Who should join Warren Gatland?

Gatland has finally been confirmed as the British and Irish Lions head coach for the second successive term, as everyone had predicted for the last 12 months. That solves the first question of the tour, so what is next? Well it's the decision as to who supports the Kiwi in his attempt to win in the heart land of rugby.

Many people have different opinions as to who would be best to slot in alongside the Wales head coach and give the best that Britain can offer the best chance of winning in New Zealand. The good news to come out from this week is that Eddie Jones is more than happy for his assistant coaches to join the Lions tour. The fear that Jones would be unwilling for the likes of Gatland to garner secrets from the England camp seems to have just been paranoia. It's a small thing that will benefit the Lions in a schedule which has put them under pressure.

There are a number of coaching positions to fill: Backs/Attack, Defence, Forwards, Scrum/Lineout (which depends on the forward coach), and Kicking. Some are more critical to get right than others, and the final selection come December will depend on the sort of game that Gatland is hoping to play in the summer. One not mentioned will be the Fitness/Conditioning coach who is going to be responsible for maintaining the fitness levels of the players through the five week schedule after a long season, rather than attempting to improve on their fitness levels.

Before we get into the meat of the discussion we should also mention the Team Doctor role which will be crucial, but it will be a huge shock if Dr James Robson (Scotland) does not continue in his role, after being on six previous tours, a seventh is as expected as Gatland was to be head coach.

Backs/Attack Coach

Howley went under Gatland last time.

For me this is the most important selection. The Lions can't expect to go to New Zealand and think they'll win by playing a tight controlled game. The All Blacks have shown in the last 12 months they are simply too dangerous with the ball and are almost guaranteed to score 3 or 4 tries a game. This means the Lions need to match those scoring stats, pure and simple. Gatland is likely to want to impose his own attacking structure - whatever that will end up being - so his attack coach is going to have to compliment him.

The most obvious pick to fill this role would be Rob Howley (Wales), Gatland will trust him to put forward the style he wants, and will understand how he ticks. But for me Howley hasn't shown brilliance under Gatland for Wales, and I also believe Gatland should look for someone who can add something on top of his style to make it more dangerous. 

Many people wanted Gregor Townsend (Glasgow/Scotland) for the Lions, but his future role with Scotland has put him out of the running. Now Joe Schmidt (Ireland) seems to be the front runner, but for me he likes to have time to bed in a game plan structure, time that the Lions don't have. Instead I would offer a left field option Mike Ford (former-Bath). He is known for his ability to implement an expansive attacking style complete with excellent passing and offloading ability, and complimented with intelligent kicks to beat a defence. This is the sort of style I think could give the Lions the edge needed to over turn the Kiwi's.

Defence Coach

It's obvious how important defence coaches are in international rugby, it goes without saying. Especially in the Northern Hemisphere where defence coaches are heavily desired. There are three realistic candidates for the Lions tour: Shaun Edwards (Wales), Paul Gustard (England), and Andy Farrell (Ireland).

Edwards missed out last tour.

Farrell went on the last tour with relative success, the Lions conceding only four tries across the three tests. However like Howley I have never been convinced by him on the international scene, never looked like the best in the world. Add to that he is still working with Ireland with some success, but still feel he would be better off staying with the Irish set up. Shaun Edwards was snubbed for the last tour - a shock to many - and will be chomping at the bit to go on this one with his old buddy Gatland. Edwards too has his Lions experience, being defence coach under Ian McGeechan in South Africa. Edwards at one point was regarded as the best defence coach in the world, to such an extent England were rumoured to want to buy him out of his contract. However during the 6 Nations Wales have struggled defensively and his star has waned a little, his hopes of going on the tour depend on Wales' defence during the Autumn Tests.

Meanwhile across the bridge sits Paul Gustard of England. If there is one defence "in form" it's the English, aggressive and accurate at the same time is difficult to manage, but Gustard has managed it. England went to Australia, a side coming off the back of an exceptional World Cup full of attacking rugby, and kept them controlled with their defence. Gustard has an exciting outlook on defence, looking to use it as a choking weapon wherein the opposition will be put under such pressure, making little ground that they'll be forced into mistakes and give away penalties. It is working for England, and it may work for the Lions against a New Zealand team famed for their patience with the ball. Gustard is the current favourite but could be put under pressure from Edwards come November.

Gustard has done exceptional work for England in 2016.

Forwards Coach

For me there is only one choice for Forwards coach at the moment and that is Steve Borthwick

Borthwick is an exceptional
lineout coach.

