Class of '09 running out of time to reach the summit

Assistant Coach Jim Telfer famously told the 1997 Lions that they had an opportunity, in rugby terms, "to go for Everest". An opportunity that only Lions Tour's afford. In the aftermath of defeat in Durban last weekend both captain Paul O'Connell and brace bagging blind side Tom Croft felt that the clock, and not the World Champions, had ultimately beaten the Lions. If this is the case then the squad are staring down the ticking foe with even greater anxiety in their quest to reach the aforementioned Everest. 80 minutes to save the series, to remain on the mountain for one more week.

So many questions need answering in the cauldron of Loftus today, where both oxygen and local sympathy will be at a premium. Can the Lions get any kind of platform at the set piece to allow their more incisive back division to dictate the direction of the game? Can the tourists repeat the intensity and accuracy of their showing in the last 20 minutes of the 1st Test match for the full 80? Were the World Champions exhausted or just too complacent in the last quarter? What is clear is that the Lions need to be as close to perfect as possible, or next week at Ellis Park they will be the sideshow entertainment for a Springbok carnival.

The scrum, a disaster zone in the first Test as we know for the Lions has been beefed up and makes a lot more sense. Rob Howley pre-tour had spoken a lot of the need for mobility and moving the big South African pack around, but as we suggested here at The XV, that's all very well but you do need to secure your own ball and slow the oppositions down and for that you need that pace blended with physicality. As was suggested by myself and columnist Jack Travers the Lions did not add enough of the physicality. I still worry today whether the selection of Adam Jones at tight-head is the right call. I personally would have preferred to have seen Sheridan go loose and the versatile Jenkins come across to the tight to start. The start of the game and momentum are going to be so important that I feel the Lions cannot allow any opportunity for things to go as wrong as they did last week early on. To this ends Sheridan, who admittedly has looked a liability in the loose on this Tour, is needed to set the tone early on at scrum time and then replace him with the more dynamic Jones once they have garnered some control.

Shaw looks a strong selection in beefing up the lock position and giving the Lions another on field totem of leadership. One must feel desperately for Hines however, skilful and hugely physical his a big loss, to sadly yet another poor officiating decision. If that is a dangerous tackle we may as well all pack up now and take up billiards Because the game of rugby is a lost cause. In the backs Fitzgerald has looked lively all tour and the Lions must look to bring him and Bowe of their wings to expose the lack of pace in the Springbok midfield. The understanding the Ireland back 3 all have will also be significant in an arena where kicking will be hugely influential. On this note Stephen Jones must take his chances, both out of hand and off the tee. This blog has already argued about the importance of clutch kicking and it is an undoubted chink in Jones' armour.

On the South African side, I would like to see them be more creative with their wing talent. Whilst the axis of Jones, Roberts, and O'Driscoll is defensively daunting their one weakness, would be out and out speed, particularly laterally. Instead of trying to reverse kick or chip being to get Pieterson and Habana on the ball I would like to see Pienaar bring the of the wing and up the 9,10 channel, or use De Villiers as a dummy runner up that channel and play the wingers in behind him to test the centres movement. Berger's extra physicality and nous should help tame Roberts if the Berger of '07, the IRB world player of the year turns up, and not the look-alike act that has masqueraded as one of the World's premier back row forwards for the Stormers all year.

So many questions of which 80 minutes will give us the answers. Perhaps the overriding one will be is this Lions team a good one or great one? We're about to find out.

