Can the Wallabies bash the Lions tight five?

The 2009 Lions pack saw a number of Gatland’s favourites selected, and the repercussions were immediate and devastating. The composition of the pack for the first Test was hideously unbalanced, and the forwards were duly battered by the Boks.

Whilst the Springboks do have noticeably large forwards, the lazy stereotype is that the Wallabies don’t have big forwards, however, this is media myth.

The last few times the Wallabies have played the All Blacks, for example, the Wallaby forwards were on average taller and heavier.

The All Black forwards were just technically more competent, won the collisions, and therefore the game. Size is an irrelevance unless it’s paired with technical accuracy and intensity.

Another media myth is how poor the Wallaby scrum is.

I have seen the Wallaby scrum bulldozed on a number of occasions, but games like the November Test versus France have been exaggerated in my opinion, likewise the better days have also been peppered with hyperbole.

In 2001 the Lions scrum was tipped to dominate, but as soon as Glen Panaho was dropped for Rod Moore the Wallaby scrum had an edge.

Lions series elicit different responses from different players, so who knows which players will step up to the plate for Australia? I would be surprised to see the Lions earning any pushover tries.

In the front row Benn Robinson is a clever operator (when fully fit) and with Stephen Moore he has a robust and experienced tight hooker to bind on. Saia Fainga’a is a clear weakness at Test level, however. With James Horwill and then possibly Sitaleki Timani there will be a bulky lock pair in tandem – although size is arguably all that Timani offers.

Rob Simmons has had an improved Super season, and he would offer that balance in the lineout – not to mention a jumping relationship with Horwill, but I have a feeling that Deans will look toward the bigger man.

Ben Alexander is never going to be bracketed as world class, but he’s experienced and had a very good start to the Super Rugby, however, if Deans does look to somebody like Dan Palmer (who has struggled in recent weeks) then the Lions will likely have an edge in front row mobility around the park.

Overall where I think the Lions forwards will have the serious edge is in terms of mobility, athleticism and dynamism.

I think the Wallaby pack is currently carrying too much stodge, and/or journeymen. Can Benn Robinson match Cian Healy around the park, for example? Can Timani match the work rates and athleticism of Richie Gray Ian Evans?

How does Dave Dennis compare to a player like Tom Croft or Sean O’Brien? The Australia options at 7 are all excellent prospects, but even then, that potential advantage could be negated by a strong performance from the Lions tight five.

I am presuming that Robbie Deans will lean towards the usual suspects as he has done so often in the past. I don’t expect many new caps in the pack, if any at all. Horwill is a bullish player, and Higginbotham is an excellent and aggressive athlete, but the Waratahs forwards have generally seemed rather sluggish and I envisage them making up the bulk of the pack.

Even a player like Stephen Moore, who I am a big fan of, has become increasingly more sluggish as he’s aged, and with no TPN to provide impact off of the bench Australia will have to rely on inferior Super players.

Deans may feel he has to select a large pack, but to fixate on size is to totally miss the point – a lesson Deans should have learnt from the matches against Martin Johnson’s England. The Lions can call on men who not only excel at their core forward duties, but who can also carry, support and spread the ball for 80 minutes.

In the circumstances I think it would be a mistake simply to look to dominate the Wallaby forwards and play 10-man rugby when there are forwards and backs that can play an interlinking 15 man game that the Wallabies, on recent history, cannot match. The style of the 2009 Lions must be the benchmark.

Gatland has made comments regarding the need to score tries in Australia, so I hope we don’t see the one-dimensional power game that Wales play.

The tight five:

Cian Healy selects himself in the 1 jersey. He’s dramatically improved his scrummaging thanks to Greg Feek’s tuition at Leinster, and has maintained his ball carrying prowess. For a prop he’s an exceptional athlete and is arguably the most dynamic prop in world rugby.

