Lions’ anger after O’Brien takes aim at coaches

THE LIONS are fuming after Sean O’Brien slammed preparations for the Test series in New Zealand this summer. The Irishman, who played all three Tests against the All Blacks, blamed head coach Warren Gatland and attack coach Rob Howley for failing to record a series win. The tourists lost the first Test 30-15 and O’Brien said the management panicked in the build-up and ‘over-trained’ the players. And, in a stinging assessment of attack coach Howley, O’Brien said Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton ended up running backs sessions instead of the Welshman. Lions sources vehemently refuted talk of over-working players last night.

Sportsmail understands they are privately confused, disappointed and surprised by O’Brien’s comments. O’Brien took aim at the coaches, saying they ordered a triple training session on the Thursday before the series opener at Eden Park, saying: ‘The coaches have a lot to answer for.’ But Sportsmail has seen details of the schedule for the Test weeks, which seem to contrast O’Brien’s claims of a training overload. Ahead of the first Test, the players had an optional gym session on Thursday morning before training for 35 minutes in their ‘units’ — with the forwards concentrating on line-outs and scrums. Then in the evening there was another 45-minute training session. The schedule was then tweaked for the second Test. After victory to level the series, Gatland said: ‘I don’t think it was just the Thursday double session (that made players tired), it was the three to four weeks of no days off, travel, the games, training, walk-through, everything the coaches do, the meetings. ‘We consciously lightened up last week.’ O’Brien admitted that plan was ‘perfect’, but then took another swipe, annoyed at a lack of training in the final week before the series decider in Auckland. The touring party de-camped to Queenstown for rest and recuperation — taking both the Monday and Tuesday off. Lions sources defend that approach — one that worked on the 2009 and 2013 tours. Lions chief executive John Feehan responded to O’Brien last night, saying: ‘We had the best coaching team available and I think they proved that in what we achieved. ‘Against all the odds and with limited preparation time, this squad became only the second Lions team in history to either win or draw a series in New Zealand in 13 attempts. That achievement can’t be underestimated.’