How does The Lions back row shape up?

The back row is always perceived as the most competitive area of selection for the Lions, but aside from Sam Warburton and Dan Lydiate I think the players basically picked themselves.

I have no doubt that Gatland used the Welsh domination of England as justification to select Sam Warburton as captain because his subsequent media bytes have verged on the ridiculous – not too dissimilar from Deans’ attempts to qualify the omission of Quade Cooper actually.

Unless Warburton shows real form on this tour I think his selection as captain could be the biggest selectorial error since O’Connell in 2009 and Ciaran Fitzgerald in 1983.

Tom Croft is a nuisance at the breakdown, but his main weakness prior to his injury was that he gets into very good positions at the ruck due to his athleticism, but physically couldn’t effect much disturbance.

Upon return from his injury he is clearly physically bigger without losing any of his speed.

In hindsight he was brought back into the England set-up too soon, but that was a tactical choice by Stuart Lancaster.

Had Ben Morgan been fit he probably would not have been selected. However, when on form Croft is arguably the most athletic forward in world rugby. His ability to contest the restart area is superb and he only requires one lifter at the lineout (on occasion), he is an extremely good support runner, and his pace is unmatched as a forward in Test rugby.

He’s not the tightest of blindsides and roams in wide channels for Leicester and England – which isn’t a Gatlandesque game plan, but I think a tight five that are all very robust over the ball would allow him to flourish, especially in the absence of David Pocock. He was excellent in South Africa in 2009, and that Bok pack was a far more difficult proposition than this potential Wallaby pack.

He isn’t the most destructive tackler, unlike Lydiate, but he’s technically sound, and wraps players up. I’ve certainly never seen him fall off tackles.

I think that some perceive Croft as a luxury, but I think the opposite, that he’s a necessity. Potentially Gatland could select a side light on footballers in the back division, in which case somebody like Croft becomes vital as he is a game changer. He can break open games with his carrying, and would provide a different threat to physical specimens like Phillips, North, Roberts, Tuilagi and Cuthbert/Bowe.

Sean O’Brien offers a far more physical and bullocking option than Croft. Fans from the Southern Hemisphere will have noticed that Declan Kidney selected him primarily at 7, but that was more a case of fitting him into the back row with Stephen Ferris. O’Brien is, by nature, a blindside. His time at 7 also means he’s combative at the breakdown, which will be key against the Wallaby back row.

For Ireland, O’Brien has made a habit of making breaks only to either fail to find a support runner, or for there to be no runner available to him – something that has been an issue with the Ireland side over the past two seasons.

If he isolates himself against the Wallabies then anyone of Hooper, Gill, or Smith, will have a field day. That doesn’t tend to occur at Leinster, and Ireland have been pretty dysfunctional under Kidney at times, so I would suggest it might not happen with the Lions either.

He doesn’t have the greatest vision, nor the greatest hands, but he will truck the ball up all day long, and with a potential midfield of Roberts and Tuilagi (my preferred option), and a back 3 compromising North and Cuthbert/Bowe would present a real threat to the Wallaby midfield defence.

It’s all well and good being strong defensively, but if you have big men running at you all game long then it takes a toll and eventually holes start to appear. Also, with the Wallabies potentially selecting a new 10-12 combination O’Brien could be used to isolate O’Connor/Cooper. I’m certainly excited at the prospect at seeing him playing off Ben Youngs.

The third blindside selected is Dan Lydiate. Personally I’m not a fan of Lydiate, but admittedly he is good at what he does: tackling.

Lydiate rarely carries, is an option in the air (but no more) and has no support game to speak of, but he tackles and tackles. Frankly, it amazes me the fanfare he receives from certain pundits when basically he is a poor man’s Joe Worsley.

Granted Lydiate provides a point of difference to Croft and O’Brien, and he is a very tight forward who has a working relationship with the other Welsh back rowers, but I think he’s a limited player, and when you pick one man solely to tackle the opposition you are restricting your options in terms of attack and counter-attack.

It’s also worth considering that the Wallabies aren’t blessed with the most damaging ball carriers. Were the Lions tour taking place in South Africa then I think a man like Lydiate would be useful to combat players like Willem Alberts, for example, but not Australia. Unless he is there solely to take down Timani, but a one trick pony still only has one trick no matter how well he does it.

Tom Wood played well for England in the Six Nations even though he featured at 8. In the Autumn he forged a very promising partnership with Chris Robshaw, despite it being claimed the pair were too similar. Wood is endlessly competitive at the breakdown, and as he plays 7 for Northampton Saints runs good lines to the ruck.

He isn’t a huge physical specimen, but he’s your stereotypical English yeoman forward: he’s tough, very fit, mobile and is a constant nuisance. He is also an accomplished lineout and restart jumper and has experience playing 6, 7 and 8. He’s not the most natural ball handler, but his game is more about tight work, which for England allows Ben Morgan to sweep. I would have included him over Lydiate as he is by far the more rounded player.

Peter O’Mahony is very capable, and can cover 6, 7 and 8, but I feel the others have more to their game than he does. He’s mobile and abrasive, but is possibly a bit callow physically and he’s prone to temper tantrums. He does a lot of things well without really excelling at any of them.

Kelly Brown also had an excellent Six Nations, and can also cover 6, 7 and 8. Both players would be strong dirtrackers rather than Test contenders in my opinion.

