seeing as Sonny Bill Williams has been restored to the All Blacks team for their warm-up game against Samoa, in what looks even more of a trial run for their opening Test team, barring injuries.
It's a big game for Jonathan Davies, who started all three tests in Australia and arrived in good form only to suffer concussion within half an hour of his bright but only start to date against the Crusaders. Ditto Anthony Watson, after his impressive cameo off the bench last Saturday at full-back, who has a chance to improve upon some relatively undistinguished performances on the wings to date.
“Some of his footwork and pace, we’d like to see him get the ball in his hands and get more opportunities to score tires and to show what he’s about,” said Gatland. “He’s dangerous, quick, elusive, the challenge for us is to get the ball to him a bit more.”
The same also applies to Leigh Halfpenny after Stuart Hogg was ruled out and Jared Payne misfired somewhat last Tuesday against the Highlanders, albeit Gatland has thrown down the gauntlet to his Welsh full-back.
“It’s an opportunity as well for him to show what experience he has got.
“His counter attacking and scoring tries has improved significantly, that’s kind of what we need from a 15. We know how strong he is defensively, but it’s the attacking threat we’re looking for him to add to us on Saturday.”
Gatland described the meeting of Maori All Blacks and the Lions as “one of the unique sporting spectacles,” and added: “Special aura, or ‘mana’, they talk about here that the Maori bring, culturally how important it is to a country.
“They will have been engaging with the community, and the players are incredibly proud to put that jersey on, and represent their own tribes, not just the people of New Zealand.”
