Time will tell if Beauden Barrett can cast a Dan Carter-like spell for New Zealand but the first Test intriguingly pits his versatile fly-half style against Owen FarrellIn 2005 I was in and around the New Zealand squad and I was on the bench for the third Lions Test – they decided to give Dan Carter the night off. He probably deserved it after blowing away everyone in Wellington with a performance that left me thinking: “Bloody hell, how am I going to get past him and into the team?” Related: Lions’ pride and potential could produce New Zealand series for the ages | Robert Kitson Related: Lions carry hope against history in their lunatic endeavour to beat the All Blacks...
The fly-half is a totem for the Lions and if he cannot win his fitness race for the first Test it would be a significant hit to their chances in New ZealandThe general consensus is that if the Lions are going to beat the All Blacks they will need to score three or four tries but that is a myth. They are in New Zealand to win Test matches, they are not going to play a lot of rugby, they are not going to showcase many skills and they will 100% try to strangle the All Blacks. If they execute the gameplan, built around a very solid defence, a very solid set-piece and a very accurate kicking game, then one...
The partnership, featuring Murray’s tactical kicking and Farrell’s distribution, led to the British & Irish Lions’ best performance of the tour against the CrusadersThe British & Irish Lions may have been rocked by criticism in New Zealand of their playing style, but their victory against the Crusaders showed they are not going to be swayed by it.They pitched up in Christchurch with six players from the 2013 tour to Australia who were making their first starts in New Zealand: if it was not quite the A-team, they brought their A-game, led around the field by authoritative, pragmatic half-backs. Related: Sam Warburton to return from injury and lead Lions against Highlanders Related: Lions’ confounding win gives New Zealand reasons to be...
As the campaign draws to a close, Saracens and their England contingent dominate the Guardian rugby union correspondent’s team of the 2016-17 Premiership seasonInjury had threatened to wreck the Australian’s big-money move to England but, once fully fit again, he displayed fizzing class virtually every time he touched the ball. Could have made the team of the year at No12 or No15 and will be missed when he returns to Australia after only one season. Bristol’s Jason Woodward also deserves a mention. Related: Who are the five best overseas players to grace the Premiership? | Robert Kitson Related: How about a play-off between top two in Premiership and Pro 12? | The Breakdown Continue reading...
Dylan Hartley’s greatest opponent is himself, Jamie George and Owen Farrell can both replace him and it was a good weekend for the Irish If Dylan Hartley had not been sent off we would all be talking about Leinster’s excellence. Perhaps we still should be; even when they were down to their third-choice fly-half the Irish side looked revitalised, for which credit must go both to the players and, in particular, their reshuffled coaching panel. The contrast with Northampton’s flat-footed start was particularly glaring, as the home skipper Tom Wood made abundantly clear after his side’s 37-10 home drubbing. Ultimately though, Hartley’s 58th-minute red card for a forearm smash to the back of Sean O’Brien’s head was the kind of...