It’s not so Super news for Lions fans

Britain’s best club Saracens would stand little chance against the Hurricanes or Crusaders and that reflects the challenges facing the British and Irish Lions on their tour of New Zealand.

That’s the view of The Times correspondent Stuart Barnes, a former England and Lions firstfive.

With Saracens about to defend their European Champions Cup title against Clermont, Barnes weighed them up against the best in Super Rugby with an eye to what Warren Gatland’s tourists can expect.

It’s not great reading for Lions fans looking to make the long trek south and hoping for their first success in New Zealand since 1971.

‘‘Played in either hemisphere, the southern hemisphere [for that read New Zealand] champions would be strong favourites to beat Europe’s representatives,’’ Barnes wrote.

‘‘On their day, Saracens are capable of the sort of controlled chaos to give any team a contest but the sheer speed of rugby’s southern equivalent would more often than not blow their house down. So it has been in recent years between New Zealand and the rest of the world. Attack does prevail at the highest level.’’

Barnes said Saracens would be hard to match in terms of desire but they are ‘‘a more modest team’’ than their southern counterparts.

‘‘The jaw doesn’t drop when you watch them, more a case of the head gently nodding in appreciation of the unseen qualities that make this such a formidable team, or should that be formidable European team?’’ Barnes wrote of Saracens.

‘‘The visible foundations of their game are defence, territorial control and a capacity to turn opportunities into points

‘‘Contrast that with the freewheeling flamboyance of Super Rugby. Did the Hurricanes and Crusaders score 50 or 60? I can’t remember. The tries flowed so freely. The Hurricanes’ second half was technically magnificent. Forget about the Brumbies. They would have racked the tries up against most teams on the planet. If a 14-man Saracens had played the Hurricanes for 42 minutes they would have capsized.

‘‘As for the Crusaders, the skill level of their supporting and offloading game was astonishing. During the match the Kiwi commentator announced that the Crusaders would be at full strength for the visit of the Lions. Mark it down in the diary as the unofficial fourth test.’’

So how do the Lions approach the All Blacks? Barnes felt they needed to stick to their roots.

‘‘The Lions should play more like Saracens than the Hurricanes. If they take New Zealand on at super speed they will be destroyed. Fortunately for Saracens, the clash of the hemispheres remains hypothetical.’’