Warren Gatland has balls. Mighty big balls! He has dropped Irish rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll from the series deciding third Test in Sydney.
O’Driscoll is an icon of the game, a true legend. Only the second Irish captain after Karl Mullen in 1948, to lead Ireland to the grand slam of the 5/6 Nations, which he achieved in 2009.
Almost every rugby fan knows, that with a clear and concise head, it was the right thing for Gatland to do. O’Driscoll has struggled in the first two Tests to keep up with the pace and intensity of the game.
At the age of 34, the weariness in his body is apparent. But…
It’s like shooting Bambi. I wouldn’t have dropped O’Driscoll if I had been head coach. My head would have said it was the right thing to do, but my heart would have overruled my head.
I would have dipped my head to sentiment, brought Jamie Roberts in for his Welsh teammate Jonathon Davies, made O’Driscoll captain and given him the opportunity at one last shot at glory.
That’s what I would have done. And I would have hoped my grand gesture would have been rewarded with a Lions victory.
Gatland, by being pragmatic, has by no means ensured his team will win this Saturday. The Lions look like they have no shots left in the locker. They are empty, physically and emotionally.
The ferocity of the Tests has drained them. I for one believe the three Tests should be played over four weekends, not consecutively. But it is what it is.
Gatland has cleverly tried to refresh his pack by ringing several changes. Jamie Heaslip was a victim of the need to freshen the pack, as was the return of Alex Corbisiero and promotion of Sean O’Brien and Richard Hibbard.
I think it’s shaping as a cracker of a third Test here in Sydney. But a part of me has died. Win, lose or draw for the Lions, I would have loved for Brian Gerald O’Driscoll to be part of the action.
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