This day last week, the Lions beat the Chiefs in Hamilton and none of the late call-ups – ‘The Geography Six’ as they have been dubbed – got on the pitch.
Warren Gatland was praised for solidifying his original squad members behind a common goal and for restoring pride to the midweekers.
This time out, the Lions gave up a 14-point league to draw a game they should have won. None of the six late additions came on for a proper run [Finn Russell was a Head Injury Assessment replacement] and Gatland is getting it in the ear.
Flash on back to June 16 and Gatland decided to call in four Welsh players and two Scots. The intention was always to stick them on the bench but there was an outcry because the likes of Joe Launchbury, Jonny Gray, Simon Zebo, Dylan Hartley and more were all snubbed.
Gatland insisted these men were not devaluing the jerseys and claimed he could not do with jet-lagged players in his squad.
Four more Welsh players added https://t.co/ht7ujpwEnP
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 17, 2017
That argument has been blown out of the water by Gatland’s steadfast refusal to use Tomas Francis, Kristian Dacey, Allan Dell, Cory Hill, Gareth Davies or Finn Russell only in the bleakest of emergencies. Following the 31-31 with Hurricanes, the Kiwi told reporters he was reluctant to use his bench. He said:
“Possibly, you may have been a little bit more positive about bringing those players on fresh, but so much was made of that.
“I understand people’s views… we made a collective decision that we’d make them injury replacements or as HIA replacements.”
If Gatland was only planning on getting these lads in to fill a jersey – valued or devalued – then what did it matter what part of the world they arrived in from? Why not call in the very best available to add to the training environment and really push the existing squad members?
If you pick the lads and back them to the media, go ahead and play them. Don’t reduce them to tackle bags after 10 days of being unfortunate punchbags and punchlines.
Instead, we were left with the usual names being brought up by fans as the Lions visibly wilted in the closing stages.
Would a bench of Healy, Hartley, WP Nel, Launchbury, Heaslip, Davies, Ford and Scott Williams have been unused in that game? Big Impact …
— Herts Rugby (@hertsrugby) June 27, 2017
They could have had Dylan Hartley, Joe Launchbury, Cian Healy etc on this bench. Gareth Davies should have been on ages ago at scrum half.
— Alex Lowe 📰 (@AlexMLowe) June 27, 2017
The pressure would get to most rugby men in New Zealand and Gatland is no different. Thousands disagreed with his late additions but there was something admirable in how calculated the move was and how bullish he was about it.
He is picking fights and picking over old scabs as the enormity of his task hits home. His latest move is one of his weakest yet.
Another victory for the midweek team and Gatland would have been able to focus on the important things – responding to front page stories depicting him as a clown, flagging another illegal tactic from the All Blacks, etc. – but a draw leaves more questions to answer.
Many of those that decried the call-ups of Dell, Hill, Francis and Dacey were the ones urging Gatland to send them on to refresh the [B team] frontliners.
Gatland made this bed to lie in and it will be another restless night.
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