Hookers thrown to the Lions

GORDON BULLOCH is used to being a member of a minority group on this Lions tour.

Before flanker Jason White’s call-up to Clive Woodward’s injury-ravaged squad yesterday, the Leeds-bound hooker had been one of only two Scottish players, alongside scrum-half Chris Cusiter - Simon Taylor having gone home earlier this month - and both were on the outside looking in when things went pear-shaped in the first Test last Saturday.

Bulloch has a chance this morning to push his way into the second Test reckoning with a convincing display against Manawatu province in Palmerstown North. He was due to captain the side for the second time on this tour, thus confirming his status in another select club, but you get the feeling that the one membership he treasures most is that of the quartet of Lions hookers in 2005.

Lesser mortals would have celebrated a miserable night for Shane Byrne in Christchurch last Saturday as the lineout faltered and the first Test was surrendered meekly.

There is no doubt those feelings have crossed Bulloch’s mind since Saturday, but when the quietly-spoken Scotsman lends his support to the under-fire Leinster man, you believe his sincerity. When he backs the skills of Byrne and Steve Thompson, both selected ahead of him in the Test 22 last weekend, you trust his honesty, just as you did in similar circumstances when Byrne said the same sort of things about his fellow hookers ahead of the first Test.

“It is always the same,” said Bulloch yesterday at the Arena Manawatu. “If the lineout goes well it is the second rower, but if it goes wrong the hooker gets the blame. I have been in that situation before, and it is not always the hooker’s fault. You can look at six or seven line-outs and pinpoint one thing that went wrong in each of them. It just happens they all came in the one game. You can’t just come a ton of bricks down on Shane.”

Bulloch backed Byrne’s assessment that the Lions hookers - Andy Titterrell makes up the quartet - are a close-knit group. “Although you don’t go out and have beers with these guys after every game nowadays, you do tend to know them quite well. All of them have many caps, we know each other, respect each other, and it is great bouncing ideas off each other.”

The Scot believes putting the line-out right in time for Saturday’s second Test in Wellington is a simple process.

“We can’t dwell on what happened, we have to get things right this weekend and put pressure on their line-out. You need to have options when things begin to go wrong. Jumpers will have their favourite options to get them out of trouble but basically we have to get the ball in and get it away.

“It does not need an overhaul. We have quality forwards there, jumpers, lifters and Shane and Steve can throw the ball in.”

Bulloch (30) witnessed a Lions tour disintegrate in front of him in 2001 when he was called out as a late replacement for Phil Greening and backed up Keith Wood in the squad, playing four games, one as a replacement in the victorious first Test over the Wallabies. He also knows how not to react when things go wrong, as they did in the following two Tests.

“Obviously there has been a bit of a change in mood. You don’t like losing a Test match, and certainly the manner we lost it in meant we were going to take a lot of heat from the press here. It is up to us to use that backs to the wall mentality, and go forward and look to something positive at the weekend.

“The worst thing you can do after you have had a night like that is have nobody wanting to talk to you. It is important that we stick together and not split. A lot of guys came out on Sunday and helped with our session. We have to rely on character now to get us through it.

“From my experience you get a lot of character and a lot of strength from coming back from losses. It is certainly a time for regrouping as squad, rather than going our separate ways. You can’t overtrain or dwell on what has happened. You have to learn the lessons quickly and then move on. Replaying the game will not help us, we just didn’t play well at all and we can’t play as badly as that again. The boys won’t let that happen.”