Coach hopes his son is kept busy in tour opener
Warren Gatland has joked he hopes to keep son Bryn tackling like a demon in tomorrow’s British and Irish Lions tour opener.
The Lions head coach will square up to son Bryn for the first time, when the Blues playmaker starts at fly- half for the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians against the tourists.
G atland Senior wants his Lions to kick- star t their gruelling ten- match tour on the front foot by heaping the pressure on the Barbarians.
“I spoke to Bryn last night and he’s enjoying the week,” said Lions coach Gatland of his 22- year- old son.
“We’ ll catch up tom orrow, and he’ll expect to have to make a few tackles on the weekend. We haven’t spoken too much about the game but he’s excited about the opportunity.”
Coach Clayton McMillan believes his Barbarians outfit have pulled together quickly across the course of the last fort night, and now expects an exciting encounter in Whangarei.
“When we first looked at putting together a squad, the initialprocess was around understanding what sort of game we wanted to play and the type of player that would meet the profile of that game plan,” said Mcmillan.
“It’s always going to be pretty hard when you are bringing a group together from four corners of New Zealand but from what I can see and the feedback we’ve got, the boys have come together really well.
“We’ve kept things relatively simple with thee mph asison creating an environment where the players can express themselves and rep - re sent their provinces with pride.
“The unique and special occasion for bringing this team together has forced the boys to bond quite quickly, and they’ve enjoyed a fantastic week here in Whangarei.”