Lions Captain, Sam Warburton, out of tour with a torn hamstring ahead of Saturday's decider
The Lions have suffered an enormous blow today in preparation for their all or nothing encounter with the Wallabies on Saturday. Captain Sam Warburton limped off the field before That try by Adam Ashley-Cooper and the look on his face made it quite obvious to the rugby world that the furutre did not look good for the Cardiff boy.
The Australian camp would have gained even more confidence this morning to add to their mountain of momentum they have in their camp having won the crucial second test, as they learned of Warburton's departure. Warburton might not have scored all the tries and been on the front pages of the Sunday newspapers but he does the hard work. His work at the breakdown has been crucial to the Lions' game over the last few weeks. Warburton's presence was missed almost immediately after he left the pitch on Saturday as the defence began to struggle as Australia piled on immense pressure that eventually led to their winning try.
Big calls were made by Gatland last week when choosing the team to face the Aussies, this week he needs to be even more ruthless if the Lions want any chance of winning the series. Will Brian O'Driscoll finish his Lions career with the captain's armband wrapped around his sleeve or will he be left to sit in the stands? The Irish legend has not put in outstanding performances in the last two tests and is in real threat of not even starting Saturday's third test. Is Mike Phillips ready to finally truly challenge his world class opposition, Will Genia, or will Gatland stick to Youngs and Murray at scrum half?
With Warburton out will his fellow Welshman, Justin Tipuric fill the number 7 shirt? Tipuric played outstandingly for Wales during the Six Nations and has put in some really solid performances throughout the tour and many have been surprised that he was not at least picked for a place on the bench in the last two tests. Tipuric will be able to fill Warburton's shoes at the breakdown as the Ospreys player works just as hard in attempting to turn the ball over and to control the rucks as his captain.
Warburton's hamstring injury is a real loss for the Lions but its not the end to their series winning dream. With respected players such as Alun Wyn Jones, O'Driscoll and Adam Jones in the squad, the Lions have plenty of experienced heads to call on to replace Warburton. The team will not worry too much about Warburton's loss today as they will be focusing on their own game as well as concentrating on improving their team game in order to get to the highest level they possibly can before the thrid and final test this Saturday.
The Australian camp would have gained even more confidence this morning to add to their mountain of momentum they have in their camp having won the crucial second test, as they learned of Warburton's departure. Warburton might not have scored all the tries and been on the front pages of the Sunday newspapers but he does the hard work. His work at the breakdown has been crucial to the Lions' game over the last few weeks. Warburton's presence was missed almost immediately after he left the pitch on Saturday as the defence began to struggle as Australia piled on immense pressure that eventually led to their winning try.
Big calls were made by Gatland last week when choosing the team to face the Aussies, this week he needs to be even more ruthless if the Lions want any chance of winning the series. Will Brian O'Driscoll finish his Lions career with the captain's armband wrapped around his sleeve or will he be left to sit in the stands? The Irish legend has not put in outstanding performances in the last two tests and is in real threat of not even starting Saturday's third test. Is Mike Phillips ready to finally truly challenge his world class opposition, Will Genia, or will Gatland stick to Youngs and Murray at scrum half?
With Warburton out will his fellow Welshman, Justin Tipuric fill the number 7 shirt? Tipuric played outstandingly for Wales during the Six Nations and has put in some really solid performances throughout the tour and many have been surprised that he was not at least picked for a place on the bench in the last two tests. Tipuric will be able to fill Warburton's shoes at the breakdown as the Ospreys player works just as hard in attempting to turn the ball over and to control the rucks as his captain.
Warburton's hamstring injury is a real loss for the Lions but its not the end to their series winning dream. With respected players such as Alun Wyn Jones, O'Driscoll and Adam Jones in the squad, the Lions have plenty of experienced heads to call on to replace Warburton. The team will not worry too much about Warburton's loss today as they will be focusing on their own game as well as concentrating on improving their team game in order to get to the highest level they possibly can before the thrid and final test this Saturday.
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