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| Gatland finally released his final tour squad yesterday (19th April). |
Back Five Balance
Taking a look at the combination of back row and second row (8 to 5), there is a possible concern on the number of locks. Taking eight back-rowers gives Gatland - and Borthwick - plenty of opportunities to mix up the combinations and find the one which works best together ahead of the first test. Seeing how a heavy, battering back row of the likes of Stander, O'Brien, Vunipola compares to the more dynamic, athletic choice of O'Mahony, Tipuric and Faletau will be an interesting subplot in the opening few fixtures.
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| Henderson can play both lock and blindside flanker. |
The engine room, however, throws up a worrying thought, in that two of the five selected are well documented for their ability to also play at six. Utility players are crucial to the success of a Lions tour and that ability could play it's part as the grueling nature of the series takes its toll. Yet thisthrows into question whether the Lions have enough second row to match the physical endurance demands of the position. Players are unlikely to be able to play two games in a week if Itoje or Henderson were to play at six, the cupboard is looking a little bare in terms of fit, ready to go locks.
I'm sure that Gatland, Borthwick, and Stridgeon (conditioning coach) have thought this through, but I can't help but feeling it would have made sense dropping someone like Moriarty with Launchbury or Jonny Gray. Speaking of which.
Launchbury Loses Out
It was probably the chief headline of the entire afternoon, "England and Wasps second row Joe Launchbury misses out on Lions tour", and with good reason too. Launchbury has been the form
second row throughout the season both for club and country, and yet he can't get the most prestigious jersey in world rugby.
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| Launchbury was outstanding during the 6 Nations. |
There were many players who missed out: Hartley, Gray, Zebo; to name a few, but Launchbury's omission lead to public outcry more than any other. We even saw the ugly side of social media with some trolls "praying for an injury to Alun Wyn Jones" so Launchbury can go, a comment which is disgusting and beyond the pale. Alun Wyn Jones was selected for his never say die attitude, his leadership, and his experience on two previous Lions tours (he's played six consecutive Lions tests!).
Instead I was surprised at the selection of Lawes over Launchbury. The two had formed an impressive partnership in the Six Nations - alongside Itoje - but in reality, it was always expected it would be one or the other. Gatland's response was that he'd selected the athleticism of Lawes over the close exchange expertise of Launchbury. To some extent, you can understand that with the Kiwi's not exactly famed for making arm wrestles of matches, but that doesn't quite satisfy people. None the less Launchbury will be the first name on the reserves sheet should anything happen to the original selection.
Physicality Rules
This is simultaneously a surprise, and not. For the last few months, coaches and pundits alike have expected a Lions team full of expansive rugby and taking the All Blacks on in a try scoring affair. And true there are players in the team that will build that team if Gatland decides it's the best option. In reality, though the squad that is being taken is one focused on winning collisions and smashing into the Kiwis. This is not shocking, everyone knows Gatland's favoured style of play, it worked for Wales for years and won the last Lions series.
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| Te'o's inclusion speaks volumes for Gatland's style. |
The selection of the likes of Ben Te'o, Dan Biggar, and Courtney Lawes screams that the Lions will be looking to dominate defence, and refuse to give the All Blacks an inch. The real showcase of that selection is the back row with Moriarty, O'Brien, Warburton, Vunipola, Stander providing one of the biggest back rows possible. They will be flying into black shirts like cruise missiles attempting to slow the progress they can make by knocking them back behind the gain line.
Personally, I think it's a risk to attempt to take on the All Blacks with a power game. Power games rarely yield a high number of tries, and the Kiwi's are essentially guaranteed to score at least three tries a game. If Gatland is really planning to use "Warrenball", then he better hope that Andy Farrell has got an air-tight plan for keeping the Kiwi's out.
Scotland Missing
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| Gray was unfortunate to miss out. |
Lastly is the number of Scottish players included in the squad. It's the biggest Lions squad selected in a long while, and yet only two Scots make the plane. The response on social media was savage, even respected pundits - like Jim Telfer - were enraged by the lack of kilted players. The arguments largely rotated around the fact that Scotland finished third in the Six Nations and yet have a sixth of the players Wales do. Which on the face of it is a valid point, that is until you begin to consider the selections player by player.
In reality, Scotland doesn't have that many "world class" players, beyond Stuart Hogg none of their players would be considered for a World XV. Even in open discussions, only half a dozen Scottish players were regularly mentioned: Hogg, Seymour, Gray, Watson, Russell and Laidlaw. Two of them made the list, in the end, the exclusion of the rest is easily argued. Gray missed out for the same reason Launchbury did; Laidlaw missed out due to injury; Watson missed out in a hyper-competitive back row that already had two breakdown opensides. Russell is the only player I thought had a case of being included his silky style and a brilliant passing game could have been a revelation in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Instead, Biggar was selected, that in itself explains Gatland thinking, choosing a "test match animal" instead. Biggar is a player who doesn't accept defeat, will galvanize a team around him, and provides excellent kicking ability. It's a case of coaches preference in style which has lead to the exclusion of Russell (and George Ford in a similar vein), but Scotland are touring Australia so should the worst happen he could still get his chance.
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| Russell is supremely talented, and his attacking game could have been big for the Lions, but he can disappear in big games sometimes. |
So after all the debate, all the hyper, all the anticipation, we finally have the players who will boarding the plane to New Zealand. The arguments will continue to rage about what the starting team should be - and below is my choice for the first test - but that's half the fun of a Lions year isn't it. The entire rugby world is watching New Zealand this summer, it's exciting isn't it.
Tackle Pad 23 for Test 1
15 - Stuart Hogg
14 - Jack Nowell
13 - Jonathan Joseph
12 - Owen Farrell
11 - George North
10 - Johnny Sexton
9 - Conor Murray
1 - Jack McGrath
2 - Ken Owens
3 - Tadhg Furlong
4 - Maro Itoje
5 - Alun Wyn Jones
6 - CJ Stander
7 - Sam Warburton
8 - Taulupe Faletau
16 - Jamie George
17 - Mako Vunipola
18 - Dan Cole
19 - George Kruis
20 - Billy Vunipola
21 - Rhys Webb
22 - Robbie Henshaw
23 - Liam Williams
I am aware that this team will not be to everyone's liking, and I look forward to discussing it with the readers, in the comments below.
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