To come up with a Lions side to match All Blacks
was back to being off-key.
He failed to deal with a kick through in the build-up to the home try and was turned over three times.
The stats suggest he is behind a number of his wing rivals.
Fortunately for him, not one of those rivals truly stands out.
Liam Williams is a dangerous and courageous player but he seems to be paying the price for losing possession four times against the Crusaders and picking up a yellow card against the Blues. And Tommy Seymour and Jack Nowell have both had tough experiences on this tour.
Elliot Daly hasn’t particularly sparkled, while Anthony Watson has had his moments without lifting any trees out of the ground. Verdict Watson has probably been the best wing on tour, but that isn’t saying much. Elliot Daly hasn’t made many mistakes. Gatland may go with Watson and North. If he does, North can count himself a fortunate man.
SECOND ROW
Iain Henderson He has passed the ball more times (7) than any other lock.
Henderson has made 25 runs forward yielding an average of 2.3 metres per carry. He has beaten more defenders (4) and put in more tackles (20) than any other second row. Alun Wyn Jones Jones has offloaded more than any other lock (4 times). He has made 21 runs forward at an average of 0.47 metres per carry. He has lost possession six times. George Kruis Kruis has made 13 runs forward at an average of 0.46 metres per carry.
His 13 carries are the fewest of any lock in the party. He has missed just one of 18 tackle attempts. Maro Itoje Itoje has made 25 runs forward at an average of 1.28 metres per carry.
He has made more tackles (22) than any of his rivals. He has been turned over three times. Courtney Lawes Lawes is the only lock who has yet to be turned over on this tour. He has made 14 runs forward at an average of 1.57 metres per carry. He has completed 17 tackles and missed three. Behind the numbers It is the 53 minute of the Highlanders v Lions match and Sam Warburton drives over the line. Replays showed his path had been cleared by Alun Wyn Jones holding one player off the ball and gently preventing another from reaching the flanker as well.
Statistics don’t pick up stuff like that. Nor do such figures pick up the inspirational way Jones led the Lions against the Crusaders, the way he set the tone from the first whistle by storming forward to claim the restart. Nor do they pick up the raw power of Courtney Lawes’ tackling.
The numbers here suggest Iain Henderson is one of the locks Gatland should be looking to in the opening Test.
He has beaten more defenders, made more metres and put in more passes than any of his rivals, while he is the only lock to have made a clean break and not conceded a single penalty. Henderson has also been adept at turning over opposition ball, never more impressively than when he came up with an outstanding piece of counter-rucking against the Highlanders.
Jones is top of the chart for offloads and was superb against the Crusaders, but he is also giving away penalties and possession more often than he will be happy with.
George Kruis’s stats are not great, but the way he bossed the lineout and acted as a focal point for the rest of his pack against the Maori was deeply impressive.
Courtney Lawes has looked the part when he has had a chance during an injury-blighted tour, while Maro Itoje’s work at the breakdown and industry are likely to secure him a spot somewhere. Verdict Gatland will probably go with Kruis and Itoje, though he has the option of accommodating Itoje at blindside and so allowing him to call on Alun Wyn Jones’s leadership.
FLANKERS
Justin Tipuric He has seen just 105 minutes of action on this trip but managed to make more metres than all of his rivals bar Sean O’Brien.
His 10 runs have yielded an average of 2.9 metres per carry. He has made 15 tackles and nailed every one of them. Sam Warburton The injury-blighted tour captain has made fewer passes (2) than any of his rivals. His 12 runs have yielded an average of 1.5 metres per carry.
He has made 18 tackles without a single miss. Peter O’Mahony He has made more passes (10) than any other flanker. His 12 runs have yielded an average of 1.2 metres per carry.
He has made eight tackles and missed one. Sean O’Brien The Irishman tops the chart for number of ball carries by a flanker.
His 20 runs have yielded an average of 2.15 metres per carry.
He has made seven tackles and missed two. James Haskell Haskell is the only flanker to have made a clean break on this tour. His 12 runs forward have yielded an average of 1.9 metres per carry. He has completed 19 tackles and missed three. Behind the numbers
O’Mahony and O’Brien have low tackle counts, maybe because they have started against the Crusaders and the Maori, two of the games the Lions have won. Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric both boast perfect defensive records, notwithstanding that the trip hasn’t really taken off for either player — in Warburton’s case because of fitness concerns, while Tipuric simply hasn’t had opportunities, which seems a waste. Haskell has looked lively at times but has featured in two losing teams.
The stats don’t flatter O’Mahony — he comes with fewer frills than a baseball bat — but he led the side well against the Maori and is a tough customer who can be relied on to make a nuisance of himself.
O’Brien just got better and better in his latest outing, achieving a turnover and trucking it up like one of the tractors on his dad’s farm.
There is also CJ Stander to consider as a flanker, but it is hard to see Gatland picking the No.8 before some of the options he has available to him. Verdict O’Mahony’s figures are nothing special, but he has started in two winning teams and Gatland will not see that as a coincidence. Ditto O’Brien. The first Test has come too soon for Warburton, while the lightly used Tipuric hasn’t had a proper chance.