Lack of an Irish voice at the coaches’ table reflected in just four picks for Lions’ first Test

As if on cue for the announcement of the teams for the first Test in Brisbane tomorrow, the initial media corps of 40 or 50 which had accompanied the tour in Perth had virtually tripled overnight. There are 135 written journalists alone accredited for the series opener, most of whom were present in the sun-kissed, salubrious olde world charm of the Anglican Church Grammar School, aka Churchies, in the eastern suburbs of the city yesterday, along with 17 camera crews.

When it was finally revealed, after an entirely closed session that didn’t even have the normal opening 15 minutes vision access, the make-up of the Lions team to kick-off the eagerly awaited Test series with the Wallabies caused little surprise or debate. The Lions arrive in the purpose-built rugby furnace that is the Suncorp Stadium on Saturday in good nick, with a near full-strength starting XV in form, save for the absent Jamie Roberts and Tommy Bowe, who could come into the equation next week.

Once George North had been passed fit (albeit there must be a risk of a soft tissue injury of a recurrence of a hamstring strain), the back-line pretty much picked itself, with the selection of the Leciester duo of Tom Youngs and Tom Croft fair reward for their performance against the Waratahs as well as adding another proven option in the lineout.

The bench is a different matter, and arguably the most contentious selection of all is that of Dan Lydiate ahead of Seán O'Brien on the bench. Gatland is a huge admirer of the hard-as-nails, hard-working Lydiate, a player he knows well who invariably leads the tackle count whenever he plays, but he is not an exceptional carrier, passer/offloader or even lineout option. At any rate, O'Brien, who has played across the backrow throughout his career and mostly at openside at Test level, is far more versatile as backrow cover than Lydiate, a specialist blindside.

Unfair to judge
O'Brien clearly has been judged to a degree on his performance against the Brumbies, when he conceded a couple of penalties which accounted for six of the home side's points, but it also seems unfair to judge him – or anyone else for that matter – on the evidence of last Tuesday, given it was no matter than a footnote on the tour, and in history.

The selection of that makeshift three-quarter line compounded the hidden messages that went with being selected on that starting team. Mentally, the starting XV in Camberra were not at it and pretty much all of them went down with the night’s conditions and loose refereeing.

If all of last Tuesaday’s starting team were to be judged on the evidence of that game, then there would have been an equally compelling case for picking Conor Murray ahead of Ben Youngs, who again had a fitful and fretful first hour behind a pack that was a far, far cry from a Leicester juggernaut in Welford Road.

Admittedly, Youngs offers something different from Phillips and Murray, with his sniping, quick taps and pace, as well as a familiarity with four other Leicester men in the match-day squad, but that was the second time on this tour that Murray had injected real energy, momentum and presence off the bench.

The other contentious selection on the bench is that of Sean Maitland, who hasn't torn up trees and looked defensively vulnerable against the Waratahs. His versatility means he can cover the back three, but both Rob Kearney and Simon Zebo have played at left wing and fullback. What's more, there's a strong case for believing that both would add more ballast off the bench. They're just better players. Furthermore, both would have the strength and aerial skills to counter the undoubted threat of Israel Folau on the wing.

Clearly, though, like any coaches, Gatland, Graham Rowntree (who has evidently been very influential in selection), Rob Howley and Andy Farrell have their favourites. This is different from being biased along national or club lines, and Gatland understandably bridled when asked to comment on the inclusion of eight Welshmen in the starting team.

Little parochial
In truth that's possibly less than might have been originally forecast after Wales beat England in the Six Nations decider. Yet in all of this it's hard not to become a little parochial as well. After all, there are 10 Welshmen and eight English in the match-day squad, as against four Irish and one Scot.

The quartet of Irish includes two former Lions skippers, the best outhalf in the northern hemisphere in Jonny Sexton and Jamie Heaslip, whose form for the past few months has been excellent and who is another big-game player with experience from four years ago. In short, that was the bare minimum representation, and it's hard not to observe that Ireland lacks a voice at the table.

However, this is not strictly looking at things through rose-tinted glasses. The Wallabies themselves, one venture, will be quite glad that O’Brien is not involved, particularly with the memory of Ireland’s win over Australia in the World Cup at Eden Park in mind.

The debate about Sam Warburton’s selection on the starting team suddenly abated this week, and rightly so. Yet while the anticipated off-field targeting of Warburton, or at any rate public questioning in the Australian media of his selection did not materialise, the Wallabies now have every excuse to target the Lions openside as there is no cover for him.

Were Warburton’s knee problems to return, or anything untoward happen him early in the game, Lydiate or Tom Croft, ostensibly another specialist blindside, are covering openside. Warburton and Sexton may have the brightest if imaginary red Xs on their chests.

British & Irish Lions (v Qantas Wallabies, June 22, Brisbane)

15

. Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

14

. Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

13

. Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland)

12

. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets/Wales)

11

. George North (Scarlets/Wales)

10

. Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/Ireland)

9

. Mike Phillips (Bayonne/Wales)

1

. Alex Corbisiero (London Irish/England)

2

. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers/England)

3

. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales)

4

. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)

5

. Paul O’Connell (Munster/Ireland)

6

. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England)

7

. Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues/Wales, capt)

8

. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland)

Replacements

16

. Richard Hibbard (Ospreys/Wales)

17

. Makovina Vunipola (Saracens/England)

18

. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers/England)

19

. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers/England)

20

. Dan Lydiate (Dragons/Wales)

21

. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers/England)

22

. Owen Farrell (Saracens/England)

23

. Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors/Ireland)