He has a noticeably aggressive streak too (as felt by Dan Cole), and offers so much around the field, popping up down the middle and also in the wider channels. He also has the advantage of having had a very good day at the office against Alexander previously.

Gethin Jenkins has a reputation as a poor tourist and a sometimes reluctant scrummager, but he dramatically improved his form across the Six Nations and formed a potent set-piece with Hibbard and Adam Jones, although I think the Welsh dominance against England in the Six Nations was down to Jones on Marler, and not Jenkins on Cole, as has widely been assumed.

Jenkins provides a point of difference to Healy thanks to his work rate in defence around the ruck whilst Healy plays in wider channels.

The media tend to portray Jenkins as being this all singing, all dancing prop – which he was in the early stages of his career, but he actually plays a very tight game, much like Sheridan used to for England. Jenkins can also cover 3 if necessary and is a Lions veteran.

I think he’s incredibly fortunate to tour given the exceptional form that Andrew Sheridan has shown in France this season, but he has a working relationship with Gatland and the Welsh tight five, who are travelling en masse. That should be a real fillip even in terms of little things like knowing the running angles of your locks, the timing of lifting the locks etc.

Mako Vunipola provides serious impact from the bench – such a vital area of the game – and has shown a real game-on-game improvement when playing for Saracens and England. Generally he has scrummaged well when called upon, and I can see him thriving in Australia as he’s such a powerful and intelligent ball carrier, has good timing when entering the line, and is also a strong challenger over the ball.

I’m a fan of Ryan Grant too, but I think he is more suited to wet conditions, and Alex Corbisiero simply hasn’t played enough rugby. I also like Paul James, and he can cover tighthead too, but his overall game is somewhat limited in comparison to Vunipola who could go on to become an England legend.

Adam Jones and Dan Cole select themselves. Euan Murray was an option, but despite what Scott Johnson says about his ability in the loose I disagree, and don’t think there’s room solely for a set-piece specialist, especially with scrum management currently such a lottery.

Like Jenkins, Jones grew into the Six Nations, but his scrummaging, which was badly missed in the Autumn, proved too much for Italy, Scotland and England. D

espite a comically rotund appearance he’s more than comfortable with the ball in hand – more so than Cole, and on the 2009 Lions tour he was clearly one of the fitter forwards on display, consistently one of the first players to the breakdown.

As soon as he returned to the fore in the 6N Wales garnered an increasing number of scrum penalties which could be vital in Australia. He also presents as a thoroughly decent bloke, and good tourist.

In contrast to Jones Dan Cole had a quiet Six Nations by his standards, but he has been playing in front of a pair of callow locks since the retirement of Simon Shaw (Lawes, Palmer, Parling and Launchbury), thus I don’t think it’s a coincidence that with a bonafide tighthead lock in Louis Deacon he is such a force for Leicester, having displaced Castrogiovanni.

He has struggled on occasion against shorter props, but with a bigger man like Evans and scrummaging hookers like Hibbard and Hartley I think he could be very important in Australia coming off the bench and during the midweek games.

If the Lions dominate the scrums in the non-Test games then the referees might be less reluctant to penalise them during the actual internationals.

I also think it’s pretty informative that other international players speak so highly of Cole. He’s a class act, and his work over the ball is superb for a prop, and a tall prop at that – although sometimes he does get on the wrong side of referees in his attempts to compete, not always choosing the best time to refrain.

I’m not really sure on what basis that Matt Stevens was selected? He’s weighing in at around 20 stones these days, and although people still reference the fact that he is a good contributor with ball in hand he is nowhere near the standard of Healy and Vunipola and is a different sort of player to the one he was years ago.

He’s also a very erratic scrummager. Granted he can cover 1, but very badly, as we saw during the 2011 World Cup. I know that he’s a very jocular man, and a good tourist, but I see him as a weak link. David Wilson has been in good form this season, has been playing Test football and can also cover loosehead. Frankly it’s a very bizarre selection. Stevens hasn’t even been that good for his club side.

