DAVIES: DROPPING BRIAN MADE GATS PUBLIC ENEMY No.1.. I WAS No.2
BRIAN O’DRISCOLL and Jonathan Davies have relived one of the most controversial selection calls in rugby history to mark a year until the British and Irish Lions tour again.
It is seven years ago today since Warren Gatland’s Lions hammered Australia in Sydney to win the 2013 series and vindicate the head coach’s decision to pick Davies ahead of legend O’Driscoll.
But the trauma of events between that seismic selection and the match kicking off is still seared onto the souls of all three involved. In the immediate aftermath of the Lions’ 41-16 triumph, Gatland claimed he was in no mood to celebrate so “absolutely shocked” was he by the “vitriolic” abuse aimed at him.
O’Driscoll and Davies have now lifted the lid on what it was like to be caught in the eye of the storm.
“It was something I probably used as a motivating factor,” Wales star Davies revealed, as plans begin for next year’s tour of South Africa.
“I was like, ‘I’ll prove you wrong’, I’m going to do the best I can to make sure we win the series.
“Gats asked me on the Friday, ‘How’s it been?’ I said, ‘Well, yeah, OK.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I know exactly! Make sure we win and we’ll be OK’.”
The Lions won and captured their first series since 1997, but not before social media went into meltdown over Gatland’s decision to axe O’Driscoll for the only time in his illustrious career.
It would have been the Irishman’s final Lions appearance and he was expected to be named captain in the absence of injured Sam Warburton.
“I got a tap on the shoulder and saw Gats and attack coach Rob Howley,” recalled O’Driscoll. “I thought, ‘This isn’t good. You don’t need two people for good news’.”
The midfield maestro remembers well his own emotions but, only now, as part of a new BT Sport series, Lions Call, has he discovered what it was like for Davies.
“I thought it would go pretty wild, the reaction back home and I expected it – geared myself up for it,” Davies told O’Driscoll.
“I think Warren was public enemy No.1 and I was public enemy No.2.”
Watch BT Sport’s new series ‘Lions Call’ with Brian O’Driscoll on the BT Sport YouTube channel. youtube.com/btsport