SHANE WILLIAMS’ MUST-READ VERDICT ON SEAN O’BRIEN’S LIONS OUTBURST
WALES and Lions legend Shane Williams has described Sean O’Brien’s shock blast at Warren Gatland and his Lions coaching team as the “words of a frustrated player”.
Wales’ record try-scorer views the drawn series against the world champion All Blacks as an “admirable” return for Gatland and his coaching team, countering startling claims by Ireland international O’Brien that the tourists should have won the series 3-0.
O’Brien – who started all three Tests in New Zealand – has suggested that players were overtrained in the build-up to the first and third Tests in Auckland and that Gatland’s assistant Rob Howley struggled to get his message across, saying that senior players like Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell took charge of the attacking game.
However Williams, who was coached by Gatland in both Wales and Lions colours, believes O’Brien is wide of the mark.
He said: “My immediate reaction after reading Sean O’Brien’s comments was that these were the words of a frustrated player.
“And having trained under both coaches with both the Lions and Wales I find it very difficult to be able to agree with what the Ireland international said.
“O’Brien is a winner and is clearly frustrated that the Lions didn’t fulfil his and their own ambitions.
“But you have to consider what the coaching team were up against.
“They faced limited preparation time and a hugely demanding playing schedule before then taking on the double world champions — the best side in the world by far, as we have seen by recent results in the Rugby Championship.
“For Gatland and his Lions squad to come away from that series against the All Blacks with the spoils shared is an admirable achievement.
“He changed his attacking plan to put Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell together at 10 and 12 and got a number of other calls right.
“As for the criticism of Gatland’s training methods, I can’t comment on what went on in New Zealand, but from my experience of training with Wales and the Lions under Gatland, it worked for me and it worked for Warren. I had no issues with it.
“Of course, individuals coming out in the media and criticising what has happened on a Lions tour is nothing new.
“But it is telling that there hasn’t been a line of players echoing O’Brien and having a go at Warren and his training regime.”
The Lions issued their own riposte to O’Brien’s comments through their chief executive John Feehan, who said: “We had the best coaching team available and they proved that in what we achieved in New Zealand.”
Television pundit Stuart Barnes also wrote that the man known as the “Tullow Tank” was “bordering on sporting insanity” for claiming the Lions should have whitewashed the All Blacks 3-0.
Williams added: “What these comments have proved more than anything is that in professional sport you are never going to please everyone.”