DISRESPECTFUL? ...OR JUST HELL-BENT ON A SERIES WIN?

The big names have their say on the Gatland call-up controversy

FORMER Lions Graham Price and Gareth Thomas have rounded on Warren Gatland following his controversial decision to call up extra players to the tour squad on grounds of geography rather than merit.

Wales on Sunday columnist Price, who went on three tours and played in 12 Tests, let rip in the wake of the Lions’ 32-10 thrashing of the Maori All Blacks in Rotorua.

“It is simply disrespectful — disrespectful in the first instance to a guy like Joe Launchbury, who had an excellent Six Nations with England yet now finds himself passed over for a Lions spot simply because he is not playing locally,” blasted the prop great.

“What happened to the idea that the world is a smaller place these days? Are there no flights out of Argentina?

“It is disrespectful, also, to the generations of great players who have worn the Lions jersey down the years.”

Gatland summoned for Wales quartet Tomas Francis, Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies, who were already in New Zealand, and Scottish duo Allan Dell and Finn Russell from Australia, which is a threehour flight, because he doesn’t want any of his Test 23 to play in the remaining midweek matches with the Chiefs and Hurricanes.

“I’m sure those boys will try as hard as possible, but the fact remains that the Lions is supposed to be the pinnacle, an exclusive club for the elite of British and Irish rugby, yet now we have some players coming in who until recently were second or third choices with their national team,” pointed out Price.

“I do not blame those individuals but Gatland has made a bad mistake. If he had this mind all along, then he probably shouldn’t have been appointed Lions coach in the first place.

“Winning the Test series matters hugely but how difficult would it have been to have put in a call to Eddie Jones, say, last week and arranged for guys like Launchbury and Dylan Hartley to fly across to New Zealand?

“They would then have had ample time to acclimatise. The same applies to Cian Healy in Japan with Ireland.

“Instead Gatland has called on people because they are playing fairly close by.

“It’s akin to a local side being short on matchday, seeing someone at a bus stop and telling him to jump aboard. Or even asking the bus driver if he wants a game.”

Former Wales captain Thomas, who took over the leadership of the cream of British and Irish rugby in New Zealand in 2005 after Brian O’Driscoll was put out of the rest of the series by an off-the-ball spear tackle, also expressed his disquiet.

“You wouldn’t pick a Welsh team to play England next week just because players lived in Cardiff,” he rapped. “Every team, when it comes to international level, should be selected on merit and nothing else.”

Gatland hits back: Sport on Sunday