Auckland hits fever pitch as Gatland goes for knockout
Lions coach tells team to be bold and take risks All Blacks boast 23-year Eden Park winning run
Just as Auckland is undergoing a huge makeover with pop-up stalls and temporary bars as it readies itself for the first Test tomorrow, so the Lions have been transformed from a scratch, underwhelming outfit into a tight-knit team who have been encouraged to be “bold and courageous”, as they look to end the All Blacks’ 23-year winning streak at Eden Park. As head coach Warren Gatland put it: “Those sort of records are there to be broken.”
The significant upturn in energy as thousands pour into the city in anticipation of a contest that will have edge and zeal, shafts of light and bare-knuckle dark, reflects the mood in the respective camps. They have both named teams that contain surprises – Liam Williams in at fullback for the Lions instead of Leigh Halfpenny, rookie Rieko Ioane for Julian Savea (46 tries in 53 Tests) – but these were choices based on form, an indication the two teams are reacting to the mood of the moment, buoyant and self-assured.
It took a 100-minute selection meeting on Wednesday, the longest that Warren Gatland has presided over, for the management to make up their mind. The Lions head coach was true to his word in giving every player a chance to prove themselves, promoting Williams as well as Elliot Daly from the Tuesday team who caused the Chiefs such misery in Hamilton. The Lions now have a blend of forward heft and zip from the rear, living up to Gatland’s belief that if they are to topple the All Blacks by smashing the Eden Park hoodoo, then they will have to offer more than just clout up front.
“It is not going to be enough to play set-piece and try to grind them into the ground,” said Gatland. “We have got to score tries, play with flair, be bold and courageous, take some risks, and that is why the selection is the way that it is. The Test will be a step up from anything we have experienced before. We have got to be alive for 80 minutes.
“We know there are periods when the All Blacks appear to lull, then they get one opportunity and just ignite. That is when they are at their most dangerous. But we are ready. We have been tested every step of the way. We have got better and will need to continue getting better. But we have stayed incredibly tight as a group and haven’t let anything external have an impact on us. We haven’t had any issues. We are in a good place.”
It promises to be a fascinating clash of styles, as well as a possible change of identity masks, with New Zealand emphasising their setpiece virtues and shoring up their midfield defence with the fit-again Ryan Crotty while the Lions pledge to probe in the wide channels and go for broke if the situation arises.
Williams has earned his spurs even if Gatland still has some reservations. “Liam has played his way into the Test team by his performances,” said Gatland. “We know that every now and again there might be a brain explosion with him as you saw with the yellow card [against the Blues]. He needs to be switched on mentally.”
There was only one notable quandary to solve in the forward pack: whether to start Maro Itoje ahead of Alun Wyn Jones or opt for the more experienced man – this is the Welsh lock’s seventh successive Lions Test – to lead the charge from the first whistle in the knowledge that the dynamic Itoje can add value from the bench.
Perversely, Itoje has paid the price for his athleticism, an attractive proposition for any coach facing the All Blacks, mindful that they have tended to get stronger as the game wears on.
Even though the Lions have pledged to be daring, they stress that “we will not be talked into playing Barbarians rugby when we have got certain weapons we can use to our advantage”.
On that rests so much. The Lions have hauled themselves off the ropes with some stirring displays over the last seven days. Can they deliver the knockout blow against the All Blacks? It is quite a question. No wonder Auckland is at fever pitch.