(England). The set piece he build with Japan for the World Cup was second to none, their lineout was crisp and their scrum was a refreshing change to the stagnant penalty contests of European rugby. And he has achieved the same level of excellence with England, their lineout simultaneously perfect under their own ball and lethal on the opponents. The New Zealand lineout has become a terrifying exponent of their game, and the Lions need to be at their best in this area. For the scrum he has brought in Hatley from Bath for a bit of expertise but that is to be expected. 

There are quiet suggestions for the soon to be former Scotland coach Vern Cotter to be the forward coach on the Lions tour, but he hasn't been a forwards coach for many years instead plying his trade as a head coach. Not to mention his Scotland side have flattered to deceive consistently, they occasionally showcase the ability we expect, and then have poor game next week. His international credentials aren't exactly glowing. Finally as an outside bet could be Todd Blackadder (Bath) who was originally a forward's coach in New Zealand tutoring the likes of Whitelock, Read and McCaw and that inside knowledge could be helpful.

Scrum Coach

Young is an out of the
box option.

An immediate mention for Hatley here, he and Borthwick will understand each other already and familiarity could be important on the tour. Not a headline grabbing coach, but a stable decision that is unlikely to let down anybody. Vern Cotter again is a possibility known for his scrummaging work, but would he be happy going from a head coach to a tertiary one?

Another left field option could be Dai Young (Wasps) currently a head coach of a Premiership side, and a former international prop he would be more than capable of being scrum coach. Would also be a chance for him to develop - as he is largely favoured to replace Gatland in Wales. Along this avenue there are plenty of potential scrum coaches in the Aviva Premiership, Richard Cockerill (Leicester Tigers), Graham Rowntree (Harlequins), Dean Richards (Newcastle). All of which are well respected coaches and I'm sure Gatland will consider them.

Kicking Coach

A few options in this department. Neil Jenkins (Wales) has been on the last two tours and is highly respected on a global scale, responsible for the moulding of Leigh Halfpenny into one of the most feared goal kickers of all time, as well as the ever dependable Stephen Jones, and he currently one of only five players with over 1000 test points, and third highest all time points scorer. There is little that Jenkins hasn't achieved internationally and I'm sure he'd love a chance to be somewhat responsible for beating the All Blacks. 

Could Wilkinson return to the Lions set up as a coach?

The biggest public fan fare is for the undoubted legend Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon), another one who has had an impact on Halfpenny, with exceptional kicking stats so far this year. Wilkinson was a master off the tee and from hand, his credentials are well established. The kicking around the park will be a critical deciding factor in the Lions success against the All Blacks, and with the likes of Sexton, Farrell and Halfpenny likely to be going on tour they will need to be kicking intelligently and accurately. Perhaps the only negative for Wilkinson is that he himself is a massive star/attraction, which could draw focus away from the Lions or interrupt preparations, something Gatland might not like the sound of.

And outside bet could be Ronan O'Gara (Racing 92) who is having success with the superstar Carter for the Parisian giants, another who has exceptional international credentials and wouldn't be a poor choice for the Lions.

Tackle Pad Coaching Staff (pre Autumn Tests)

Backs Coach: Mike Ford

Defence Coach: Paul Gustard

Forwards Coach: Steve Borthwick

Scrum Coach: Dai Young

Kicking Coach: Neil Jenkins

The New Zealand Generals - Smith & Barrett

Two rounds into the Rugby Championship and New Zealand are cruising, they look untouchable. Australia being blown away with comparative ease, while South Africa and Argentina battled out two tight matches. There are so many reasons why New Zealand are a league above everyone else: 2-4-2 system; their backrow; their set piece; their decision making; ball handling; kick chase. We could write a post for all of them, but we won't. Instead we're going to discuss their two half-backs: Aaron Smith at 9 and Beauden Barrett at outside-half.

Has Carter been
 succesfully replaced?

Barrett has only recently achieved a firm grip on this 10 jersey but he genuinely looks like he has been in the role for years. For the last few years Barrett has be provided the "super-sub" tag, with his pace; eye for a gap; and try scoring ability allowing New Zealand to pull away with 20 minutes remaining. But people claimed he would remain in the #22 jersey because he lack of ability to control a game meant the likes of Aaron Cruden would replace the legend that is Dan Carter.

Aaron Smith on the other hand has been regarded as the best scrum half in the world for the last few years. He simply makes everything on the rugby pitch look easy, links with forwards and backs, and commands the breakdown with brilliance I haven't seen in the modern era. With Kieran Read at No. 8, Smith has been the focal point which the All Blacks have rebuilt around after the mass retirement at the World Cup.

Across both fixtures Smith & Barrett have been the catalyst for New Zealand's victories. There have been three main areas which have set them apart from their Trans-Tazmanian counter parts - and the rest of the world for that matter.

