BOD’S UP IN ARMS
O’Driscoll unhappy over Gatland decision to axe scapegoat O’Mahony
BRIAN O’DRISCOLL has hit out at Warren Gatland’s decision to make Peter O’Mahony a scapegoat for New Zealand’s first Test victory over the Lions in Auckland.
O’Mahony, who captained the Lions in that 30-15 loss at Eden Park, has been replaced by tour captain Sam Warburton in the back row and omitted from the match-day 23 altogether for tomorrow’s must-win second Test in Wellington.
And O’Driscoll, who suffered a similar dropping at the hands of Gatland after the Lions lost the second Test on the 2013 tour to Australia, believes it was harsh to blame his former Ireland teammate for the opening defeat.
‘Very tough on Peter O’Mahony
going from skipper to non-23,’ wrote O’Driscoll on Twitter, before adding, ‘has to be someone to point the finger at in defeat.’ When it was put to him on the social media platform that O’Mahony was not being blamed but was left out by Gatland for tactical reasons, O’Driscoll responded: ‘Well, he was captain and now isn’t togging out. Read between the lines…’ Gatland said O’Mahony was ‘very unlucky’ to be omitted but that Warburton was the right option. ‘It was a tough call,’ he admitted. ‘We need to get some pressure on the ball and that is something Sam is excellent at doing and he has got some rugby under his belt now. ‘Peter has been very unlucky. He has done a great job for us in terms of the games he has been involved in and the captaincy. He’s unlucky that we have got choices and can make changes and use different combinations. ‘We could have put Peter on the bench and
we had a long discussion about that, but CJ Stander has had an outstanding Six Nations and was good the other night [against Hurricanes] with his carries and his physicality, so the impact he is able to bring off the bench could be significant.’ Meanwhile, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has called a truce in his rivalry with Gatland, admonishing the New Zealand Herald newspaper for depicting the Lions boss as a clown. ‘I’ve got a lot of respect for him and I’m looking forward to having a beer with him and a chuckle about life. We have got a lot of common interests, he likes racing horses and so do I; he coaches Wales and I’ve been through that experience,’ said Hansen. ‘It’s the media that ramp it up because it sells newspapers and who am I to say, “Stop it”. It’s really disappointing. It’s one thing to have a bit of banter… but to ridicule someone is not right.’