Gatland goes on the offensive
Coach says criticism from All Blacks’ Hansen comes from worry over Lions’ strength. By Craig Emerson
WARREN Gatland believes New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen will be “worried” ahead of the Test series against British and Irish Lions.
Gatland seized on a fine victory over the Maori All Blacks in Rotorua yesterday as an opportunity to bite back at a host of critics, with Hansen chief among them. He has taken swipes at the Lions’ playing style and the decision to call up mid-tour recruits, as well as offering a premature prediction of the tourists’ Test line-up.
The three-Test series starts in Auckland on Saturday, and Gatland attempted to turn the heat back on Hansen.
“I’ve been surprised by Steve Hansen, who is normally pretty calm,” the Lions head coach said of his fellow New Zealander. “He has been doing a lot of press conferences and I can only take that as a sign of respect in that he is a little bit worried.
“The All Blacks arranged a pretty quick warm-up game against Samoa and if you saw the first 20 to 30 minutes, they needed it. Obviously they were outstanding in the second half. But it’s unlike Steve and maybe he is worried by potentially how good this team can be. We know we have a big step up to play the All Blacks but all I can say is that this could be a great Test series with fantastic rugby.
“Everyone could get excited. Wherever we have been in New Zealand, the welcome has been brilliant. I can’t speak more highly of that. The off-field stuff, similar to the stuff that people have been saying, puts a bit of a dampener on the tour. But that’s professional sport, you just have to deal with that and move on.
“It’s not anything that is a worry for us but you go, ‘woah, he is a little bit more worried than he normally is’. Making these comments about us, things he knows about or doesn’t know about, that is normally a sign of a man that is a little bit worried.”
A penalty try and further score from Maro Itoje had crushed the Maori spirit, with the home side given precious few chances to steal a victory to match that of their 2005 predecessors, who stunned the Lions 19-13. The tourists silenced their hosts with a brutal forward pack assault to gain a morale-boosting victory.
Leigh Halfpenny’s six penalties and flawless 20-point haul underpinned a muscular triumph, with the tourists dominant at the setpiece and all tight exchanges.
Promising breaks undone by a lack of killer instinct proved the story of a frustrating first half for the Lions, but they still led 12-10 at the break, even after gifting the Maori the only try of the half.
George North continued his indifferent form by failing to claim cleanly when sliding back in a bid to sweep up a kick in behind. Nehe Milner-Skudder hacked on and Liam Messam finished.
Damian McKenzie’s conversion pushed the Maori into a 7-6 lead, after Halfpenny had posted two penalties for the Lions. The Maori proved savvy at killing the ball every time the Lions edged deep into their territory, stopping Gatland’s men capping smart moves with a try on several occasions.
Johnny Sexton’s half-break almost set Tadhg Furlong away, then Jon Davies dummied and swept through the line, but neither time could the Lions finish.
Halfpenny’s third penalty put the Lions 9-7 ahead at the top of the second quarter, only for petulance from Itoje to cost his side.
The England lock threw the ball away after being choke-tackled, and referee Jaco Peyper pushed the visitors back 10 metres, enough to let McKenzie slot the goal, with the Maori sneaking a 10-9 lead.
Another Sexton half-break had Davies stealing through the line, only to spill the ball in contact.
Halfpenny’s fifth penalty pushed the Lions into a 15-10 lead to open the second half, with George Kruis increasingly vocal as the tourists ploughed through profitable eight phases.
Tawera Kerr-Barlow was yellowcarded when he shoulder-charged Halfpenny in the face, with the Lions full-back sliding low after being tackled. The Lions produced a smart driving line-out, Ben Te’o powered close, and then Jamie George burrowed to the line. The try was chalked off however, with officials unable to determine whether George had reached the whitewash.
The Lions then ruined the Maori scrum twice, with referee Peyper awarding a penalty try from the second. The new rules mean penalty tries are automatically worth seven points, so the Lions led 22-10 with half an hour to play.
When the Lions forced another five-metre scrum. Taulupe Faletau drove close, and Itoje finished off, with Halfpenny converting.