Lions Begin to Hunt in Packs

Jack Travers

1997. The Lions, against the odds, recorded their first Test series win in South Africa since the 1974 ‘Invincibles’. That ’97 tour has many parallels to the current one. Both visiting sides were massive underdogs playing against the world champions. Both tours had the legendary Ian McGeechan as coach and both tours have utilised the size and physical example of a lock as their skipper. However, there are many more subtle similarities that give the 2009 vintage a fair chance of emulating their predecessors or at least standing toe to toe with their formidable foe.
The first of these lies in the team morale that McGeechan sees as so important to any Lions touring party. As anyone who has watched ‘Living with Lions’ can testify (anybody who hasn’t seen this classic behind the scenes documentary should move quickly to adjust this as it highlights everything that is great about rugby and shows Jason Leonard’s unforgettable team talks!), team spirit is as instrumental a factor in a winning Lions tour as anything. It is a difficult thing to come by as the players come from four different nations and as a result often don’t know each other well. But if a certain camaraderie is cultivated, the Lions are capable of creating a formula where each player will do anything on and off the pitch for their new pals. More often than not, this results in victory on the rugby field. The personnel of the two touring parties have both a number of similarities and disparities that could help the current batch of Lions become as or even more successful than the 1997 squad. The first position that springs to mind as having been a thorn in the South African side 12 years ago, and that has the potential to have the same impact this time around is inside-centre. Jamie Roberts is arguably the player of the tour thus far. His performances have echoed what Scott Gibbs did so effectively the last time the Lions were in South Africa. The direct running lines that Roberts has used so emphatically and his ability to draw defenders, allows colleagues such as Brian O’Driscoll to take advantage of the gaps created. This partnership will be crucial if the Lions are to match the World Champions. If it works as well as it has in the two games where it has been exhibited so far, against the Golden Lions and Natal Sharks, then these two players at opposite ends of their careers will take some stopping.

The issue of full-back was a contentious one in 1997 when it was decided that Neil Jenkins would play despite being dodgy at best under the high ball. This decision was vindicated by Jenkins’ metronomic goal-kicking. However, this is one position where the Lions are spoilt for choice at the moment. Lee Byrne looks likely to take the starting jersey but Rob Kearney is as adequate a replacement as any on the tour. Both players’ confidence under the high ball will be crucial, especially in the latter test matches where the Springboks will be sure to test their nerve with hanging balls on the high altitude of the highveld.

Many believe that the series will be decided at the breakdown as it was in 1997. With such a physical pack, the Boks look hard to beat in this area but the Lions are progressing with every match in this battleground. With Shalke Burger set to miss the opener through injury, the tourists have been given a boost. Croft, Wallace and Heaslip will be confident of first making the test side and then matching their illustrious opponents, utilising their mobility as much as possible. These are the three in possession of the back row positions at the moment although Martyn Williams will look to put his experience to good use to stake a claim for the seven jersey. His canny operating technique could give him the edge although he will have to perform in tonight’s fixture against the Western Province after missing the last three games through injury. Losing Stephen Ferris is a big blow as his physicality and aggression would have been useful, especially against Pierre Spies. Joe Worsley seems to be on the fringes at the moment although his versatility is welcomed by McGeechan and his coaching staff and could prove to be an asset off the bench.

Most members of the tight five seem to be putting their hands forward for selection and this could prove to be the most difficult area of selection for McGeechan. Andrew Sheridan has done himself no harm with some impressive scrummaging performances and Gethin Jenkins’ allround game and adaptability is lauded by all, despite the opinion of referee, Jonathan Kaplan. Their pure size could be especially helpful against the brutality that is sure to be a feature of the front row battle. This might be especially prevalent as the diminutive Lee Mears looks to have put forth a strong case for selection with his excellent performance against the Natal Sharks on Wednesday where his lineout throwing was as reliable as ever. However, the rest of the front-row squad members, particularly Phil Vickery and Euan Murray, are all knocking on the door and a strong performance from them against Western Province and Southern Kings could put pressure on the men seemingly in possession.

The second-row seems solid with O’Connell likely to lead the team and to be partnered by Alun-Wyn Jones. These two worked especially well together in the line-out against the Sharks. However, the skilful and experienced Simon Shaw will be desperate to get a Test cap whilst Nathan Hines has another opportunity to impress in tomorrows game against Western Province after his commanding effort in the rout of the Golden Lions last week.
The one big surprise that could shock everyone could be that Ugo Monye might start at left-wing. With another big performance, Monye can overtake other more likely alternatives. Shane Williams, despite many opportunities looks to have been found out by defenders. Luke Fitzgerald looks sharp but the selectors might want a bit more physicality which Monye offers in spades.

