Warren Gatland’s not going to Australia to shake hands, have a few frosties and get a tan. Oh no – he’s off down under to win. But what are his tactics?
Well, he’s given himself a fair go – he’s done little else but think about this for a year. He got himself a nice little sabbatical from his regular duties with Wales and he’s been trooping round the circuit making notes and forming his masterplan.
Off the Pitch
Gatland knows that sport, especially big sport, is played in the mind, before the game, as much as with the body during it. Mind games can be very effective in de-stabilising a team.
This is especially true with young, egotistical, testosterone-fuelled minds. This can be more so when the press and the public wade in as well as the players. The Australians are particularly good at the wind-up.
Gatland will have devised tactics to cope with this sort of thing. That doesn’t mean to say that he won’t be affected. It’s just that he’ll have mechanisms outlined to mitigate the worst of it.
He is a New Zealander, after all, he’s met Australians before.
Chances are he’ll have rules in place about players dealing with the media and rules in place for the media dealing with the players. Maybe even got rules about what happens if the rules are broken, too.
Similarly, he’ll have planned the hotels, travel arrangements and medical backups meticulously.
In all likelihodd he’ll have trusted people in place as escalation measures. Tour manager Andy Irvine is no stranger to Lions Tours – he’s done three of team.
Admin in place, protection measures in force.
On the Pitch
I don’t think there’s much point in looking too deeply into this, since the Lions haven’t trotted out yet. But the squad betrays some traits:
1. It’s mostly Welsh.
2. It’s big and chunky.
3. It’s young, lean and hungry.
So, that’s likely to mean:
1. They’ll play like the Welsh a bit.
2. They’ll be ‘competitive’ up front.
3. They’ll be ambitious to win.
But that’ll be mediated by:
4. There’s plenty of English, Irish and Scots about too.
5. There’s plenty of speed, especially in the backs and the loose.
6. There’s a whole lot of touring Lions experience.
Which is likely to mean:
4. It’s a Lions team not a Welsh XV.
5. They’ll not be hanging about, given the chance to run.
6. The youth will not be getting carried away, they’ll be mitigated by wiser heads.
So, with all that in mind, Gatland has picked a squad that looks like the Lions will be aiming to bully the Wallabies with a massive pack and a big backline.
They will want to run over the Aussies, to confront them at every opportunity, to win the contest at the impact area. They won’t want to be running around the corners, but they will do if presented with the chance.
It’s a squad built for smashing an opponent with traditional rugby, focusing on forward-power, game management and tactical kicking.
Gatland wants a fast, mobile, ‘fetching’ six, seven and eight. Probably because the breakdown is such a strength of the Aussies and the Lions will need to nullify that area.
And they’ll need to stomp on Genia too, so nous is handy.
Gat will play:
– A big front five.
– Ten-man rugby, a ball-holding offence and a possession-retrieving defence.
– Two sevens and a fast eight.
– Big, hard, blitzing backs.
– The two big Welsh lads on the wings, both 2m tall and over 100 kg. Fast and mean with it.
– Tuilangi is a battering ram so he’ll be in, rather than Brian O’Driscoll.
– Phillips is huge, too, so he’s worth a start.
Remember, it wasn’t Gatland’s Wales – Howley’s Wales lost the last four times to Australia recently.
And they’ll be all the better for having the non-Welsh with them.
The Scots will bring the ‘keep it tight and be patient’ bit that got them a 9-6 win and perhaps was what the Welsh lacked.
The Irish will bring the panache and bonhomie to make sure everyone enjoys it.
The English will bring their own brand of superiority and confidence, that annoys everyone, but spectacularly annoys Australians.
For what it’s worth, here’s what I reckon will be Gatland’s Lions XV:
Jenkins
Hartley
A Jones
AW Jones
Richie Gray
Warburton
Tipuric
Faletau
Phillips
Sexton
Roberts
Tuilangi
North
Cuthbert
Halfpenny
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