Gatland: Lions remind me of the All Blacks
The former Ireland, London Wasps and now Wales coach played for the New Zealand side 17 times without getting a Test appearance, but he toured with them across the world and brought their high standards to the northern hemisphere with him when he came to coach in Galway.
Now he hopes those same high standards will provide O’Connell and co with a chance of winning next week’s first Test against the world champions to set up the chance to match the historic triumph of 1997.
“This is the first time since I’ve been in the northern hemisphere that anything has reminded me of being in an All Blacks camp,” said Gatland.
“There is a lot of tradition with the Lions and the players are fighting for a position in the Test side – a lot of things have reminded me of training with the All Blacks.
“You are dealing with the best players from the northern hemisphere and there is a huge weight of expectation from Four Nations on their shoulders. It is the pinnacle of these players’ careers to pull on that Lions jersey and I’ve experienced that first-hand with the All Blacks.”
Wednesday night’s victory made it four from four for the Lions and forwards coach Gatland was pleased with both the outcome and the performance. But there are still things to work on before next week’s first Test and the Lions are keeping a few tricks up their sleeves until 20 June.
If the on-looking John Smit and his Springboks felt they were learning a few things about their opponents last night, Gatland knows that his players have deliberately kept a few things back before their return to Durban next week.
“You can’t show your hand on everything with a Test series around the corner. We have kept a few things up our sleeves with a few variations we’ve worked on in training,” said Gatland.
“The players have been working hard and coming to terms with the systems and structures we are putting in place and are getting stronger and better with each game. I didn’t realise until we assembled how difficult it was going to be to blend players together.
“We have got to be prepared to go the full 80 minutes against the Springboks. If we get into a power game we are going to struggle.
“I think Peter de Villiers has seen a Lions team that is improving with every game.
“The breakdown has been a fiercely contested area and there has been a lot of debate about it, but I am pleased with the way it’s going and the line-out.
“We still have a few things to work on at scrum time, and in dominating the collisions at the breakdown, but we are pretty pleased at the moment.”
With four successive victories under their belts the players have all put their hands up for selection for the test side and that is a problem that Gatland is delighted to have.
“Ian McGeechan said he was going to give everyone a chance to play and he’s been true to his word. At this stage I’d say the only two certainties in the team would be the captain (Paul O’Connell) and the Irish captain (Brian O’Driscoll),” said Gatland.
“We’ve got five fit locks, a highly competitive set of front row forwards, two outside halves you can only split with the toss of a coin and two excellent full backs. There could still be players pushing for a Test spot who play on Tuesday, it is that close.
“It has given us a selection headache as coaches and there are going to be some disappointed players next week.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