But, if anything is certain, it is that Lions teams are never set in stone. Different players will be required for different scenarios. Add to this the constant threat of injuries and all is still to play for before the first Test next Saturday.
Whatever team lines up against the Springboks in Durban are sure to be ready to fight for their new mates as the Lions’ legendary team ethos looks to be a major weapon for McGeechan and his men.

However, if the indomitable Matfield, Spies, Smit and co are to be defeated, the Lions will have to fight in prides, hit every ruck like they are fighting for survival and never let the Boks hit open space as they are pretty handy in the backline too….

Trav’s Likely Test 22 for the First Test, 20th June 2009, Durban:

Andrew Sheridan
Lee Mears
Gethin Jenkins
Alun-Wyn Jones
Paul O’Connell
Tom Croft
Martyn Williams
Jamie Heaslip
Mike Phillips
Stephen Jones
Ugo Monye
Jamie Roberts
Brian O’Driscoll
Tommy Bowe
Lee Bryne

Time to clear the deadwood from The Shed

At 5.29pm today, Gloucester Rugby released a statement on the clubs official website stating that Head Coach Dean Ryan had left his position "by mutual consent". It brought to a climax the 7-year rugby mirage that has been the former England No.8's tenure at Kingsholm. The tired cliché talks of 'rollercoaster' seasons, but for cherry and white's fans' it's been more like sitting on a lilo in the Southern Ocean. Highlights have arisen as quickly as they been brought crashing back down again, an opening in the waves for the team to sail to glory has appeared, only for the storm to whip up once more and blow them 5o miles back again. However hard a vast array of expensively assembled crew have paddled the side has stood still. The hapless captain had to leave the ship before the whole thing went down.

No trophies in his entire tenure as Director of Rugby would read as a disappointing statistic in itself, but is was the manner of the failures. Twice Gloucester topped the final Premiership standings, failing to convert regular season dominance into overall titles on both occasions. At European club rugby’s top table, Gloucester must register as one of the continents biggest underachievers with their negligable impact on the competitions business stages. Their last visit to a final, this year's EDF Energy Cup against Cardiff Blues at Twickenham also culminated in spectacular failure. And it is this that is perhaps the most damming indictment of the Ryan era. It is not only the failure to finally convert a talented squad and strong overall season form in to big game success; it is the fact that the failures have been quite so cataclysmic! It is all very well after a big game mauling to churn out how you have learnt a hard and valuable lesson and that you'll go away and come back stronger at the next opportunity. However, when all the evidence consistently suggests that you have done nothing of the sort, questions need to be asked of the man at the top. Far from looking like a man who had garnered, painfully acquired tactical nouse for the big occasion, Ryan looked increasingly clueless and predictably reactive.

Demolition by the Tiger's twin south sea island wrecking balls, Rambeni and Tuilagi, in 06/07 Grand Final convinced Ryan, to a large extent, to move away from the expansive style of play that had served Gloucester so well in the league and try win the war up front with sides in the biggest games. Whilst Gloucester obviously needed to adapt their exhilarating, yet lightweight, style of play there was very much a case of the old adage "throwing the baby out with the bath water". This is what I mean by Ryan being reactive; he swung the Gloucester tactics to the polar opposite following the Leicester defeat, which meant when they faced Munster in the following seasons Heineken Quarter-Final at Kingsholm the side had clearly been wound up in to frenzy about how physical they needed to be. Ryan pushed the side so far that they spent all day trying to maul Munster down the field, pummel them round the fringes, or simply run over them. It was, as the result demonstrated, a complete disaster. Gloucester went away from everything that was good about their own game in an attempt to counteract the Munster power, and subsequently played right into the men from Thomond Park's hands. Ryan had simply reacted to being beaten by force at Twickenham by trying to recreate that same style in his own side, when the talents of his squad clearly didn't lend themselves to such tactics.