It feels bizarre that Matthew Rees has fallen so far off the radar, but Richard Hibbard has stepped up to the plate for Wales. Hibbard had a very good Six Nations and is the preferred starter at this stage, but personally I prefer Hartley on the basis that Hartley is the more intelligent footballer. Hibbard is the bigger man, but Hartley plays with his head up, has a good off-loading game and was excellent in South Africa last summer. He’s a proven dry track footballer, and is a leader.

Hartley also likes to set up mauls in midfield by turning into contact fending with his forearms, which the Wallaby pack might struggle to defend with big locks like Evans, Gray and O’Connell able to surge onto the comparatively big target that he sets.

I see Hibbard either as a Test contender or nothing. I don’t think he is an impact substitute, and when he carries it’s nose to the ground stuff, which can always be exploited by good opensides (which the Australians have aplenty) as you’re not aware where your support is. Hibbard is a heavy hitter, but I just think he’s a little one-dimensional at this stage in his career and would be more suited to touring New Zealand.

Like Hibbard, Tom Youngs is also a ground to the nose type of carrier, but he has an outstanding leg drive which tends to keep opposition defenders unable to gain purchase when trying to pilfer the ball. He likes to carry through rucks down the middle, and has an eye for a gap. When playing off the bench Youngs has added immediate dynamism and injected some urgency into the game.

I don’t necessarily view him as a Test starter, but he could be a real fillip playing as a substitute. Richardt Strauss is a similar player, and it’s very unfortunate that he was unable to feature for Ireland this year as he is a real livewire.

Youngs is also a very good defender, and he hits players low, akin to chopping down a tree, which allows the supporting forwards to get in over the ball. However, he has had various wobbles at the lineout, and it’s been suggested that he’s a naïve scrummager.

Obviously it’s very unfortunate that Rory Best has again missed Lions selection. He is apparently a very strong scrummager, generally a very good lineout technician, is excellent over the ball, and has a good work rate. I think that he’s a quality player, if not a little unfashionable.

The second row is one of the more contentious areas of selection with an abundance of 4 locks: Davies, Evans, Hines, Hamilton, Gray, Ryan, Lawes and Launchbury.

I am a big fan of Ian Evans. In many ways he reminds me of Simon Shaw – huge wingspan, clever footballer. He has very soft hands for a big man, runs good angles and seems to be all over the pitch, although obviously he doesn’t compare to Shaw as a defensive mauler.

Defensively his tackling stats are really up there, and he could really thrive on the Australian pitches. I also think his compatriot Bradley Davies is an excellent option at 4, albeit a different type of player: Davies carries down the middle to really tie in the defence, and he could be used to combat the presence of Timani/Douglas, but again he has not featured in the 6N.

Richie Gray didn’t experience a vintage Six Nations, and his form has clearly dipped since joining Sale Sharks, and the selection of form players is vital on a Lions tour. That aside, I think Gray is too loose to play 4 at this stage in his career, and there’s an element of the headless chicken to his play.

On form he could be devastating, and perhaps being surrounded by elite players like Jones and O’Connell will bring the best out of him. One issue I do have is that I don’t see where he fits into Gatland’s plans? With Scotland he plays with a real dog of a 4 in James Hamilton, which allows Gray a certain freedom, however, on this tour he’s been picked as a tighthead lock. Does he hit enough rucks? I’m not sure.

Nathan Hines was an option as he has an excellent off-loading game and an overtly aggressive streak, but again he has not been playing Test rugby, and so it’s hard to gauge his ability to step up at this juncture in his career. His former Scotland locking partner James Hamilton has also been mentioned by various pundits, but he’s basically a wet weather player with an awful disciplinary record. I just don’t see what he could bring to a Lions tour with a side trying to (hopefully) play a brand of attacking rugby? He’s a hard man, but he often oversteps the mark, and gives away unnecessary penalties at the breakdown. He has a ridiculous habit of trying to kick the ball out of the 9s hands, and likes to plant a leg straight down the middle of the breakdown.

