Caged Lions

A lot has been said and written about the British & Irish Lions 30-15 defeat by the All Blacks in the first test. Strangely we expected it to be the Lions’ forwards who would have the edge over their opponents but this was clearly not the case nor is it likely to happen in the next two encounters. This is particularly evident in the contact area where the All Blacks almost always make a yard or two when they are tackled which allows them to get the ball on the ground and away quickly. This is not just the forwards but the backs as well. They are not bigger and probably not stronger as measured by how many weights they can lift in the gym but have an innate ability to get their body position just right. I don’t remember too many instances when a Lions’ tackle stopped the man dead or knocked him back. This cannot be an accident so I wonder how they train the players to be so effective. This factor had a large part to play in the outcome of the game as it enabled the All Blacks to retain possession and force the Lions to give away penalties. In this aspect of the game the Lions sorely miss Billy Vunipola as it seems that he along with his brother and to an extent Faletau also seem to be blessed with the ability to break tackles.

It seemed to me that the two sets of three-quarters were quite evenly matched with the Lions looking dangerous particularly when the All Blacks were reorganised themselves as they lost players to injury. At half back the All Blacks had a distinct edge with Smith running the show. I think the Lions could have brought on Webb earlier and made a straight swap between Farrell and Sexton. Farrell and Sexton playing together were not strong enough to contain Sonny Bill Williams.

Would I make changes for the next test? I don’t think there is any real need to change the backs and half backs. In the forwards change the locks to Itoje and Lawes and bring in Warburton for O’Mahony. Henderson and Tipuric on the bench. You can never second guess Gatland though!

There is of course the old cliché about the wounded lion being dangerous so let’s hope it comes true next Saturday. Somehow you think that the wounded lion will be put out of its misery.