The next big game arrived in the Play-Off Semi-Finals the following month. Following defeat to Munster Ryan had said he felt the side were "moving in the right direction". For the first hour at home to Leicester it looked like maybe he was right, and that the painful lessons were going to pay dividends. However, Ryan was again to come up tactically short. Ryan clearly didn't have a strategy for how to close out big games. It seemed as though the game plan was either to blow the opposition so far out the game with Plan A that they wouldn't need a closing out tactic, or if the game was close going in to the final quarter, simply allow the players in the decision making positions to make it up as they went along. The latter would have perhaps been acceptable had Ryan's inconsistent selection, dreadful man management and scatter gun recruitment policy not dictated that most of the important combinations on the field had never been together consistently enough to instinctively know how to kill off big games. The Munster's and Leicester's of this world have tried and tested combinations that have been in these situations time and again, win or lose, they know they can withstand the pressure and get the side past the winning post. Their teammates subsequently believe that these combinations will hold firm and that the team ARE going to get the job done. At Gloucester, there has been none of this confidence and belief. All they know is failure and then change the combination again, the panic sets in, control is lost, and Andy Goode drops a last minute goal to condemn you to failure once more.

I am not arguing that the players are totally blameless in all this. Seasoned professionals, internationals even, have woefully unperformed when they were most needed; yet again, the man at the top seems to have played his part in this. The side looked totally devoid of ideas, belief, and confidence against Cardiff Blues as they were annihilated in the EDF Energy Cup Final this year. The Coach had once again not armed his players with the appropriate strategy and belief, or more worryingly, the players on this occasion after so many previous disappointments simply didn't trust him anymore. Ryan's man management has got to come into question at this point along side, what we will generously term a recruitment policy. It's a clear return to Ryan's reactive style of management we touched on earlier. If something went wrong all the good went out with the bad in wholesale changes. I'm all for players standing up and earning their place in the starting line up but how is Ryan Lamb consistently meant to come back and turn in top performances in big games when he's just been ditched the previous week and told he's not good enough. Chris Patterson has barely missed a kick before or since his Heineken Cup nightmare so the question has got to be asked why then? One would suggest that if the coach clearly hasn't fancied you for the majority of the season, you’re on the brink of sealing a deal back to Edinburgh as a result, then your confidence and motivation may, justifiably, not be quite all it should for a Heineken Cup Quarter Final. Ryan demanded performances at key times from too many players he hadn't backed previously.

On the key elements of sporting management Ryan ultimately came up short. His tactics were reactive and rigidly one dimensional. With more funds at his disposal that most of his counterparts around the league his recruitment policy seemed to lack clear direction, taking a gamble on a rugby league convert may be a calculated gamble, but two at the same time, for big salaries, seems excessively rash. Ollie Berkley and Chris Patterson went as quickly as they arrived and at one stage this season their were four fly halves on the books in the first team squad, more options than they often had in the back three. His lack of man management skills and inconsistent team selection, when coupled with this recruitment strategy, escalated a lack of confidence and lack of familiarity in the squad. In difficult situations in tight games the best sides fall back on that shared experience of how to get through the situation something Ryan’s squad was never afforded through constant chopping and changing, particularly in the back row, where not only did the personnel change, but the positions they were playing in. Belief that Ryan could finally end the wait for trophies had dissipated, from supporters, players and ultimately ownership. As Tom Walkinshaw told a local radio interview “One week we could beat almost anyone, the next week we couldn't beat a carpet.” Former Scotland scrum half Bryan Redpath steps up to hot seat now. He will have plenty of weapons, but needs to change the culture of the club before success can finally come to Kingsholm.

Apologies for the lack of recent activity, both personal and technical issues have arisen to cause an inconviniant break in play! We hope you enjoy the upcoming articles and please feel free to contact us either in the comments section for individual posts, or more generally at mail@theXV.co.uk.

Cheers

theXV