Jerome Kaino comments show All Blacks are already planning on Peter O’Mahony being dropped

New Zealand flanker Jerome Kaino has claimed there will be a “huge lift of intensity” if Sam Warburton starts Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks.

Warren Gatland claimed earlier in the week that The Lions “might have to shake it up a little bit.”

The Lions head coach then went on to mention Warburton as a man who will be doing the shaking up.

“Sam was excellent at the breakdown when he came on,” said Gatland.

These comments, which suggest Warburton will replace Peter O’Mahony in the Second Test, as expected, didn’t go down too well with Irish fans who feel that Gatland has shown a bias towards Welsh players so far in this tour.

Irish supporters feel that Peter O’Mahony, despite not showing his best at Eden Park during the first Test, deserves the start ahead of Warburton who, as is clear to most observers, isn’t up to the pace of the game after successive knee and ankle injuries in the last few months.

O’Mahony will have been slightly disappointed with his display having been taken off after 53 minutes, and not affecting the game with the forceful impact that we have come to expect of him.

However, O’Mahony rarely puts ineffective displays back to back, and he could be relied on to bring an added intensity and vigour to the second Test to make up for his lack of impact in the first Test.