Hansen picks at Hartley absence

It did not take long for the mind games to begin. Less than 24 hours after Lions head coach Warren Gatland spoke of taking confidence from Ireland’s 40- 29 victory against New Zealand in Chicago last November, the riposte arrived from counterpart Steve Hansen.

“I’m pretty happy that our guys got some confidence beating Ireland in Ireland,” Hansen said in reference to the 21- 9 victory New Zealand secured in Dublin two weeks later.

“You’re clutching at straws if that’s how you are selecting teams.”

Although generally complimentary about a Lions squad that he deems the best to come to New Zealand for a “long, long time”, the All Blacks coach could not resist throwing a few more barbs.

Even though Jamie Roberts was not selected, Hansen said he fully expected some form of “Warrenball” to be employed by the Lions.

Hansen also questioned the absence of Kiwi- born England captain Dylan Hartley in the 41- man squad.

“There are always going to be surprises, with some people being selected and some people not being selected,” he said. “I think Hartley would have been an asset but I’m not picking the team.”

Yet the idea that the Lions coaching staff are pinning their hopes on reprising the Chicago formula was given short shrift by one of its principal architects, Andy Farrell. The Ireland and now Lions defence coach instead preferred to focus on the belief that should be garnered from the squad’s collective quality rather than past achievements.