IS GATLAND SET TO SNUB SCOTS?
Lions chief looks likely to ignore Tartan talents
SCOTLAND’S representation on the British and Irish Lions tour could be as low as two, as head coach Warren Gatland prepares the ground for a ruthless omission of Scots players in the squad for New Zealand. The coach has spoken highly of Scotland’s improvement under Vern Cotter and visited a few times to watch the players train and in Tests since being confirmed as the coach at the Edinburgh home of the new Lions sponsor Standard Life.
But the diplomatic smiles are giving way to the more familiar steely focus of a man intent on becoming only the second in history to steer the Lions to victory in the Land of the Long White Cloud, and the first since 1971. That he is a Kiwi brings a special edge to Gatland’s campaign, a deep desire to build on his reputation in Wales and Six Nations history by winning respect in his home country.
New Zealand do not like coaches daring to undermine the All Blacks, and the Waikato man knows that after the opening pleasantries — particularly if the Lions start well — he will face all sorts of ridicule over how he had to go north to be successful.
From the day he arrives with the 2017 Lions, the undercurrent will be of how he — and Dylan Hartley — is a Kiwi failure. That is the way it is in a country that is wall-to-wall rugby and where they see the No1 tag as an honour to be defended to the death.
There is time yet with the domestic leagues and European tournaments to reach a conclusion — European success for Glasgow would help Finn Russell, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson and Jonny Gray, for example — and injuries will occur, but Gatland now knows the squad he wishes Lions manager John Spencer to reveal on April 19.
Hence, his frankly preposterous comments when last here that because Scottish coaches turned down invitations to join him on tour, Scots will suffer in selection.
‘I’ve chatted to Vern and we potentially might invite someone to come to a selection meeting to give a Scottish perspective,’ he said two weeks ago. Potentially?
He insisted: ‘You want someone pushing players and, at the moment, they (Scotland players) haven’t really got that voice.
‘The door hasn’t been closed, but we’ve had to push it open a little bit. Hopefully, the person who does this job in 2021 will have the door completely open for them.’
What drivel. You would hope it would help if Scotland had a coach/ selector, but Gatland has studied Scots with Wales and the Lions for years and has had another full season to watch games and training sessions, speak to coaches and familiarise himself with new contenders. If Cotter and Gregor Townsend have not given him chapter and verse on Scots, it is because he has declined to seek it.
No, what that is about is Gatland’s upset at not securing the services of Townsend, whose attacking mind would have been a boon in New Zealand. He was making a point and is twisting the fortunes of Scottish players into his anger at the SRU.
Gatland was always erring against Scotland players and, in reality, they needed to hit two tough targets to change that — finish at least second in the RBS Six Nations table and collectively and individually outshine Ireland, Wales and England.
Had they achieved that, it is likely that Russell, Brown, Alex Dunbar, Greig Laidlaw, Huw Jones (before injury), Hamish Watson and the Gray brothers would have forced themselves into contention alongside Stuart Hogg.
WP Nel, Josh Strauss and Sean Maitland would have too had all been fit.
Instead they claimed the Celtic scalps, which marked progress, but one could almost detect a smile on Gatland’s lips as the Calcutta Cup demolition cemented his thinking.
Four years ago, he leaned on the Welsh squad he knew, naming 15 players to ten from England, nine from Ireland and just three Scots — Hogg, Maitland and Richie Gray, with Ryan Grant an injury call-up.
The only change expected now is a switch of the England and Wales contributions after Eddie Jones’ team underlined its claims with back-to-back championships.
Gatland will take Scots, but who is not clear. Gatland likes Maitland and Strauss, and was interested in Jones before injury. Hogg was the youngster with promise in 2013, and is the sole Scottish certainty, and his Warriors team-mates Jonny Gray and Fagerson, and Edinburgh flanker Watson are newbie contenders this time.
With strong competition in the second row, it was always going to be tough for both Grays to win selection, even though they would fit well into the Lions armoury.
They needed a big game at Twickenham but they were outshone by Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury, which had some predicting that neither Gray will tour.
Gatland would be foolish to leave both. Richie played in 2013 and is now a better all-round forward, and potentially nosed ahead of Jonny in the pecking order. If Alun Wyn Jones fails to recover from injury (he is expected to be fit around the start of May), the door may yet open to the Glaswegian brothers.
Dunbar, Jones, Russell and Brown also slipped into the shadows at Twickenham in a game Gatland viewed as the one to test how Scots would fare in the pressure of a Lions tour in New Zealand.
Five Scots were initially selected for the 1997 tour, three in 2001 and 2005, two in 2009 and three four years ago.
There is time for fate to intervene before the squad is announced on April 19, and again before the opening game, but despite improvement in quality the thistle is destined to be the poor relation on another tour.