Gatland — there’s been enough trash talk
Noise pollution secret weapon in the lineouts
Warren Gatland says the time for the “trash talk” between himself and Steve Hansen is over, but only after getting one last dig in against his All Blacks counterpart ahead of tomorrow’s first test at Eden Park.
The British and Irish Lions coach said in between his side’s two training sessions at a wet and windy North Harbour Stadium yesterday that the to and fro in the media, and some of the negative reports, were perhaps The British and Irish Lions intend to bombard the All Blacks lineout with extreme “noise pollution” in the first test tomorrow as part of their attempt to overwhelm the world champions with a pressure game.
George Kruis, the England lock, said the tourists would “try anything” to gain an edge — including several of their forwards screaming at their opposite numbers during an All Blacks lineout.
One of the striking features of the Lions’ game plan during their tour of New Zealand is several of their forwards, most notably England lock Maro Itoje, shouting just as their opponents are attempting to throw the ball into a lineout.
Kruis admitted the Lions were prepared to do all that it takes to disrupt the All Blacks’ lineout.
“You’ve got to put pressure on players somehow and that’s one way of putting pressure on them,” said the Saracens player when asked about the Lions’ vocal assault on their Super Rugby opponents.
“The ideal thing is to get in the air and contest but we want to be a complete pack so we’ll try everything.
“If we think there’s anything in it, then we’ll pursue it.”
When the Lions last toured New Zealand, their assistant coach, Andy Robinson, was so concerned that New Zealand had giving the wrong impression of this tour.
Told that Hansen had yesterday addressed Gatland’s comments to the media about approaching match officials about the so-called off-theball obstruction employed by New Zealand teams, Gatland said: “If I’m getting up his nose, that’s a good position to be in. Look, I’m not worried about Steve, we’re concentrating on ourselves. He can say whatever he likes in the media.”
After the Lions victory over the cracked their lineout codes that they were changed in the week before the first test, with disastrous consequences.
The Lions lost 10 of their lineouts as the All Blacks closed out a comprehensive victory in Christchurch as Sir Clive Woodward’s side went on to lose the series 3-0.
Kruis, who will call the Lions’ lineout in the first test at Eden Park, insisted that 12 years on the tourists have such a multitude of options at the lineout that the codes cannot now be cracked.
“I hope we don’t have to change our calls,” Kruis added. “We’ve built a good platform as a base for the calls. You tweak your patterns for each game but essentially most lineouts have a base. Once you’ve analysed the opposition, you tweak it, but we’ve shown we’re there or thereabouts. We’ve played three, four, five games together now and we’re starting to learn scenarios.”
The evolution of the lineout calls, underpinned by Lions coach Steve Borthwick, is such that even if the All Blacks seem to have cracked their codes, the tourists can adapt to mix it up.
“There are so many different ways to call a lineout,” Kruis said.
“You’ve got verbals, nonverbals and the idea is to create a system that is tough to recognise and durable under any circumstance.” — Telegraph Group
Ltd
If I’m getting up his nose, that’s a good position to be in. He can say whatever he likes in the media.
Maori in Rotorua on Saturday night, Gatland said Hansen must be worried to be talking about the reinforcements the Lions coach had brought in, including some players who aren’t well known in their own countries.
But when Gatland was asked if Hansen was worried about what might face him at Eden Park — and the Lions have named a strong 23 — Gatland replied: “I’m not worried about Steve at all. We’ve got ourselves to prepare and get ready.
“We know it’s going to be a tough encounter, and as I said on Tuesday night [after the Chiefs match], let’s let the rugby do the talking because there’s been enough trash talk already.
“I think for all of us — get excited. This could be a fantastic series for the Lions and New Zealand rugby and the New Zealand public.
“Unfortunately there have been a few sideline things that have taken the focus away from that because wherever we’ve been in New Zealand, the welcome has been unbelievable, the hospitality has been awesome.
“We’re getting a different message as a squad of players in terms of that welcome than sometimes what we’re reading in the media.”
Warren Gatland on Steve Hansen