Sam is a poor pick to captain the Lions
Forty-one is too many – players will be frustrated
THOSE who doubted the relevance of the Lions in the modern age must have had their coughs softened by the reaction to this squad.
Scottish fury (at their tiny representation) and Welsh sheepishness (at their highly fortunate numbers) predominated, but there was Irish confusion (Jared Payne ahead of Garry Ringrose) and English disgruntlement (no Joe Launchbury).
Social media reaction was typically impulsive and thus incandescent but discussion lapped far beyond that, as far as the sober news shows on radio and TV.
And there was much to discuss. Two points were immediately obvious on release of the squad: it is too large; and the wrong man has been chosen as captain.
In 2013, Warren Gatland’s Lions in Australia were bolstered on what felt like an almost daily basis towards the end by arrivals from home. Injuries are inevitable in any end-of-season series, and Gatland had no compunction about calling up fresh recruits, in some cases to make up the numbers in training.
By naming a squad of 41 this time, he is trying to offset the need for emergency transfusions, but the risks must outweigh the benefits.
Forty-one is too great a number: a match-day squad is 23, which means 18 players left disappointed and frustrated.
It is inevitable that in some cases, the unhappiness of these players will curdle into something more negative, with the risk that it contaminates the atmosphere.
Traditionally, malcontents could be partially assuaged by midweek matches. These ‘dirt-trackers’ would make up the team for the games against club or regional sides used to pad out the touring schedule.
That won’t work this time. The Lions play seven matches plus three Test games, but the warmup matches will, in some cases, be as tough as Tests. This is because New Zealand Rugby will allow All Black players to return to their franchise teams in the warm-ups.
That will make the preparatory matches the most competitive a Lions tour has ever faced, and it will also present huge problems for Gatland and his coaches as they try and husband their resources at the end of a gruelling European season.
Losing those matches is a risk Gatland can’t take because of the damage it would do to morale, which in turn means he will have to rely on the core of his Test squad from day one. There will be a lot of Lions, used to being the stars of their clubs and country, whiling away long days and weeks in the dark of a New Zealand winter. Sam Warburton should not be captain, either. The news emerged in the UK press over the weekend and was greeted with enthusiasm. Warburton was a good captain in 2013, he gets on well with Gatland and when fit and on form, he is an excellent flanker.
But Warburton has not been in consistent form for some time. He is prone to injury, and if a Test team were fairly picked now, he would not be selected: CJ Stander, Justin Tipuric, Peter O’Mahony and Maro Itoje all have a better claim on a starting place than Warburton.
And it’s not as if he will play his way into form against elite opposition between now and June: he is injured, while his region, Cardiff Blues, are out of Europe and they are not contending in the Pro12 league. He is fortunate to be even in the squad. Owen Farrell was a more compelling choice to lead this group.
By making Warburton captain, Gatland has done nothing to dissuade those who suspect this is a travelling party padded out by the coach’s damaging loyalty to Welsh players.
Other calls were suspect. Jared Payne should not have been chosen ahead of Garry Ringrose (left), for instance. Payne is class, but he managed only one Six Nations appearance. The suggestion — not made officially, it must be said — that Payne being a New Zealand native was a factor, is disquieting even as a rumour.
This observer has no compunction with players being selected under the current eligibility rules, but the best players, in form, should be selected to wear the Lions shirt. And in the context of Irish centres, Ringrose is in much better form than Payne.
Of course, the class, versatility and experience of the latter could be the reason for his call-up; one fervently hopes so.
The fun begins on June 3, but the fear is that is the day the fun ends. A Lions tour remains an event of enormous significance, but this one is facing a whitewash in New Zealand.
Some of the decisions made by Warren Gatland have done nothing to deflect that fate.