The good, the bad and how Test prospects look
THERE are some games when players do not just produce a performance. They come up with a statement.
And so it was that the Lions rolled up their sleeves in Christchurch and got the job done against the best team in Super Rugby.
There might yet be days when Warren Gatland’s men play with more flair and, heaven forbid, score a few tries.
But their effort at the AMI Stadium was a statement that they are not prepared to roll over like the last Lions side to visit New Zealand did, back in 2005.
This lot played serious rugby, conceding few penalties, forcing a stream of scrum transgressions out of the opposition props — some of them debatable, maybe — troubling the home lineout, imposing themselves physically and kicking accurately out of hand.
There were few frills, but winning was everything after a damaging defeat against the Blues. The New Zealand press and public will now know there are some decent players in the tourists’ ranks, after all.
And, three games into the tour, it is possible to see the outline of a competitive Test side clearly forming.
MARK ORDERS assesses how the land is lying not just for the seven Welsh players on duty in the 12-3 win over the Crusaders, but also for tour captain Sam Warburton ahead of his return for the date with the Highlanders tomorrow night. It has been said of the former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh that some of his finest innings came when his side needed them most.
“If Australia were 50 for three you could almost write down a hundred for him before he went out to bat,” a respected commentator Down Under once remarked.
“His great innings were always when they were badly needed and that says a lot about the man.”
Much of the above applies to Alun Wyn Jones.
When backs are against the proverbial wall and criticism is coming in from angles Pythagoras might have been unfamiliar with, the Ospreys captain is a useful sort to have around.
An indication that he was set for a big game against the Crusaders came within seconds of the first whistle. The hosts failed to deal with the kick off and Jones steamed in to claim possession.
That is what good leaders do.
They set the tone by sheer force of example.
Jones kept grafting throughout, piling into mauls to disrupt opposition ball, making his presence felt at the breakdown, his every contribution laced with physicality.
Sean Fitzpatrick later described him as the big mover in the battle for Test places. Jones needed such a display, and so did his team.
TAULUPE FALETAU
The former Newport Gwent Dragon has made an immense start to the tour, with two performances that will have left his pre-trip critic Zinzan Brooke with yolk dripping over his nose and down both cheeks.
Faletau is averaging almost 4.5 metres a carry, and there have been many of them.
He has also made 26 tackles and not missed a single one.
Against the Crusaders, he appeared to coast around the field, but appearances can be deceptive as Faletau waded through a mountain of work, taking responsibility, supporting others, playing with his head up and making few mistakes.
The Bath player has brought Test-level performances to the party so far, and Gatland will surely have lined him up for the No.8 jersey in the Tests.
GEORGE NORTH
The hope had been that North’s inclusion against the Crusaders would add an extra attacking dimension to a back division that has so far largely fired blanks. It didn’t exactly happen that way. The tourists struggled to work the big man into space, and while he did occasionally go looking for possession, it wasn’t to be his night with ball in hand. But, in other respects, he did well. He shook several Crusaders ball-carriers with the power of his defending and was responsible for four turnovers.
Of course, the Lions want to see more of North going forward.
But his defence has been called into question at a number of points throughout his career, so the coaches would have been delighted to see him fronting up. He is close to being inked in for a Test spot.
LIAM WILLIAMS
The really good news for Williams is that there were no disciplinary misadventures to rival the ones that saw him yellow-carded in his only previous tour outing.
Sensibly, he opted out of any 40-60 airborne challenges this time.
But rugby is a game of fine margins and in many other respects borderline twists of fate and bounces of the ball didn’t go the Welshman’s way.
He needs to cherish possession more - he lost it four times - but he made more ground with ball in hand than any other starter and was responsible for three of his team’s clean breaks.
There were also a couple of fishes-and-loaves pieces of skill that saw him keep the ball in play after spiralling kicks.
It was an effort that will keep Williams in the conversation ahead of the Tests. The need for a head injury assessment meant the Scarlet lasted only 29 minutes in his first appearance on tour — a shame because he went into the game bang in form and came close to setting up a try in the opening minute, picking a superb line to storm through the cover, only for the home defence to block his pass out wide.
Davies’ problem is that his bump in Christchurch will keep him out of the game with the Highlanders, meaning he is running out of time.
Also, if the Lions use Jonathan Sexton and Owen Farrell at 10 and 12, there would be one fewer midfield position for others to compete for and Ben Te’o is widely felt to have done well in his two outings, though his passing wasn’t great against the Crusaders.
Next weekend’s clash with the Maori is set to be huge for Davies.
RHYS WEBB
When Graham Henry describes your rival for a Test spot as probably the best player in his position in the world, then you know the task in front of you is an uphill one.
Thinking positively, Webb will reason that he has attributes that can enhance any side.
He is a nightmare to play against with his ability to spot a gap before it has even opened up; he scores tries to the point where the Ospreys once compared him to an arch poacher in football; he is sound in defence and lacks nothing in courage.
But Conor Murray, the recipient of Henry’s praise, offered such control against the Crusaders that it is going to take something beyond special from Webb to turn the tide.
His ability to provide a spark in attack is a major plus at a time when the Lions are not scoring tries.
But it is hard to overstate the challenge he now faces.
KEN OWENS
Jamie George underlined why he had been selected for the tour with an