Playmaking duo can put the boot in
The most eyecatching selection is Johnny Sexton at fly-half with Owen Farrell moving to 12 at the expense of Ben Te’o. Many of us felt this would be the Test combination but it became obvious at the end of the domestic season that Warren Gatland was thinking of either Sexton or Farrell at 10. This was accentuated when Sexton went through a dip of form for Leinster and made a slowish start to this tour.
The plus sides of this arrangement are considerable. We saw last week the attacking and counter-attacking capability of Liam Williams, elliot Daly and Anthony Watson and that could be enhanced with this twin playmaker set-up — one I like because of the extra options it gives you.
The other factor I would throw into the mix is that although Rieko Ioane and Waisake Naholo are awesome players going forward, they are relatively inexperienced and something of an unknown quantity in defence.
Last Saturday demonstrated that you are never going to unsettle the All Blacks with a barrage of box kicks but Farrell and Sexton can use a selection of cross-field kicks to test out the two wings.
It is hard on Te’o but selection at this level is brutal and the Lions are clearly intent on trying to keep the All Blacks’ defence guessing. Te’o has had a fine tour and certainly gone up in my estimation. his defence has been strong and he gave as good as he got with Sonny Bill Williams but I have no fears over Farrell’s defence.
At second row it was clear that Maro Itoje would start and one of the big factors about him is that he is effectively an 80-minute impact player. Barring injury there is no reason why you would take him off. his fitness levels are exceptional and he galvanises those around him.
So the other second-row selection boiled down to a straight choice between Alun Wyn Jones and George Kruis. Warren Gatland has gone with Jones but it must have been close. As the week has progressed my thinking on lock has changed. I would have gone for broke and started with Courtney Lawes alongside Itoje with Iain henderson on the bench.
The back row was another interesting call. Right up until the start of this tour I had Sam Warburton in my Test team at six in a back row consisting of two opensides with either Justin Tipuric or Sean O’Brien at seven. When fully fit and firing Warburton is a magnificent player but it became obvious he was not quite match fit and a turned ankle in the first game did not help either.
It was the right decision to pick Peter O’Mahony ahead of him last week and the Irishman’s contribution was under-rated. I would have continued with him at six. It is a bit of a punt selecting Warburton. Will we see the world-beater of four years ago or the slightly undercooked version we have seen so far on tour?
Purely on tour form I believe Tipuric should be starting seven, especially as the Lions have sign-posted an expansive approach. he is a phenomenal player but once he was asked to play the full game against the hurricanes on Tuesday it was clear he was not going to get a start.
Ultimately it is how the Lions 23 approach the game and play that counts. What we need now is clever, cohesive, courageous and career-best performances from all those involved.