When the hammer falls, it could fall hard.
Peter O’Mahony is not out of the race to start the Second Test against New Zealand yet but it is not looking good. Brian O’Driscoll has some pretty good sources down in New Zealand and he fears there may be a bitter pill for the Cork native to swallow.
Warren Gatland and his coaching staff are expected to give their squad a final hit-out on Thursday morning [NZ time] before announcing their matchday squad at 12:30pm [1:30am GMT Thursday morning].
Contact will be restricted to 15-20 minutes at there could yet be shoot-outs for the final few Lions jerseys. The big calls are set to be in the second row and blindside with a possibility of a back three re-jig.
O’Driscoll is over in New Zealand for the Test Series and he has been hearing what many Irish fans have been fearing – O’Mahony is set for the chop. With Gatland also considering the versatile likes of Iain Henderson, Maro Itoje and CJ Stander for the bench, the Munster man could go from Lions Test captain to being completely dropped from the Second Test squad.
As O’Mahony would admit himself, he did not have his greatest game against New Zealand. Still, he fully merited his start at Eden Park and disrupted the All Blacks lineout.
O’Driscoll feels there could be a few changes to the Lions squad, with at least two tweaks to the starting XV. He told Off The Ball:
“I think you could find Courtney Lawes starting. I was listening to Gats’ posty-match interviews and he wasn’t lauding Henderson’s performance as much as perhaps everyone else was.
“But Henderson would be a good option in a second row, back row combination if you wanted to sub both and have four of them – Alun Wyn, Kruis, Lawes and him – in the 23. That’s a possibility.
“George North could have played himself back into consideration for a spot on the wing. I think he will stick with Farrell and Te’o too.”
From what O’Driscoll is hearing, from those close to the camp, O’Mahony will drop out of the squad entirely with Sam Warburton inheriting the No.6 jersey and captaincy. Sean O’Brien will remain at openside.
As for the major area the Lions need to improve between the First and Second Test, O’Driscoll’s words would mirror the thoughts of so many – breakdown, breakdown, breakdown.
“They need to get more aggressive at the ruck, he said, “and they need to slow New Zealand ball down.”
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