Warren gets the last laugh... the fantastic Mr Fox... super Sam, super fans and magic Maro
THERE was no shortage of winners and losers from the enthralling Lions v All Blacks showdowns this summer despite the three-Test series ending in stalemate.
With New Zealand winning the first Test and the Lions the second, it was all set up for a fascinating final decider at Eden Park last weekend.
Fascinating we got, but a winner we didn’t in a 15-15 scoreline.
As the dust settles on the series we take a look at the winners and losers from the six-week sortie to the land of the long white cloud....
WINNERS
WARREN GATLAND Wore a joke red nose into the post third Test press conference to poke fun at the New Zealand media for portraying him as a clown but certainly had the last laugh on the local scribes.
Under a huge amount of pressure heading back to his homeland with the Lions given the disasters of 2005 and the fact the tourists haven’t won a Test series in the land of the long white cloud since 1971.
The tension started building when Gatland was forced to defend perceived ‘Warrenball’ tactics and then losing the first Test in Auckland 30-15, though it never fazed him.
It can be said the Lions had the greater rub of the green in the Tests with penalty decisions, but a drawn series with the All Blacks is something right up there among the best achievements on the Gatland CV. JONATHAN DAVIES You must have played well if you have outspoken Irish pundit Neil Francis singing your praises... and there’s no doubting the man nicknamed Foxy produced an outstanding overall performance on tour.
“If ever the will of the Lions could be personified, you could not look any further than Welsh centre Jonathan Davies,” wrote Francis.
“On Saturday, February 11, 2017, coming up to 7pm, Davies produced one of the worst kicks in rugby history.
“England’s George Ford gathered the ball and two quality passes later Elliot Daly scored in the left corner to win the game at the death.
“Hard to recover from that sort of trauma. Davies stuck to his task and rediscovered himself and some form and he won the Pro12 Championship in May playing some sparkling rugby with the Scarlets.
“Davies put in a number of telling tackles - two on Jordie Barrett at vital moments. For me, Davies was the Lions’ player of the series.
“You can point to a number of other players, you can point also to the clever 9-10-12 axis that negotiated the Lions through this series. But Davies is also a very clever player, and a combination of cleverness and determination is a very difficult obstacle to overcome.”
Talk about Fantastic Mr Fox. SAM WARBURTON His appointment as skipper was questioned in some quarters, his match fitness in others but what you can’t question is what the Welsh back-rower brought to the table when being named Gatland’s New Zealand tour leader.
The 28-year-old knows exactly the right words, for the right occasion with his timing as sharp as his work at the breakdown, but a bit more personable and engaging.
His rapport with referees on the field is also well-documented, knowing when to say certain things to referees and knowing when to keep it to himself.
And that came to the fore once again in Auckland.
After Owen Farrell had levelled for the Lions late on, the hosts were about to be pinged by referee Romain Poite for offside when Ken Owens handled a ball that Liam Williams had knocked on.
Then Warburton stepped in. “I just asked him to check for the accidental offside. They order a penalty and it’s worth asking the question,” said the Cardiff Blue. “The whole game he was pretty receptive at having a look at things which he might not have caught at first sight. A lot of referees in the past they make a call and they stick to it. This series they’ve been really good at having a look. “I’m glad it was a scrum instead.” Enough said! MARO ITOJE Was picked out as a potential All Blacks target by Gatland ahead of the tour not that it worried him in the slightest as ‘The Pearl’ as he is known in England and Saracens quarters produced the goods in the Lions boilerhouse.
He was so good social media has been