Brian O’Driscoll has been wrapped up in cotton wool this week
ahead of next Saturday’s first test in Brisbane – Photo: photae.com.au

by Paul Cook in Sydney –

Four games into the tour and with only two remaining before the test series begins, the British & Irish Lions have taken things up a notch this week as they look to cement their matchday 23 to take on the Wallabies in Brisbane in seven days time.

Announcing arguably their strongest line-up to date to take on the NSW Waratahs tonight in Sydney, Warren Gatland has given a few pointers as to what he believes is his best side barring a few tweaks, and on current form and past experience, eleven or twelve of those who will kick-off at Allianz Stadium look destined to be the incumbents when Australia come calling.

The tight five appears to pick itself with Richard Hibbard and Adam Jones a given and Mako Vunipola having seen his stock rise in recent weeks with a string of good performances coupled with the injury demise of Cian Healy and Gethin Jenkins. Alex Corbisiero may push for a starting berth before the tour is done but for now Vunipola deserves the box seat.

The old hands – and heads – of Paul O’Connell and Alun Wyn Jones look set fair to continue where they left off against South Africa four years ago, although Richie Gray is knocking firmly on the door. The towering Scotsman has barely put a foot wrong in his time on the field so far but question marks over his fitness should see him looking on from the sideline, at least for the first test.

Sean O’Brien has been impressive so far as he seeks a starting test berth – Photo: photae.com.au

The halves also pick themselves; Mike Phillips has the runs on the board and a dominant display in Hong Kong under his belt, albeit against a sleepwalking Barbarian side, while Ben Youngs showed more than enough against the Queensland Reds to illustrate why he and not Conor Murray, will be Phillips’ potentially game breaking understudy.

Jonny Sexton has the run over Owen Farrell as the pivot, with Stuart Hogg an intriguing alternative should Sexton’s hamstring continue to plague but the call-up of the versatile Billy Twelvetrees to the squad indicates that there is concern over the longevity of those with 10, 12 and 13 on their back in this squad.

On the wings, the loss of Tommy Bowe will be felt sharply, for now at least, as the Irishman’s injury has not seen him ruled out completely as first feared. Gatland’s latest prediction was that he may even be available to call on for the second test in Melbourne on June 29th.

In his place, the size and speed of the predatory Alex Cuthbert should get the nod despite a few defensive concerns but Sean Maitland has proven the validity of his inclusion on the tour with a couple of decent hit-outs and the late arrival of Simon Zebo adds some of that x-factor for which the Lions were famously accused of lacking before they landed on these shores.

George North has been a standout, a player the Wallabies will genuinely fear and who is growing in stature with every minute spent donning the famous red shirt. So much so, he has been put on ice, literally, for this weekend in order to rest up a niggling hamstring for the bigger battles ahead but his availability for the big dance is far from assured.

“There are one or two who are a bit sore and may be out of contention next week because they won’t have been fit enough early enough in the week,” admitted Gatland on Thursday. “By the time next Saturday comes around one or two are possibly going to be ruled out.”

If that’s the case, expect Cuthbert and Maitland to fill the wing spots and a few Wallaby defenders to breathe a sigh of relief.

The final shoe-in is Leigh Halfpenny. The diminutive fullback has yet to be fully tested in all the facets required of his position on this tour, largely due to his appearances coming against the Western Force and Combined Country but his record of 14/15 kicks in those two games makes him one of the most valuable players on the park.

Leigh Halfpenny’s talents at fullback are well established but 14/15 successful kicks on tour makes him even more important to the Lions’ cause – Photo: photae.com.au

One bonus on the injury front for the Lions this week was the return of Halfpenny’s most realistic challenger – depending on Stuart Hogg’s requirements at 10 – with Rob Kearney getting a run off the bench in tonight’s clash.

The Irishman was sensational in South Africa back in 2009 but has had an injury blighted season that will leave him undoubtedly a bit ring rusty on the big occasion but his lengthy boot may provide a sensible option in the closing moments of a tight test.

So, where does that leave the back row and the centres?

Gatland this week mused on the difficulty of his decision given the loose forward talent at his disposal. “The back row is an area where we’re free of injuries and there is strong competition there, which is what you want,” he said.

“Everyone is firing, and if you look at the talent we have there – Sean O’Brien’s carrying from No.6, and we know he can play No.7, what talent and ability Tom Croft brings to the back row for example, the defensive [strengths] and depth Dan Lydiate brings. The two No.8s bring different skills to the table. It’s going to be a long night making that selection decision.”

Tom Croft offers another lineout option at six but will he get the nod – Photo: photae.com.au

Sam Warburton, Croft and Jamie Heaslip get the nod tonight but in reality, any combination of seven players would provide a fearsome challenge to the Wallabies, especially given they are without the talents and combativeness of David Pocock and Scott Higginbotham.

Warburton is the squad captain but hasn’t been the form no.7 this year, that honour would belong to Welsh team mate, Justin Tipuric and it is no certainty that Gatland will pick his general purely based on his status. Tipuric, Sean O’Brien and Dan Lydiate have all performed well so far but only Croft’s height offers a genuine line out option and for that reason, many shrewder judges than I, believe that he will wear the no.6 jersey in Brisbane.

There’s a hair’s breadth at best between Jamie Heaslip and Toby Faletau at no.8. Both are dynamic ball carriers but Heaslip’s form and ability to break the gain line has probably seen him nudge in front. Either player will need to be well marshalled at the back of the scrum by the likes of Wycliff Palu or Ben Mowen.

The second area of debate is the centres and again, this is an area where the Lions have impressive strength in depth. For a beguiling mixture of brawn and wizardry, can there be any better combination in your midfield than Jamie Roberts and Brian O’Driscoll?

Roberts has looked back to his imperious best at times on the tour while O’Driscoll continues to defy the ageing process with his blend of reliability, experience and flair. He too, is nursing an injury picked up in Newcastle, while Manu Tuilagi is recovering from a shoulder knock against the Queensland Reds last Saturday. That means Jonathan Davies gets another chance to stake his claim for a test spot alongside Roberts tonight and the robust 25-year-old from the Scarlets has yet to disappoint with his time on the field.

All in all, this is a Lions team that has been tested only once on this tour so far and is hard to truly judge as a result. However, you can only beat what’s in front of you and apart from a wobbly patch in the middle third of the Force game, being kept firmly on the backfoot in the opening 20 minute barrage from the Reds and being guilty of switching off and getting sloppy in the 2nd half against Combined Country, they’ve controlled their games with the Lion’s (sorry) share of possession and no little desire to run the ball.

From what we have seen, there is no doubt that power will play a huge part in their approach to the test series but some of the counter attacking thrust and offloads has led to a bit of revisionist thinking amongst Aussie scribes who had written them off as nothing more than a giant red machine with no frills.

If the Waratahs tonight and the Brumbies (next Tuesday) can produce anywhere near the levels of pressure, application and execution in the next two games that the Reds brought to the table last week, we may begin to see a clearer picture unfold as to the real quality of this Lions outfit.

Tahs coach Michael Cheika has noted how the tourists have held sway in the possession stakes and is keen to see them tested without the ball. Anyone who’s seen his new look Waratahs side this season will know that they will run it from anywhere and won’t die wondering. It could be a revealing 80 minutes in the context of the whole tour.