SIR CLIVE WOODWARD
The rise and rise of Maro Itoje has been astonishing in the last couple of years and even though the young england lock will be making his first Lions start he could well be their key man at the Cake Tin today.
Itoje is a player who is totally involved from minute one to the final whistle. I don’t have the slightest doubt he could turn around after 80 minutes of Test rugby, down an energy drink and go again.
Just as I can’t imagine All Black locks Brodie Retallick or Sam Whitelock ever being substituted for reasons other than injury, Itoje is a thoroughbred who goes the distance and his omission from the starting team in the first Test was Warren Gatland’s biggest error.
The youthful Saracen has an aura about him and you still scarcely need the fingers of one hand to count the number of losing matches he has played in when starting.
The last time he was in New Zealand he captained england to the Junior World Cup title in 2014. he is fearless — physically and mentally — and they are the kind of players you need in these matches.
I was surprised he didn’t start the first Test alongside George Kruis or Courtney Lawes — he was certainly in the team I listed alongside Kruis — and I felt he had done more than enough the previous week against Maori to book his place.
IJUST hope Gatland’s selection is not part of the ‘ starters’ and ‘ finishers’ trend which eddie Jones among others are preaching at present. It’s the one thing I disagree with eddie over! For me that really is a backward step for rugby at all levels and badly needs addressing.
It would have been a real match up with the english locks going head- to- head with what Sir Graham henry told me this week was the best ever All Black combination in Retallick and Whitelock, which is high praise indeed. That’s a battle that will certainly be fought in the coming months and years as england strive to catch up with this All Black team.
Looking back, the Lions definitely selected — and played — a bit too conservatively last week. If you are going to take the calculated risk of fielding say a Sexton/Farrell combination at 10 and 12 and giving a young tyro like Itoje his head the logic suggests that perhaps you try it in the first Test. If it works, happy days and you can go again. And if not, you can revert to something more orthodox.
Anyway, that is water under the bridge and, as I well know, Lions tours are certainly always easier from the stands! What Itoje should bring is enormous energy and tempo to proceedings which is one area the Lions were lacking up front last week.
We saw immediately when he came on in the final 10 minutes a line-out steal on the Lions line, a huge tackle and turnover. he claps his hands, shouts and glares. he’s an extrovert rugby player who makes things happen and others feed off that.
For me, New Zealand’s match winner last week, by some distance, was Retallick who is not only a powerhouse lock but a remarkable all- round rugby player. To counter New Zealand, among many other things, the Lions must try and dilute the Retallick effect and Itoje’s athleticism and combative nature could help achieve that.
he will also help carry the battle to New Zealand at the contact and tackle areas where the Lions came off second best last week.
his selection should help the Lions meet fire with fire in the very area where New Zealand were most impressive last week In the loose Itoje has the instincts of a blindside flanker and his wraparound tackles are textbook.
his ability to get into that jackal position and pull off vital turnovers is right up there. With Sam Warburton now back starting I would be looking for the Lions to be much more effective in that area this week. It could be crucial in nicking some invaluable turnover ball for the Lions backs to work with.
So the scene is set for what should be a fascinating match and already there has been a very different feel to the build-up.
Wellington is a wonderful city and with the match against the hurricanes on Tuesday it has been a carnival atmosphere all week. The Lions fans have made their presence known, as they always do, while the Kiwis have been celebrating their success in the Americas Cup in Bermuda earlier in the week.
It has been lively. So I suspect there is going to be a rather different buzz than to the first Test, which understandably I suppose felt a bit tense and claustrophobic.
This could be a very different occasion and as a rugby lover I hope the bad weather which is forecast holds off and doesn’t dampen the spirits.
And even if the elements do come into play the Lions must do what the Kiwis do and use their skills, given the conditions, to still play the perfect game. Bad weather accentuates skills and those who possess them.
One very strong vibe I have picked up is that the New Zealand rugby community still loves having the Lions over here which rather contrasts with some of the harsher words you sometimes read and hear in the media.
In fact, whisper this quietly, I’ve even bumped into a few Kiwis this week who would quite like to see the Lions win today and tee up a massive final week back in Auckland. The Lions, of course, only come around every 12 years in New Zealand and the mounting excitement of a final week with the series at stake and 20,000 Lions fans in Auckland would be a sight to behold.
ONLY three times in history — 1971, 1977 and 1993 — has the Test series still been ‘live’ going into the final game. I get the feeling that deep down some modern-day New Zealand fans would quite like to experience that.
The contrast, if the Lions lose today, could be a pretty downbeat week of inquests in the Lions camp and both teams preparing for a dead rubber.
Of course the Lions want to avoid that. It will take a herculean effort but they have a good sporting chance and an opportunity to achieve something very special today.