Only taking two number 10s looks biggest gamble

While Ian McGeechan has pursued an admirable form-based selection policy the decision not to take a third outhalf could prove costly, writes GERRY THORNLEY

IF NOTHING else, this squad is not only a good deal more streamlined than the over-crowded plane to New Zealand four years ago, but is also strikingly based on form (in some instances over the last week or two) rather than past achievements. And, in declining to emulate Graham Henry’s Welsh-infused squad or Clive Woodward’s England-dominated party, Ian McGeechan and co certainly can’t be accused so readily of a political selection.

Perhaps the biggest single issue in yesterday’s squad announcement, allowing for individual selection preferences in the squad, is the decision to pick only two outhalves. That not one of Jonny Wilkinson, Danny Cipriani or James Hook was picked would have seemed unthinkable a year ago, when all were close to their top of their game and in good health. But injuries have done for the first two and form for Hook, which meant that the decision to go with only Stephen Jones and Ronan O’Gara had become well flagged over the weekend.

Ian McGeechan yesterday explained that plenty of thought went into this decision, and uppermost in his thoughts was that all the players selected would have proper game time with which to underline their cases in the relatively brief five-game window before the first Test. Time is not on their side, and if there were too many changes in key positions, it could deny the Lions continuity.

Even so, it is something of a gamble to embark on a 10-match, three-Test tour with only two specialist players in such a pivotal position, with fingers crossed that neither twangs a hamstring or gets too beaten up by rampaging South Africa provincial sides. If O’Gara or Jones goes down injured, presumably Hook or one of the other marquee names on standby will be called out. Even though South Africa is a much shorter trek than New Zealand or Australia, if, say, a replacement outhalf was called up in the week of the first Test it would hardly be ideal, not least because the replacement would not have had the benefit of training runs and familiarity with the Lions’ patterns.

O’Gara and Jones are wonderful game managers, which is why they have been picked, but the absence of Hook and Cipriani, whatever about Wilkinson’s prolific left boot, certainly leaves the backs a tad short on creativity, while there is also a valid concern about Shane Williams’ relative loss of form compared to the almost weekly gamebreaking plays or tries he came up with in becoming the IRB’s World Player of the Year last year.

It’s not that the Welsh wizard doesn’t look strong and fit, or that he isn’t trying. Au contraire, but it seems the harder he tries the more tacklers he runs into. Perhaps, though, as Shaun Edwards opined yesterday, taking a break from the goldfish bowl of Welsh rugby to work on his game in the context of a tour will help bring out the best in Williams. It’s just a little surprising that the management didn’t take a similar view on another malfunctioning Osprey, namely Hook. Talents like his and Ciprianis are rare.

Perhaps most revealing of all yesterday were the comments by defensive coach Edwards that the Lions were coming up against the best defensive team in the world, and, on the reasonable premise that they’re not going to beat the Boks by scoring four or five tries per match, they therefore will have to match their hosts defensively. McGeechan may thus have only been half-joking when declaring that Edwards was permitting one non-defensive training session per week.

McGeechan, backs coach Rob Howley and co have, nonetheless, put together a potentially potent mix of strong-runners, sidesteppers and speedsters. Indeed there is an emphasis on good footwork in the likes of Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, Williams, Riki Flutey, Tommy Bowe and, of course, Brian O’Driscoll, not to mention the blinding pace of Ugo Monye – whose recovery tackle on O’Driscoll in the Leinster-Harlequins quarter-final wouldn’t have done his chances any harm – and Lee Byrne. Added to that is the strong running of Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin and Rob Kearney.

Clearly, though, there’s also been an emphasis on strong, physical, solid defenders. One thinks of the scrumhalves especially – Mike Phillips, Tomás O’Leary and Harry Ellis – all of whom are the kind of physical types to counter Fourie du Preez and co.

Similarly, the inclusion of the likes of Joe Worsley, Alan Quinlan and Nathan Hines underlines the need for an abrasive, unyielding edge to the Lions’ forward play though one feels that Andy Powell will need to bring more to the party than the strictly straight-line, battering ram runs which initially made him flavour of the month before France and co began reading his rather one-dimensional game.

A little unnervingly as well, given they are coming up against the peerless lineout pair of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, Warren Gatland conceded that the backrow is not over-endowed with lineout options. Alan Quinlan may yet surprise everyone even more.

The emphasis on big strong scrummaging types at prop has been countered slightly at hooker where Ross Ford is overlooked for Lee Mears and the trio named are all fairly dynamic.

As big a statement of intent as any, perhaps, is Paul O’Connell’s appointment, mirroring McGeechan’s choice of Martin Johnson on the tour to South Africa a dozen years ago, when they scraped past a poorly coached Springboks by 2-1 in the Test series. But, even allowing for the Boks’ propensity to implode in political minefields of their own making, a repeat by the Lions this time around would arguably be an even bigger achievement.