Lions lifeline: Eighty minutes to secure a tour ticket to Australia
Central to that is not only the importance of getting selection right in terms of who to pick in his squad, but also when to pick it.
The 1993 party to tour New Zealand was selected the day after the final round of games in that season’s Five Nations championship when, against all odds, Ireland beat England 17-3 and Wales were hammered by France in Paris. Scotland had no game that weekend and benefited generously from that lack of exposure. A lot of players were picked on the basis of what happened on that final weekend proved not to be up to the task.
By delaying the final selection until the latest possible date, Gatland has not only offered a lifeline to a number of Irish players whose reputations were damaged after that first ever Six Nations defeat by Italy on the final day of this season’s championship but has also expanded his options by virtue of the fact that a number of tour hopefuls, who were out with injury up to that point, have now put themselves firmly back in contention.
Chief amongst those are the Irish trio of Paul O’Connell, Tommy Bowe and Simon Zebo, all of whom were spared the blushes of the Stadio Olimpico defeat. Only five weeks ago, O’Connell’s prospects of travelling looked non-existent, but, having made his mark with a try after only 11 minutes in his competitive return against Connacht, he went on to make such a seismic impact against Harlequins in the Heineken Cup quarter-final that his seat on the plane is now taken for granted.
Zebo and Bowe have a little bit more to do and in that context, Munster’s trip to Montpellier on Saturday will not only have consequences for Munster as a collective but for Zebo and also Peter O’Mahony, who has put himself in the frame in probably the most competitive area of selection in the back row. Saturday’s game also offers the chance for Conor Murray to cement his place in the party when he comes face to face with the highly influential Clermont scrum-half Morgan Parra.
O’Mahony’s tour de force against Harlequins at the Stoop came on top of a series of outstanding performances for Ireland in a very difficult Six Nations campaign, but he could yet lose out to two players who will also have benefited from Gatland’s decision to delay final selection to the latest possible date. While England and 2009 Lion Tom Croft made it back from long-term injury in time to start in England’s final game of the championship in Cardiff, Welsh colossus Dan Lydiate was not so lucky.
A known Gatland favourite, the 2012 Six Nations player of the championship squeezed in his third game in as many weeks for the Dragons against Munster in Rodney Parade last Friday night. Having recovered from a broken ankle suffered early in the season, Gatland could well take a chance with a player he knows and admires greatly. No doubt O’Mahony would have loved the chance of going head-to-head against him last weekend but will now seek to prove himself all over again against the pace, power and carrying ability of a very powerful Clermont back row unit.
Leinster too will come under Lions scrutiny on Saturday when they take on Biarritz at the RDS. Gatland will be thrilled that Jonny Sexton finally saw game time against Zebre last Sunday and will hope that Joe Schmidt will hand him a starting slot this weekend to get another competitive game under his belt. A return of seven from seven from the boot against Zebre proved conclusively that his injured foot is now fully healed.
Sexton is a key component for the Lions, the standout No 10 in the home countries up to the point of his injury. If he can quickly regain his form then his injury may prove a blessing in disguise as he will be fresh, buzzing and ready to go for the biggest challenge of his career. Gatland has given a clear indication he intends to select only two specialist out-halves, thus dispensing with the necessity of having to manufacture game time for a third in the limited time frame available before the first test.
That is all well and good as long as both remain fit but he will also have to select someone with the ability to cover that area off the bench in the opening games — otherwise his two front liners would have to be included in every match day squad in the build-up to the opening test in Brisbane. In such circumstances, what odds on Gatland plumping for another player well known to him in James Hook? He is performing consistently in the pivotal role for Perpignan but also has considerable test experience at full-back and in the centre, along with having Lions experience from four years ago.
The other contender for one of the two specialist out-half slots is Saracens’ Owen Farrell. Gatland will be a little worried at how he allowed himself to be rattled against both France and Wales in the championship. Be assured that potential vulnerability was noted down in Australia and when it comes to sledging and putting a player under individual pressure, the Aussies are past masters.
I watched Farrell closely against Ulster in their Heineken Cup quarter final and was impressed. It helped in his battle against Paddy Jackson that Saracens had the vast majority of possession with their line-out completely on top but Farrell varied his game impressively. Just four months older than Jackson, he has already accumulated 16 caps and, barring a disaster against Toulon in the second Heineken Cup semi-final on Sunday, should make the touring party. That said, he will be watched closely this weekend, along with Chris Ashton and Andy Goode.
Ashton had a disastrous Six Nations, when his poor positioning in defence was badly exposed, and has a lot of ground to make up. He is also the type of player the Australian media would single out for special attention and in a 50-50 selection call, I think he is set to lose out. Goode had an excellent championship and also has experience of playing in midfield and out-half. That keeps him in the frame, but much will depend on how Rob Kearney fares in Dublin this weekend.
Kearney could do with a big game against Biarritz to copperfasten his inclusion in another competitive area with Leigh Halfpenny the clear favourite for the No 15 jersey in the test series at present. That game also offers a final chance for Jamie Heaslip to push his case against the outstanding Imanol Harinordoquy. None of the Lions candidates at No 8 have been overly convincing this season with Toby Falatou another trading on reputation. That is why Sean O’Brien could yet be utilised in that role. Heaslip is just one of a number of players who will be determined to offer one final case for inclusion with a big performance.
Gatland and his selection advisors have a busy few days in front of them.
