Gatland and his men will take lessons from disappointing opener
As players get to know each other, first tour games are never easy – and they now have base to build on
There is no point being too negative about yesterday’s Lions performance. It was not the most attractive game of rugby I have ever seen but give the Provincial Barbarians credit; they were all comfortable on the ball and it proved to be a good lesson for the Lions. Man for man they might not be as good as you, but they know the game of rugby every bit as well.
It was a win, no one got seriously injured, so you build on it and move on. Tour openers are liable to be scratchy affairs, particularly when you are operating in a time zone 12 hours removed from your own and you have been in the country for a few days.
I remember when we played Royal XV in Rustenburg in 2009 and needed a couple of late tries from Alun Wyn Jones and Ronan O’Gara to dig us out of a hole and win 37-25. There was a bit of hand-wringing back home. Four days later we put 70 points on the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
I am not saying that is going to happen when the Lions face the Blues at Eden Park on Wednesday. In fact, it definitely will not happen. These Super Rugby teams are all very strong and the Blues will be licking their lips at the opportunity to try to inflict a first tour defeat on a Lions team still getting to know one another.
These tour openers are not easy fixtures. Warren Gatland was always going to go with players he had had in camp from the beginning; some of them had played together before, some had not. There were only a few established combinations. That showed from the outset as they missed the kick-off and had to deal with 10 minutes of sustained Baa Baas pressure. It took the Lions 12 minutes before they even got into their opponents’ half.
The Barbarians were well directed by Bryn Gatland, who varied his kicks and kept the Lions back three guessing. The hosts got their try from his up-and-under. But the pressure was coming from the Lions’ own inaccuracies and handling errors.
There were glimpses of what the Lions were capable of. Their best attack of the game came around the half-hour with Stuart Hogg, Ben Te’o and Kyle Sinckler – the outstanding Lions player on the day – involved. Hogg eventually gave a pass for a two-on-one walk-in but they missed it.
It gave the Lions confidence and they spent the last 10 minutes camped in the Barbarians 22, and were held up over the line three times. The second half was a different affair, with the Lions far more consistent.
The fact that they were held up over the line four times meant they never built any momentum. The close scoreline also had the effect of encouraging the Barbarians and led to a very nervy last five minutes as the Lions tried to see the game out.
One positive was the impact of the replacements, which showed off the depth of the squad. George Kruis, who won two line-out turnovers, and Mako Vunipola, made a real difference. Rhys Webb and Owen Farrell, too.
The half-back pairing of Greig Laidlaw and Johnny Sexton looked a little laboured in the first half, although general sloppiness and team errors did not help. The Anthony Watson try showed the effect that Farrell can have; directing play, pointing where he wanted the ball, assertive. He looked the part, although it would be harsh to judge Sexton on this game. Had he played alongside Conor Murray, in a more accurate team performance, he would have looked completely different.
I don’t think the Lions coaching staff will spend too long analysing that game. They will know they need to play with more tempo and accuracy. Some of them will know they can do a lot better, some were good without being brilliant, and some were real positives: Sinckler, Kruis, Teo’o, Ross Moriarty, Taulupe Faletau. The latter is particularly important given Billy Vunipola’s absence. They have a base from which to build now. They will look at the combinations that worked and the opportunities that were created to figure out the ways in which they can hurt opponents.
Moriarty, Faletau, Sinckler and Te’o all showed what they could do in the outside channels. Similarly, the back three of Watson, Tommy Seymour and Hogg looked dangerous when given space in which to operate. You only get that space if you are fast and accurate in your execution.
One other thing: you cannot underestimate the emotional effect of pulling on a Lions jersey for the first time. There were nine new Lions yesterday and nerves will have played a part. They will all be better for the experience.