Perhaps the strongest British Lions team of all time is assembling to take on the All Blacks- – and they should be the favourites to win.
Some may see that as an audacious statement. New Zealand are coming off two Rugby World Cup titles in a row. They have been the dominant side in rugby for the past decade and have not lost a game at Eden Park since 1994.
That is the year Pulp Fiction was released, Wet Wet Wet topped the charts and Bill Clinton met Monica Lewinsky.
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To win the series, the Lions will need to win twice in New Zealand, at least once at Eden Park. And they can do it.
Seldom has a Lions squad been so blessed with depth. High quality depth at that. Alun Wyn-Jones is arguably the fourth best lock on form in the British Isles. Maybe even the fifth or sixth.
But there is depth and quality across the board, not just in the second row.
The Lions can choose from Sean O’Brien, Sam Warburton, James Haskell and Justin Tipuric at open-side flanker. Hamish Watson, the young Scot, also has put up his hand as a tour bolter.
Toby Faletau faces an uphill battle to even make the touring squad. CJ Stander, Billy Vunipola, Nathan Hughes and Jamie Heaslip all over shadowed and outperformed him during the Six Nations. And then there’s Maro Itoje.
Itoje is a freak of nature. At home as a lock or backrower. He combines the steel of Martin Johnson with the athleticism of John Eales and the ball carrying aggression of Lawrence Dallaglio. Yes, that is some praise. But barring a catastrophe, Itoje is likely to go down as England’s greatest ever forward and perhaps a greatest ever Lions tourist – this will be his first of three or four Lions Tours.
Itoje has won a Grand Slam, two Six Nations, an Australian Tour clean sweep, European Cup and Premiership all by the age of 22. He may just add a Lions series win against the best to that list.
Traditionally the Lions have had a very strong tight five and that area will be even stronger this year than most. It is possible that Itoje will be squeezed into the second row to partner either Launchbury or Wyn-Jones, most likely the latter for his experience and leadership. Courtney Lawes, after a superb six nations could come off the bench. If not him then one of the dynamic Gray brothers.
A backrow of Stander, Warburton and O’Brien with Billy Vunipola as an impact sub with 30 minutes to go matches the All Blacks resources and then some. The back row is an area where New Zealand sides, at all levels, usually dominate. But how do you dominate that potential Lions combination?
The backline is similarly blessed. Should Sexton fall over injured on tour, as he may well do, Ford and Biggar will wait in the wings. Owen Farrell, the metronomic kicker, stands ready to close games out moving into ten either from 12 or from the bench.
Farrell is a special kind of player. Leadership, composure and bloody-mindedness are his hallmarks. He is the cog that Eddie Jones has relied on most to turn around England.
Then there is trying to pick the back three. How can you possibly choose three from Watson, North, Visser, May, Hogg, Halfpenny, Kearney and Brown. There are quite simply no weak links and again quality players will miss out- on form Halfpenny will struggle to be on the plane at all.
New Zealand should not under estimate the challenge.
This Lions side will be much tougher to beat than either the Wallabies or Springboks in 2015. It is far more balanced and powerful.
It is also edgy and aggressive. The All Blacks have not enjoyed the sandpaper effect of Sean O’Brien and CJ Stander in recent times and Itoje is every bit as ‘sandy’. For that matter Farrell standing at 10 or 12 loves a confrontation and a bit of niggle.
Meek and mild, expecting to get beaten, that is not what this Lions squad will be about.
There also will be no McCaw to turn to for New Zealand when discipline and focus needs keeping. No Carter to look at to calm the nerves with a 45m drop goal. No Conrad Smith to keep composure.
For all of Kieran Read’s outstanding qualities, he does not have the same aura that McCaw had.
More importantly perhaps, Read does not have the leadership group around him that McCaw enjoyed. There is no such thing as a bad All Black’s side, but this one is younger and more vulnerable than any of the versions over the past ten years.
Contrast that with the Lions. There is leadership across the board, so much so that Eddie Jones suggested there be four tour captains!
Warburton and Wyn-Jones who have done winning with the Lions before. Best and Sexton who have beaten the All Blacks once and come close again in the last 12 months. Hartley and Farrell who have just presided over an English side equalling the All Black’s record of 18 Test wins in a row.
The book makers have a Lion series win at between 4/1 and 7/1 depending where you look. Those odds look attractive to me.
Potential Lions match day 23
1. McGrath 2. Best 3. Furlong 4. Itoje 5. Wyn-Jones 6. Stander 7. Warburton. 8. O’Brien 9. Murray 10. Sexton 11. Watson 12. Farrell 13. Joseph 14. North 15. Hogg 16. Owens 17. M. Vunipola 18. Cole 19. Lawes 20. B. Vunipola 21. Youngs 22. Henshaw 23. Kearney
Loncey Tihema
Guest
Interesting prediction, considering the result tonight...
Steve Wright
Guest
Best the Lions can hope for is a ratio similar to the 1959 effort.
Jibba Jabba
Roar Guru
Rubbish arrant nonsense f'bus; sexton was targeted illegally, suggest YOU watch the game sober and with both eyes open. Others have tried to justify the late, high and no arms tackles (all of which sexton was subjected to) saying the english tacklers were committed etc, they probably were, too bad, it is their responsibility to pull out once the ball is gone, they had NO INTENTION of pulling out, ball or no ball and it was obvious to those who can see that it was a premeditated team tactic.
davSA
Guest
74 Lions played a major provincial game every Saturday against what was then the best regional teams in the world. Midweek they also played a game against minor provinces each determined to make a name for themselves in whatever way possible. Then there were the test matches. ..They won all games , every single one , drawing only the last test of the series. I well remember us also saying that we were going to soften them up for the test matches . Well we didn't.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
'And Barrett will be targeted to the point of intentionally trying to put him out of the game like the thuggish English forwards did against Ireland – I lost count of the number of deliberate late tackles on Sexton in that game.' You mean those 'thuggish' tackles that the Ref and TMO reviewed, in slow motion from every angle and, in most cases, didn't even award a penalty let alone a card? Or the tackles, none of which were deemed worthy of citing afterwards? Can I suggest that you ignore the drivel from Spiro and actually watch the game?
