The good, the bad... ugly... that was the
As we continue to reflect on the Lions’ spellbinding three-Test series with the All Blacks and see Saturday mornings revert back to shopping, a visit to the gym or lazing around at best, it’s time to hand out the tour gongs. There have been plenty of plau
THE WINNERS: LIONS
DESPITE leaving these shores with arguably the best Lions squad ever assembled, even the most optimistic of supporters couldn’t see anything but a 3-0 Test series win for the All Blacks... or 2-1 as the best case scenario.
Sure, Warren Gatland’s men got lucky in the final two Tests with questionable penalty decisions going their way, but there’s no denying there can be only one winner from this drawn Test series and they don’t wear a black jersey adorned with a silver fern.
MOST OVERRATED: BEAUDEN BARRETT
TO move away from the Lions for a moment as there can only be one winner in this category.
Barrett headed into the Test series with question marks surrounding his goal-kicking but no doubting his ability to pull the strings for the All Blacks.
He ended with doubts in both departments as the playmaker, didn’t come out to play with the stifling Lions defence doing their job on the 26-year-old.
MOST UNDERRATED: ELLIOT DALY
HE’S already shown his worth to Eddie Jones’ England team, but few had the Wasps star in their Test team this summer.
And even fewer would have predicted his siege-gun left boot, and ability to kick long-range penalties, would have rendered Leigh Halfpenny redundant against the All Blacks.
The only kicking of note the Welshman did was with his heels on the sidelines.
MAN OF THE SERIES: JONATHAN DAVIES
THE Fantastic Mr Fox was just that .... simply outstanding.
Critics say the Welsh centre cannot pass, others he lacks a yard of pace, but on this tour we saw the whole range of his skills from offloads, back-of-the-hand passes and a surprising turn of speed to prevent All Blacks centre Ngani Laumape from opening the scoring in the final Test.
Rammed criticism over being picked for the third Lions Test four years ago ahead of Brian O’Driscoll, well and truly down the throats of his detractors.
MOST MAGICAL MOMENT: THAT TRY!
SEAN O’Brien’s first-Test touchdown prompted comparisons with the Welsh team of the 1970s.
It was started with a routine Anthony Watson pass to full-back Liam Williams who snake-hipped his way around Kieran Read, evoking memories of Phil Bennett in his pomp.
Daly and Davies were up in support, and when the Scarlets centre was halted yards from the line, the Irish flanker gathered a pop pass to crash over.
“When they can score tries like that first one, you sit there thinking – they should be doing things like that more often,” All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said. “Because it was one of the best Test tries I’ve ever seen.”
BIGGEST SURPRISE PACKAGE: JAMIE GEORGE
HEADED out to New Zealand not even England’s number one No.2, having to play second fiddle in Eddie Jones’ Red Rose orchestra to skipper Dylan Hartley.
There were even backers for Ireland skipper Rory Best to be named tour captain while Ken Owens boarded the flight to New Zealand as one of the form hookers from the Six Nations Championship.
But Gatland went with the 17-times capped front-rower and was rewarded for sticking by him.
STAR OF THE FUTURE: TADHG FURLONG
LIONS team-mates may not be able to pronounce his name (it’s Tiger minus the R at the end to be precise).
But there’s no denying the Leinster youngster has all the attributes to cut cult figure status in the Emerald Isle, just as Peter ‘The Claw’ Clohessy and John Hayes did in the No.3 jersey before him.
THE GOOD: SAM WARBURTON’S CAPTAINCY
WARREN Gatland knew he was placing the tour captaincy in a safe pair of hands when giving the job to the Welshman.
Not just for the coin toss when