56 j o u r n a l l i v e . c o. u k Thursday, September 13, 2012 THE JOURNAL

with ROGER UTTLEY ON RUGBY UTTLEY Gatland is right man to lead Lions Down Under

BRITISH and Irish Lions Any player tour is always special, and the wheels have already chosen to A started to get in motion for represent the Lions has next year’s tour to Australia with the appointment of as got to recognise all of head coach. I think he is the right appointment the heritage and history. having assisted Sir Ian McGeechan in South Africa in 2009, because what you these guys come together from four don’t want in a Lions coach is nations, making sure they are switched- somebody who is doing it completely on and on the same wavelength. They for the first time. are all from slightly different cultures. That is particularly true on this They have got to forget any sort of occasion when the timescale for animosity fuelled by the everything in terms of preparation is competitiveness that has taken place going to be so limited and affected by during the Six Nations. Good selection domestic rugby in the northern will be crucial here. hemisphere. When you speak to anybody in rugby They are going to be up against it the Lions concept is still incredibly from the outset, and it is important that special. It is rightly regarded as the you have someone in charge who pinnacle of the game for northern knows what it is all about. hemisphere players, and I believe Gats (pictured below right) has got southern hemisphere players feel plenty of experience with Wales and the exactly the same way. Lions and is at the top of his game, so Lions test matches are the ultimate now seems to be the ideal time for him. rugby contests. You can win a Grand I thought it was bad news when Slam or a Six Nations with your country Graham Henry got appointed for the and that is great, but the next step is to 2001 tour to Australia, and I even wrote go on a winning Lions tour. a letter to the Times saying as much People are concerned now because which they published. Yes, you have got the Lions haven’t won a test series since to have the best people, but you have South Africa in 1997. For that reason got to rely upon your own people to do some consider that the future of the the job. Lions might be in doubt. Not my view. In 2001 we could have had a guy If you had seen the quality of the test from the British Isles doing the job but matches in South Africa as I did first they chose Graham. I couldn’t imagine FOREIGN COACH (left) with coach Graham Henry on the Lions’ tour of Australia in 2001 hand in 2009, they produced fantastic any of the other countries appointing a sporting theatre. I was fortunate foreigner, (although having said that perspective. He has got to get to the in-form and key players down to them, and how much they enough to be over there as a supporter. Australia have currently got a Kiwi in that level of planning and he wants available. want to be part of a successful team. The rugby was absolutely sensational, doing the job!). organisation that Team GB have That is absolutely key, That might sound like an obvious and to visit places I had played at as a What I really mean is that we have shown in the recent Olympics. and when those players are thing to say, but that is what happens young man was an amazing experience. enough strength in our own coaches to It is more difficult in a team not available that is when in any successful organisation. They Lions tours are a unique sporting make our own appointments and sport because there are many he will start to have to earn believe, and they don’t mind what they concept, and in terms of developing should be confident enough in them to more imponderables to take into his money! have to do in terms of gophering, rugby globally they are crucially do that account. It takes an element of luck training on Christmas day, doing those important, as demonstrated by the I don’t regard Gats as a southern There are numerous in rugby to get a Lions test extra laps and ensuring that when they levels of traveling support and the hemisphere coach even though he is external factors side together, and a lot of go out onto the park they have left interest shown for each and every tour. from New Zealand. He has been up here affecting your the success will not nothing to chance. The tours also provide significant and served his time long enough now preparation and only be down to Any player chosen to represent the economic benefit to the host country. to really qualify as a ‘homer’. performance, so Warren Gatland but Lions has got to recognise all of the From a tourists’ point of view I have ’s Andy Irvine as tour an outcome is the senior players heritage and history, and maybe take to say New Zealand would not be my manager is a direct contemporary of far less he has available to time out to just think a little bit about first choice to visit. You go down there mine. We toured South Africa on the predictable. He him. Each and what that means. They need to look at in the middle of their winter. It is a successful 1974 Lions tour and he is a has got to try every player needs the sides who have been successful in magnificent country, but it is a bit like safe pair of hands. and ensure to buy into the the past, and be inspired. being up here with the wet and cold, He has done well, he knows what it is that he has all notion that it is The greatest thing is seeing how all and it can be a bit dreary. all about and he will be a good Australia and South Africa, however, manager. A Lions tour is really about are just such magnificent places with what the coach does and how he reacts, FALCONS ARE OFF TO A FLYING START IN CHAMPIONSHIP great geographical and climatic contrasts. and Andy’s role is to facilitate that and NEWCASTLE Falcons have got another have a chance of doing things this season that is what it is all about, as you can only From a rugby stand-point Australia is make the coach’s job as easy as possible. five points in the bag from Saturday’s trip if they can maintain this momentum. benefit positively from being part of a a marvellous country to visit. One of my As we have just seen with the to Scottish, and they have really The key is going to be how all the successful squad. first England tours was out there, and I Olympics, if you set your stall out hit the ground running. players buy into the challenge. If a player It is going to require a huge collective was also the assistant coach when the properly you can achieve very positive I noticed in both league games so far is not in the match-day squad that effort from everybody involved at the 1989 Lions won the series there. C results. this season they have been points up at doesn’t mean he should sit in the corner club, as I discussed last week, and I think You can train in shorts and T-shirt M half-time, and that is a really positive of the changing room or the back of the the squad element is going to be a Y The good thing for Warren is that he sign. It shows they are getting out there, bus moaning and bitching. recurring theme as the season rather than layers and layers of has got the time to prepare now putting the pressure on and maintaining In that situation he should bite the p ro g re ss e s . clothing, and their attitude to sport is K because Wales have given him a it for 80 minutes. bullet, get on with it and make sure that The first home game this Friday fantastic. They have proved consistently sabbatical in advance of the tour, which It looks good, and glancing at the other he is doing everything he can to ensure against Doncaster Knights is a great that they are a great side, and it will be should allow him to step back a little scores in the Championship they certainly the side remains successful. Ultimately opportunity to keep the ball rolling. a really good challenge for the 2013 and view things from a more balanced British & irish Lions.