Weekend defeats leave Lions coach Gatland a winner
THOUGH Leinster, the Ospreys, Saracens and Leicester Tigers might disagree, Warren Gatland will be breathing a huge sigh of relief after the weekend results.
Some of the Lions linchpins missing the final weekend of play-offs in the Aviva Premiership and Guinness PRO12 through semi-final heartbreak.
It means the Lions coach has bolstered his squad by another 16 new faces heading from Wales to Ireland this week for more intense preparations ahead of jetting out to New Zealand next Monday for the gruelling 10-match schedule.
But the Kiwi will still be missing 11 players including the likes of Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Liam Williams and Jonathan Davies with the final of the PRO12 and Aviva Premiership taking place next weekend as well as the Top 14 semi-finals in France and the Champions Cup play-off between Northampton Saints and Stade Francais.
Those players will join the squad at the last minute when they board the plane to New Zealand on Monday, May 29.
Scarlets skipper Ken Owens is also an absentee this week and is set to stay with the Scarlets though it remains to be seen whether the hooker, who is nursing an ankle injury, will be involved in the PRO12 final with Munster at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, next weekend.
So, who are the 30 Lions squad members in Ireland this week and in pole position to form the rump of the squad for the first tour hit-out against the Provincial Barbarians on June 3? OWEN FARRELL Kicked two penalties for newlycrowned Champions Cup kings Saracens at Exeter Chiefs on Saturday but couldn’t help seal a back-to-back European and English title double as the Allianz Park outfit lost 18-16 in the Aviva Premiership play-off semi-finals. ROBBIE HENSHAW The Leinster centre was part of a misfiring display from the Dubliners last Friday night as they made a shock exit from the PRO12 play-offs at the semi-final stage with an emphatic home defeat against the 14-man Scarlets. JOHNNY SEXTON Didn’t look entirely fit on Friday night as the potential Lions playmaker took some bumps and bruises against the outstanding Scarlets defence at the Royal Dublin Showground. DAN BIGGAR Failed to fire the Ospreys into the final of the PRO12 next weekend as the Welsh region produced a lacklustre 80 minutes against Munster at Thomond Park. Was also subjected to abuse from a fan when taking a 31st-minute penalty which saw a supporter ejected from the ground by police. RHYS WEBB Was a late withdrawal from the Ospreys side in Limerick after picking up a ‘groin spasm’ last Thursday but eased fears over his fitness for the Lions tour announcing he ‘would be fine in one or two days more’.