DALY READY TO ROAR
Red-hot Wasps star makes case for Test call
ELLIOT DALY has declared himself ready to answer the call of the Lions should Warren Gatland pick him to face the All Blacks.
The Wasps star grabbed his chance to impress with a golden hour in yesterday’s hammering of the Chiefs. For 60 minutes, before he was withdrawn, Daly joined Jack Nowell in posing the sort of threat Gatland had not seen from his wingers on this tour.
Nowell scored two tries and set up a third for Jared Payne, but it was Daly who caught the head coach’s eye with Saturday’s series opener in mind.
Now Gatland must decide whether to keep faith with a misfiring George North and effectively pick on reputation, or go with the form player.
“It would be amazing to be selected for the Test,” Daly said. “At the start of the year I didn’t think I had a chance. If I got anywhere near it, it would be unbelievable.
“Definitely I’d be ready. I want to play against like New Zealand because of the size of the challenge. I like the kind of competition where you know they’re going to come with a lot of X-Factor.
“You also know if you can keep that to a minimum and impose your game then you’ve won the little battle that might just win you the game.” Gatland (left) sits down with his coaching team in Auckland today to select the 23man squad they feel gives them the best chance of winning at Eden Park, where New Zealand last lost in 1994.
“I am sure there will be some lively debate and discussion,” he said. “But it’s the consensus of the group, it’s never one person’s call.”
Leigh Halfpenny is set to be named at full-back, with Ben Te’o and Jonathan Davies in the centres. Owen Farrell and Conor Murray will be starting half-backs. Up front everything points to the pack which did such a number on the Maori getting the nod: Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Tadhg Furlong, Maro Itoje and George Kruis, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien and Taulupe Faletau.
It’s on the wing where debate rages. Anthony Watson and George North are in possession but they won’t rest easy after Daly, Nowell and Liam Williams tore it up at Waikato Stadium.
The Lions denied the opposition a single second-half point for the third time in four games and easily avoided losing three successive midweek games for the first time.
“In the end,” Chiefs’ captain Stephen Donald admitted: “We lost to a bloody good Lions team.” CHIEFS - Pens: Donald 2. LIONS - Tries: Nowell 2, Penalty, Payne. Cons: Biggar 3. Pens: Biggar 2.