Warren Gatland bench options so crucial

From day one of his tenure as the head coach of the 2017 British and Irish Lions, Warren Gatland has preached the importance of a power-packed set of replacements to come into the game and either close out a victory or reel in a deficit.

The New Zealander is well aware of the fact that the All Blacks have long valued the strengths they derive from their in-game reinforcements, a point underlined only last Friday when the cavalry, including Charlie Faumuina, debutant Vaea Fifita, TJ Perenara, and Lima Sopoaga, arrived in the second half to heap even more misery on Samoa in a 78-0 hammering at Eden Park.

No wonder Gatland has repeatedly said: “We’ve got to match the All Blacks’ impact off the bench.”