Lions to hunt down Barbarians
COACH Warren Gatland finally begins his British and Irish Lions adventure in earnest tomorrow against the Barbarians.
AFTER six months’ planning and three weeks’ training, coach Warren Gatland finally begins his British and Irish Lions adventure in earnest tomorrow with what should be a gentle opening match against the Barbarians to open the 125th anniversary tour.
Ahead of three Tests and six provincial games in Australia, the Lions are making their first appearance in Hong Kong, where the city’s intense heat and humidity will be a key factor.
Gatland, whose selection options were severely limited by the late arrival of more than a dozen players involved in domestic cup finals last weekend, will be anxious to see how the new combinations gel but is more concerned about getting the tour off to a successful start.
“I don’t really care about style as long as we win, to be honest,” he said yesterday.
That should not be a problem, despite the Lions’ limited preparation time, particularly if the Barbarians offer as little resistance as they did in last Sunday’s 40-12 defeat by a fledgling England selection at Twickenham.
Only four starters remain, however, from that team and, with Italian Sergio Parisse captaining a far stronger-looking side from No 8, the Lions will have to work hard for their points and concentrate on their newly learned defensive patterns.
“We are not going to shy away from the fact that we all felt let down afterwards,” said Barbarians coach and former Lions prop Dai Young.
“We didn’t play anything like we expected and we know we are going to have to be a lot better.”
An indication of how seriously the Barbarians are taking the game is the news that the players have agreed to a ban on alcohol until after the match.
In the absence of captain Sam Warburton, who is nursing a knee injury, Irish lock Paul O’Connell, the captain in SA four years ago, will again lead the Lions.
Three of Warburton’s Welsh compatriots will fill the back row, with another six players from the Six Nations champions in the starting XV.
“Obviously I’m disappointed for Sam but there’s no better man to captain the side than Paul O’Connell,” said Dan Lydiate, who will play on the blindside flank.
Owen Farrell will start at flyhalf, outside Mike Phillips, one of the stand-out performers of the 2009 tour.
All three Scots in the touring party get an early opportunity to impress, with Stuart Hogg at fullback, Sean Maitland on the left wing and Richie Gray in the second row.
Temperatures are expected to hit 33°C, with relative humidity in the 65%-90% range, according to the Hong Kong observatory.
“We’re getting used to it already,” O’Connell said of the heat and humidity. “It’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be. We both have to deal with it and hopefully we can deal with it better than they can.”
The All Blacks are to play Japan later this year on their way to a European tour, a report said yesterday, in what would be their first trip to the country in 26 years.
The New Zealand powerhouses will take on the Brave Blossoms in Tokyo on November 2, the Sankei Sports daily reported, in the run-up to matches against France, England and Ireland later in the month.
New Zealand Rugby Union CE Steve Tew said a game in Japan was under discussion.
“New Zealand Rugby and All Blacks management have been considering the value of another Test this year as part of a much wider strategy focusing on the team’s development heading towards 2015” and the World Cup, he said in a statement.
“As a result, we have been exploring an option with the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) for the All Blacks selected for the European tour to play Japan en route to Europe. There is nothing to confirm at this stage and discussions are continuing.”
The JRFU in Tokyo were similarly tight-lipped, saying they had “no information” on the subject. Reuters, Sapa-AFP