Let the Lions Rollercoaster begin . . .
The day is almost here. The day that thousands, even millions of avid rugby fans and sport fans in general, have been waiting for since 2009 - the Lions Tour. On Saturday (1st of June) the British and Irish Lions will head out on to the pitch for the first time in four years to face the Barbarians. Hong Kong will play host to their first game before they eventually move on to Australia. However, the tour hasn't been without its fair share of controversy and events even before they have even played their first match.
Many fans and rugby pundits were shocked with by fact that Irish hooker, Rory Best, was left out of the Lions 37 man squad. Over the weekend however, these same people would have been glad to see that Best has been called up to fly to Honk Kong to join with the rest of the Lions squad. Although, the circumstances in which he was called up by Gatland and the coaching team are rather disappointing. English hooker Dylan Hartley received an eleven week ban over the weekend for verbally abusing referee Wayne Barnes during Northampton's defeat to Leiceseter in the Premiership final. By replacing Hartley, Gatland has sent a strong message out stating that no ill discipline will be tolerated on the tour.
Many have criticised Gatland's decision in appointing young and apparently "inexperienced" Sam Warburton as Lions captain. Winning two Six Nations Championships and leading a team to a World Cup semi final makes one question how people could argue that the Welshman was 'Inexperienced'. It's true that he has had much less experience in terms of years in comparison to players such as Irish and all round rugby legends Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell and three time Lions player Gethin Jenkins, for example. If one was speaking in terms of richness of experience and age Warburton must be ancient. The relationship between coach and captain is integral to the dynamic of the team and by choosing Warburton as his go to man, Gatland has made sure that he has someone he can trust by his side. The appointing of the captain is one of, if not the, most important desicion any Lions coaching team has to do and to choose someone he can trust and rely on, Gatland has made his job much easier.
The only way we will find out if Gatland and the Lion's coaching team have picked the right squad and first XV on match day will be through results. With the Lions not having won a tour since 1997 let us all hope that Warburton and his men are able bond, play some sexy rugby and change this by returning home in over a month with a series win.
Let the Lions rollercoaster begin . . . .
Many fans and rugby pundits were shocked with by fact that Irish hooker, Rory Best, was left out of the Lions 37 man squad. Over the weekend however, these same people would have been glad to see that Best has been called up to fly to Honk Kong to join with the rest of the Lions squad. Although, the circumstances in which he was called up by Gatland and the coaching team are rather disappointing. English hooker Dylan Hartley received an eleven week ban over the weekend for verbally abusing referee Wayne Barnes during Northampton's defeat to Leiceseter in the Premiership final. By replacing Hartley, Gatland has sent a strong message out stating that no ill discipline will be tolerated on the tour.
Many have criticised Gatland's decision in appointing young and apparently "inexperienced" Sam Warburton as Lions captain. Winning two Six Nations Championships and leading a team to a World Cup semi final makes one question how people could argue that the Welshman was 'Inexperienced'. It's true that he has had much less experience in terms of years in comparison to players such as Irish and all round rugby legends Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell and three time Lions player Gethin Jenkins, for example. If one was speaking in terms of richness of experience and age Warburton must be ancient. The relationship between coach and captain is integral to the dynamic of the team and by choosing Warburton as his go to man, Gatland has made sure that he has someone he can trust by his side. The appointing of the captain is one of, if not the, most important desicion any Lions coaching team has to do and to choose someone he can trust and rely on, Gatland has made his job much easier.
The only way we will find out if Gatland and the Lion's coaching team have picked the right squad and first XV on match day will be through results. With the Lions not having won a tour since 1997 let us all hope that Warburton and his men are able bond, play some sexy rugby and change this by returning home in over a month with a series win.
Let the Lions rollercoaster begin . . . .
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