Playing with Width

During the rout in Sydney Beaudan Barrett was at the fore-front. It started with his position at the breakdown, whether it was a coaching decision or Barrett's preference is irrelevant. Barrett would be standing nearing 20m from the breakdown more often than not, giving the All Blacks immediate width to play with. Utilising the 2-4-2 method (discussed here) to it's full extent, he would be shielded by a pod of three forwards, another outside him. With the range of pass Aaron Smith possesses - far too often we've seen him throw a 30-40m pass to take three defenders out of the equation - Barrett's width was of no stress. The half-backs are presented with a range of options with this set up:

1. Smith hit's Barrett, using the forwards as decoys to hold the defence.
2. Smith hit's the forward pod and they set up a quick ruck recycle.
3. Smith passes to the forwards, who then shift it on to Barrett even wider than he was.

There are even more than this too. The large array of options would be considered a complex system for many, requiring vast communication between the forwards, scrum-half and fly-half to figure out what will happen. Instead through considerable training and the raw ball handling skill set of the All Black players means everything happens with total fluidity. Smith and Barrett can trust the forwards to make the decisions so they can talk to each other about where the next phase will take place. The speed of thought and ability to back up the decision with sublime execution puts these two above their competitors.

Aaron Smith has got an exceptional pass on him, making miss passes look effortless.

Knowledge of the Game

With Barrett providing the width, and the pace to attack out wide, Smith provides the game intelligence - something that Barrett is learning quickly. All good scrum halves are thinking about the next breakdown as they get the ball away from the current one. Smith seems to take this to another level entirely. He seems to know where the next three breakdowns will take place, or more precisely the various places they could occur, New Zealand like being able to attack both sides of the breakdown, Smith knows how both attacks will play out. He can see the plot out of the opposition defence, at least once against Australia he attacked back to the blindside without even looking. He just knew that Australia had been pulled across and that he had the required players to attack. I can't begin to understand how he manages this, is it natural gift or years on the training park? Either way he is genuinely the biggest contender for World Player of the Year.

Barrett again plays a part here, linking back to his width. On the numerous occassions which the Kiwi's had a ruck roughly 20m infield, Barrett's width to the open side dragged additional players to his side. Allowing players like Ben Smith and Israel Dagg to attack the blind side. Barrett understands that he is not the star of the show when he starts, he doesn't have to produce magic all the time. Trusting the tiny general inside him to decide the best direction to attack in, Barrett is at liberty to figure out the best way to unleash his backline in the open spaces. Playing perfectly into his strengths of fast paced front foot rugby. It is almost a role reversal from when Carter was at 10, where he used his vast experience and intelligence to direct the troops, while Smith probed around the fringes and looked to make things happen.

Smith has adapted well to his new role, and that shows just how good a player he is, that he has adapted to this new role in less than a year, and is excelling. Simple class.

Precision kicking at the right times

Lastly the final area I have noticed about Smith & Barrett's play is their kicking game. Aaron Smith's has always been one of the best in terms of his box kicks. Excellent at getting perfect height and depth to allow his wingers to chase and compete when looking to reclaim the ball. He also is exceptional at clearing the ball at taking the pressure of his fly-half in the 22. Barrett's kicking masterclass is much more recent, even just last year he was prone to buckling under the pressure. His kicking during the 2015 Super Rugby final was sub-par, one year later and it was the primary reason for the Hurricane's playoff success. During the end of the season the Hurricanes went 5 hours of rugby without conceding a try, and only conceded a total of 12 points across the playoffs. In a league where defence is a secondary thought, and games are won by scoring tries, those are ridiculous statistics. And they stemmed from Barrett's precision kicking out of hand. He shifted the opposition back three all over the place with, using the weather conditions with aplomb to skid the ball into

Barrett's kicking has become
masterful.

touch. Excellent kicks to chase and put pressure on, able to chase and recover little chips over the top to turn the defence, and slid kicks in behind to create tries. This is all without mentioning his massive improvement in goal kicking which is now Test standard with an average of 80% consistently, which was always the biggest thing New Zealand were going to miss with the loss of Carter.

Barrett now has the complete repertoire when it comes to kicking, and his decision making as to when to use them is as good as any other international fly-half, if not one of the best. He is still prone to odd risky play, but the number is coming down quickly. Even the great Carter made mistakes early on in his career, Barrett is on course to be the next long term fly-half.

Together Smith and Barrett are forming an exceptional partnership, they're already showing signs of knowing each other's games inside out. Individually they are both exceptional players that can win games by themselves, together they form a nigh unbeatable pivot which New Zealand can build their team around for the 2019 World Cup. Add in Kieran Reed at No. 8 and the skillful Sonny Bill Williams at 12 and you've already got an exceptional core to their title defence. Everyone is going to have to work hard to catch the All Black's new AB (Aaron & Beauden) duo.