Lions tour Gatland v Gatland: Bryn

Lions boss to run Te’o at his son in opener Charm offensive just small part

Lions coach Warren Gatland says his son Bryn probably expects to make a few tackles against his side in tomorrow’s tour opener. Gatland sen is going to instruct New Zealand-born second fiveeighths Ben Te'o to angle back and take on Bryn at No 10 — an unusual state of affairs but a game plan that is aimed at potentially neutralising the All Blacks’ kingpin Beauden Barrett in the test series.

“I spoke to him last night and he seems to be enjoying the week,” Gatland sen said of Bryn. “We will catch up tomorrow. He probably expects to make a few tackles on the weekend but we haven't spoken too much about the game.”

The Lions have a cushy opener, a soft entry point to New Zealand where they can set down a marker and feel good about life.

Something will have gone horribly wrong if the result is anything other than a comfortable victory for the Lions.

But just because the result is a fait accompli, doesn't mean there won't be any intrigue or major points of interest.

The way the Lions use their midfield will be fascinating. They have picked Te'o at second-five and Jonathan Joseph at centre.

It's an all-England combination and comes with a mix of raw power, mostly from Te'o, and elegant running, mostly from Joseph.

This is how coach Gatland likes to set up his midfield: he favours a hardrunning 12 who challenges the gainline with a centre who can do much the same but also add footwork and agility.

The consistent theme is that the midfield approach will be direct and confrontational. Somewhere in Gatland's thinking is that down the track, he wants to eliminate the attacking threat of Barrett by forcing him into endless defensive chores.

There unquestionably exists this idea that Barrett is defensively vulnerable and that the

Luteru Laulala, Sam Vaka, Inga Finau, Dwayne Sweeney, Sevu Reece, Bryn Gatland, Jack Stratton, Mitchell Dunshea, Lachlan Boshier, James Tucker, Keepa Mewett, Josh Goodhue, Oliver Jager, Sam Anderson-Heather (c), Aidan Ross.

Andrew Makalio, Tolu Fahamokioa, Marcel Renata, Matt Matich, Peter Rowe, Richard Judd, Jonah Lowe, Junior Ngaluafe. Lions can pressure the All Blacks by hammering the midfield ball carrying grunt down Barrett's channel. The second component that is going to become more of an issue for the Lions as the tour develops is that if they persist with their desire to have a ball carrier at No 12, then they are going to have to make a direct choice at No 10 between Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell. There won't be room for both and with Dan Biggar also a quality No 10, the Lions have potential to twist themselves in knots over picking a test first-five. Sexton starts in Whangarei and Farrell is on the bench. When asked if Gatland was adamant the latter was only a 10 and not a 12, he said: “We know that is an option for us having played there for England as well. “But I think, as do the other coaches, that he is a world-class No 10. It is not just Sexton and Farrell, we have Biggar as well. “There is some real experience there. “The players are aware of the competition in that position. They will get a chance, the three of them to start. “The Maori game is a week before the first test and we might be mirroring something close to our first XV by then,” Gatland said. Warren Gatland will be targeting his son tomorrow. The British and Irish Lions’ charm offensive since their arrival in New Zealand means they are more likely to be killed with kindness when they arrive in Whangarei tomorrow than to be seriously challenged by their Provincial Barbarian opponents.

But the tourists have all done their due diligence on the men from the second tier of the game here, those who have gathered from Northland to Southland and various points in between. That much you would expect from such a professional outfit and for them the match at Toll Stadium tomorrow is probably the perfect pipe opener.

The tourists will be welcomed by a Northland community which hasn’t been host to this sort of rugby talent since the 2011 World Cup, and the game will allow coach Warren Gatland’s men to run the rust off and test their fitness and skills against a side outgunned across the field.

Really, the Lions management will have the next two matches earmarked as far tougher challenges — the Blues next Wednesday and Crusaders on the following Saturday.

Significantly, the two outfits will be bolstered by their All Blacks. Unfortunately, due to the proximity of the matches to the first and second tests, the Highlanders, Chiefs and Hurricanes will be without their biggest stars, but even then they will be able to mount a significant challenge and perhaps cause a surprise or two.

Lock Alun Wyn Jones was in the Waikato Stadium stand last year when the Chiefs beat Wales 40-7 thanks in part to a Stephen “Beaver” Donald masterclass and the flatness of Wales’ own performance.

He knows well what’s at stake over the coming weeks in particular even before Gatland fine-tunes his likely match-day squad for the first test at Eden Park on June 24.

Jones, on his third tour