RAMPANT LIONS
It’s looking good for Gatland now as side show flair and power to see off the Chiefs
THE LIONS were on the road back to Auckland last night, armed with fresh evidence that they are heading in the right direction with the first Test fast approaching.
This was another statement victory, one that leaves the touring party confident and primed for the events that lie ahead. The midweek side over-powered and outclassed the Chiefs, whose Scotland-bound head coach was effusive with his praise for Warren Gatland’s squad.
Dave Rennie, who is soon to take charge at Glasgow, is a highlyrespected figure in New Zealand rugby circles and he was left with the distinct impression that the Lions are ready to go toe-to-toe with the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday.
Having seen his team shut down and the visitors score four tries — two of them real works of art — Rennie was prepared to dispute the often dismissive Kiwi view of the British and Irish challengers in their midst. He said: ‘The Lions are getting better and better, they’ve continually stepped up and when they get settled on combinations, I think it will be a pretty exciting series.
‘They were able to dominate us. I think it’s going to be the series that everyone thought it would be a month ago. They are getting better and better and as we know, when they are down the right end of the field they can play footy. We saw a bit of that here.
‘If you are ill- disciplined, the Lions are a side that can put you in a corner and hurt you as well. The All Blacks will have some attack plans but they are going to do it under a fair bit of heat.
‘ They were certainly pretty clinical. We expected a fair bit of kicking, but they had a lot of territory and ball down our end so they probably didn’t kick as much. You’ve got to hand it to them, we battled to get our set-piece going and they strangled us, anticipated nudges in behind and did a good job. The boys worked hard and tried but we were out-muscled.’
There was a further endorsement of Gatland’s side from the Chiefs’ World Cup-winning former Bath fly-half, Stephen Donald, who said: ‘In the end, we were beaten by a bloody good Lions team.’
What struck a chord — and will have done wonders for morale before the first clash with the All Blacks — was how the Lions’ wide attacking game clicked for the first time in six games on this tour.
Two of the tries that came in a one-sided second half were proof that all the work in training is finally paying off.
The tries arrived in quick succession. First, in the 59th minute, the visitors struck brilliantly from deep. Pouncing on turnover ball, Justin Tipuric’s pass left set the wheels in motion. Good handling freed Elliot Daly out wide, he released Jared Payne inside and Robbie Henshaw crashed on. From the ruck, Iain Henderson’s superb pass picked out Jack Nowell — who had already touched down in the first half — and Exeter’s England wing burst through a gap and swerved in-field to score.
It was a classy, long-rangee demonstration of the sort off rugby that the locals consider r more synonymous with their r own teams, not imposterss from the north.
Five minutes later, there was s another welcome flash of flair. r. This time, Nowell seized a clearance kick, Liam Williams ms hurtled through a hole in midfield, raced on past two more defenders and off-loaded to the supporting Payne, who crossed for a try at what was once his home ground.
There had been creative play from the Lions on occasions in previous matches, but not the finishes to go with the various line-breaks. Their first try, in the 25th minute, had been wellworked, too, with an outside break by Williams creating the impetus, Dan Biggar going close and Nowell diving over from close range. There was also a penalty try after the break, when a line-out drive was dragged down.
After two successive midweek defeats, this was redemption. Many of the players involved had featured in both losses, against the Blues and the Highlanders, so this was pay-back, just when a win was needed to keep the bandwagon rolling on to Auckland ready for the serious business.
There were strong and long shifts up front from many of the forwards, notably Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, Tipuric and CJ Stander, while Biggar was authoritative and aggressive at No 10 and the back three all made cases for Test consideration.
Of the trio, Daly is perhaps the man most likely to feature on Saturday. Wasps’ goal- kicking utility back should have a strong chance of a bench role, at least.
Lions fans had flooded into Hamilton for this fixture and they were in good voice as the celebrations went on deep into the night. Today, the Red Army will begin amassing in Auckland, with real hope about what lies ahead.
Gatland’s squad are showing signs of rising to a formidable peak. If the Test team can click in attack, as the midweek men did here, even the mighty All Blacks will have their work cut out.
Rennie is right — the series is shaping up to be an epic.