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Nah; the greatest Lions team of all time, by some distance, was the 1974 team that went to South Africa.
Malua
Guest
Going to be very hard for the Lions to win the series . Those Super games are going to knock the living daylights out of the lions. A second string Chiefs team annihilated Wales last year. The only easy game they will have will be the Provincial XV. Whoever made that schedule is a lunatic. It's practically a gauntlet all the way leading up to the test series. The Blues , Crusaders will be stacked with All Blacks champing at the bit. Rugby in NZ is totally different to every other country. Reputations mean nothing in NZ , they don't even respect them until you play the 80 on home turf and win, the lions will have to do that for a month, with some three day breaks. Its suicide. They should of played the provinces instead of the Franchises.
taylorman
Guest
Ha ha...loved that...
taylorman
Guest
Yes when we entered 1977 we were on an absolute hiding to nothing. We'd lost to the Boks in 70, then the Lions in 71, then the Lions got stronger in 74 and beat the Boks, something we couldn't do. Then we lost to the Boks in 76 again so going into 77 we're now faced with a presumably better side than the Boks. So that tour was really the turning point for the ABs and bar the blip in 2003 we've not looked back. I also think the three-ish yearly cycle of the Lions kept them stronger. The same players returned three, four or in Mike Gibson's case...five times. These days four years only sees a couple of great players with two or more tours.
Fox
Roar Guru
What will happen in this series is we will see the gulf in ball handling skills from 1-23 - The All Blacks will win 3-0 or 2-1 - If the Lions do not win the first test at Eden Park which is unlikely but when the AB's will traditionally be rusty then they will not win the next two And Barrett will be targeted to the point of intentionally trying to put him out of the game like the thuggish English forwards did against Ireland - I lost count of the number of deliberate late tackles on Sexton in that game. But Wayne Smith will be ready for any nonsense like that and he will get their measure with his sublime defensive structures that have made the AB defense the best in the world since the 2011 WC. The Lions will be very good but just not as good as everyone thinks they will be and Gatland is the wrong coach as well in my opinion.
tamaolevao
Guest
Have to agree with you SAVAGE ....alll blacks have a core group of players who are world class i dont see the logic in this article either alot of paper talk about who's stronger with no real trophies to back up their superiority..... just accolades and wishful thinking Lions to loose all three tests and just barely beat 1 super side...
tamaolevao
Guest
Marto bro just come over to nz with youre crane operator partner .....we are a very tollarent country who welocme all people who choose to live with the partner of their choosing regardless of sex and the lifestyle they wish to live....... stay true to yourself bro....
SAVAGE
Guest
One word.....Combinations. If the Lions don't find their Combinations in quick time before the Tests, they will get beaten 3 nil. You can spout backrow superiority, aggression, yadiyadiyah, but if the Lions don't know where each and every man is where he's supposed to be on defense, especially when the ABs start their phases, and where he is supposed to be and what his role is in transition from defense to offense and vice versa, then they're going to get exposed. I haven't seen anything in the six nation's that the ABs haven't seen before. Youre post is big on what ifs, you better hope your lot win at least one test while their here.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
T-Man The Lions won in SA 1997. And they have only beaten OZ once in the pro era.
taylorman
Guest
Yes but he meant the pro era, like the 93 side?
taylorman
Guest
First of all you used the words 'all time'. Lions go back to pre 1900s. But if you really meant professional era, of which there are only five teams, 1993 is not one of them. But anyway, of the five, two won, in oz, in the decider on each occasion. So yes, on that basis, they are potentially the best Lions side ever, but with that criteria, I would be surprised if it wasn't.
Aucklandlaurie
Guest
I think most kiwis have been aware for some time that McCaw is no longer playing Rugby.
dcnz
Guest
The Lions will be good and it will be a cracking tour. They play 11 games in total. I believe they will win 6 of 11. That is, lose the Test Series 0-3 to NZ and they will get beaten by two of the provincial sides (or franchises, as is the moderne term). Will be good for the NZ economy aye bruh.
Old Bugger
Guest
TM Yeah mate - I just think it was the combined effect of losing the first ever series to a BIL side in '71, then watching the Boks lose their series in '74, that the whole of NZ, just didn't want to be the last leg, of a winning trifecta in '77, for the BILs. That was how I felt, how me old man felt, how all me rellies and mates felt - we just couldn't, let them win that tour too.....hell no!!! That was a tense final 10mins or so, in 4th test rugby, I'd seen for a while. Probably ever, considering what was, at stake.
Taniwha
Roar Rookie
''Perhaps the strongest British Lions team of all time is assembling to take on the All Blacks- – and they should be the favourites to win'' I don't think this will be the strongest Lions side of all time, far from it. The 71 side was a far better side than anything this one will offer. The likes of JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Mike Gibson, Barry John, Gareth Edwards, Mervyn Davies, Willie John McBride, Ian McLauchlan & Derek Quinnell would be certain starters today. How many of the current expected tourists would make the ABs starting 15? Plenty would make the bench but how many would start?