Donnacha Ryan is another hard man, but smaller and able to cover 6. He’s aggressive, and has been calling the lineout with Ireland, but might have suffered, along with Rory Best, due to Ireland’s 6N lineout wobbles. I’m personally a big fan of his and think the dry grounds would have been perfect for him. In my mind he would have been an excellent midweek tourist.

I’m also particularly gutted that Joe Launchbury was omitted. Launchbury is not your typical four lock, but neither is he a real 5 lock either. He plays somewhere in between the positions which highlights the fact that he is simply a quality footballer, who is generally error free and does the basics exceedingly well. Allied to that he is an excellent athlete.

He is still comparatively physically callow for a 4 lock, but his all-round play is something that Timani just can’t match: his chasing game at re-starts, his support play, his anticipation of the breakdown, his cover tackling. He’s a very complete footballer for a big man, and is more suited to hard, dry surfaces than soft, wet European conditions. I think a Lions jersey could have brought out the best in him, especially when surrounded by tight five players like Healy, Best, Adam Jones and O’Connell. It’s no coincidence that he was last night voted England’s player of the year.

Courtney Lawes was also possibly worth considering, as he is dynamic and has played so well against Australia for England previously, but his injury problems have held him back from developing as a lock, and he is still more of an athlete than a rugby player, and yet another lock who is neither a 4 nor a 5. He is competent in the air, but he doesn’t put any tangible pressure on the opposition either at the lineout or the re-start. As in impact substitute he would add value, but there’s too many good locks ahead of him at this juncture.

Parling is another incredibly mobile lock with a relentless work rate. He isn’t the biggest, but he has a penetrative running game, hitting the line late and running intelligent angles. He’s also all elbows and knees which makes him difficult to hit hard and legally. Like Ben Kay he joined Leicester Tigers from an unfashionable club, and then cemented himself in the England jersey.

The England lineout has had a few blips with him in charge, noticeably against South Africa and Wales, but against South Africa Tom Wood was overused, and in both cases Tom Youngs was the hooker.

Obviously the lineout is a team effort, but Youngs is still a rookie and is prone to the occasional bout of yips. Significantly, Parling was one of the only England players to come away from the Wales debacle with his reputation intact, if not enhanced.

AW Jones looked very strong on his return from injury, but I don’t think he the sort of athlete to really excel in what will likely be very three fast games. He really struggled in 2009, and like Hibbard I feel that he is more a wet weather footballer.

Obviously Gatland has a good working relationship with him, and he is a clever lineout leader, who apparently is the clichéd consummate professional. He’s also an excellent re-start forward, and with more tries coming from lineouts than scrums it’s going to be a huge area this summer.

Paul O’Connell has also looked very strong for Munster upon his return – his performance against Harlequins was epic, but I do feel that he overplays his hand when carrying the ball a la Steve Borthwick, and he isn’t the most natural footballer, but he is very good at the breakdown, and his lineout work could be vital against the Wallabies. He again has that experience which tends to be so crucial on Lions tours.

In the absence of Nathan Sharpe the Wallabies will likely be reliant on Higginbotham and Dennis (potentially Simmons), with neither player yet to convince in a Wallaby jersey. The lineout is such a key phase of play, as is the restart area, and I would envisage the Lions having an advantage here.

Further, the Lions can call on excellent scrummagers, and genuine impact players. With 20 minutes to go you could have Vunipola, Youngs, Cole and Gray entering the field: size, pace and power. In that respect I think the tight five selected by Gatland is far more rounded and balanced than the parallel 2009 selection. There’s also a number of players who are very strong at challenging for turnover ball, and against players like Hooper and Gill this will be vital, as it’s one area the media automatically assume Australian dominance.