Tipuric and Warburton were the preferred opensides, with the controversial decision to make Warburton tour captain. Tipuric is a classy footballer, but like Croft his lack of bulk means he sometimes struggles at the breakdown. However, with Roberts, Davies and Tuilagi not being the most creative centres it’s a must to have a linking player in the back row.

He also has very good pace, which again is a must if somebody as quick as Hooper or Gill start for Australia. He has a great vision for the game, and apparently his fitness numbers are obscene.

Tipuric is probably Europe’s most intelligent footballing flanker since Neil Back, and if you have a big tight five dominating and a huge back division getting over the gainline consistently then Tipuric could excel. The biggest compliment I could pay him is that I wish he was English.

In my opinion Warburton makes the party by default as there is a paucity of pilfering 7s currently playing in Europe and because he captains Wales.

As much as I rate a player like Robshaw (and Kelly Brown), he isn’t a natural 7. Robshaw is an absolute workhorse, but his game is more suited to a series against South Africa where they don’t have proper over the ball 7s. Robshaw plays more like Dusautoir than George Smith and I think the Australians could exploit that.

Under Martin Johnson, England always got away with playing Lewis Moody at 7 because the tight five generally performed well, but I think it’s too big a risk on a Lions tour. It’s a shame, as he’s a vastly underrated player, and his match statistics are exceptional in terms of carrying and tackling.

Warburton has struggled in recent seasons. Having burst onto the scene with an epic performance against David Pocock, injury has really interrupted his career, and I think it’s obvious that the Welsh captaincy had a detrimental affect on his game – as well as playing in a badly misfiring Welsh side.

However, he showed a lot of resilience toward the end of the Six Nations, and he produced a good partnership with Tipuric. Personally I think 6 is his long-term position as he has a phenomenal work rate (I believe he played age group rugby at 8), and his work in the tight gives Tipuric a certain licence to roam. He is far more comfortable in the tight than roaming with ball in hand, and this provides the Lions a good balance.

On that basis it seems harsh to leave out Robshaw, but Warburton is naturally more of a threat over the ball. He also captained Wales in Australia last summer, so will be comparatively familiar with the SH set-up. I wouldn’t start with Warburton, however. I’d start Tipuric at 7. Tipuric is the footballer and Warburton is the gym monkey.

Ross Rennie was injured at the wrong time, and James Haskell not only has Super rugby experience, but positional versatility, but again I think it’s a risk not to select 7s who can compete for the ball.

Haskell has improved that facet of his game, but when he does contest the ruck there’s a lot of gesticulating and trying to show the referee he’s competing legally, as opposed to actually getting low and stealing the ball. It just doesn’t come naturally to him.

At 8 I think Faletau is the sort of player who would bring the midfield and back 3 into the game, and defensively he is an excellent player: he made the most amount of tackles in the WC and didn’t miss a single one. His form improved throughout the 6N and he is a very mobile player who could thrive on dry tracks.

Faletau carries and carries, and he has deft hands, therefore I think that Sexton, my starting 10, would enjoy playing with him as he loves an inside ball which would provide a contrast to the loops, cut out passes and scissors that Sexton is so fond of and that eaut up so much lateral ground.

Faletau isn’t the biggest number 8 going – approximately 6’2, but he is non-stop, and work rate is a must to beat the Wallabies. Palu is a far more imposing physical specimen, but Faletau is the sort of player who would thrive off of a midfield making dents into the Wallabies, and he could prove a focal point. He also has a long-standing relationship with the other Welsh back rowers which is vital in terms of anticipation and running lines.

Jamie Heaslip had a very poor 6N, but it’s arguable that the captaincy weighed heavily on his shoulders. His work rate really dropped off, and his stats bore closer resemblance to a blindside flanker than an 8. However, since then he has really been galvanised by Leinster’s European performance, and looks close to his best. His form in South Africa in 2009 was outstanding, and he could be a real force again this summer.

Heaslip has a strong carrying game, is a capable link man without having the best hands and is a strong lineout jumper. Neither he nor Faletau present much of a threat at the re-start offensively, so the Lions might need to look to their wingers to impose themselves there.

Ben Morgan missed the end of the 6N, but I think he displayed enough in the first 2 games to suggest he could be a real threat in Australia. There have been question marks over his defence and his consistency, but I believe he would have risen to the occasion.

Morgan is possibly limited in terms of his overall contribution, but his carrying is reminiscent of Scott Quinnell, who caused so much damage in 2001, and he has a good awareness allied to good hands, which again could bring in other players and change the point of attack.

Johnnie Beattie is another media favourite, but I personally don’t rate him. He is a good carrier, but he’s not that good – at least not as good as Morgan, and there aren’t enough aspects to his game to warrant selection in my opinion.

My preferred selection:
6. Croft, 7. Tipuric, 8. Heaslip;
20. Sean O’Brien

Although the back row looks physically slight I like the pace and ball-playing ability that Croft and Tipuric offer. With a big tight five who play close to the ruck they could create mismatches out wide and bring the back division into play. When you have back rowers that present threats in the wide channels that poses issues defensively and so the backline automatically has a number of options.

Further, that this could be the biggest Lions back line in history I don’t think you need huge ball carriers or tight players on the flanks. I’d want the side to play heads-up rugby rather than rugby by numbers and I think that back row combination would work well as a unit and really involve the entire XV.