The Test team to face the All Blacks at Eden Park on June 24 is starting to take shape.
Minutes after the British & Irish Lions had disposed Crusaders on their home turf, Ian McGeechan declared, “That looks like a Test 23.”
Easy to say that after a convincing victory, of course, but McGeechan is a Lions legend and knows how these tours work. Watching, then re-watching, Saturday’s game, as many as 11 players shot their hands up for Test Series selection.
Two weeks out from that First Test and we can take a good shot at selecting Gatland’s team to face New Zealand. To our mind – with the Lions game-plan unfolding before our eyes – three Irish players are in that starting XV.
The fourth is Johnny Sexton and he may lock down a spot with another good outing against the Maori All Blacks on Saturday.
Right now, here are our definite starters:
Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Tadhg Furlong, George Kruis, Peter O’Mahony, Toby Faletau, Conor Murray, Owen Farrell, George North.
Nine out of 15 and we have a fair idea of who the other six will be. Alun Wyn Jones is just ahead of Maro Itoje, Sam Warburton is likely to edge out Sean O’Brien and Jonathan Davies is likely to get the No.13 jersey.
We expect Johnny Sexton to get another start in the 10 jersey, next Saturday, and Farrell to be in the inside centre role. The pair worked like a dream against Crusaders when Sexton replaced the injured Jonathan Davies and the excellent Farrell dropped back into midfield.
More than once, they combined to carve open their hosts and their tactical kicking was spot on. Sexton made 10 tackles in 45 minutes too, with his final big tackle [with Faletau pitching in] securing a turnover that effectively sealed the victory:
Credit:Gatland said he was always going to consider Sexton and Farrell at 10/12 at some stage of the warm-ups but his mind could well have been made up. The fact that Robbie Henshaw, Jonathan Joseph and Jared Payne are all starting on Tuesday would suggest that.
Ben Te’o has done reasonably well in his two outings but not well enough to lock down a Test spot just yet.
That leaves left wing and fullback. Leigh Halfpenny is likely to get a chance at 15 against Maori All Blacks and it will be interesting to see if Gatland gives the 11 jersey to Anthony Watson or Liam Williams [or Elliott Daly].
Where does that leave Jack McGrath and CJ Stander? The bench looks like their lot but there are still three tough games to negotiate before a fired up All Blacks team get their first pop at the tourists.
PREDICTED LIONS TEAM FOR FIRST TEST
Leigh Halfpenny
George North
Jonathan Davies
Owen Farrell
Liam Williams
Jonathan Sexton
Conor Murray
Mako Vunipola
Jamie George
Tadhg Furlong
AW Jones
George Kruis
Peter O’Mahony
Sam Warburton (capt)
Toby Faletau
Replacements: Ken Owens, Jack McGrath, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, CJ Stander, Rhys Webb, Ben Te’o, Anthony Watson.
We have Rory Best, Iain Henderson, O’Brien, Henshaw and Payne watching that First Test, in Auckland, in their civvies but two weeks is a long time in sport.
It’s even longer during a Kiwi winter.
