With Just 15 Days Until the First Test, Sport Chats To
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The British & Irish Lions THE TEAMSHEET Sir Ian McGeechan OBE Played eight Tests across two Lions tours in the 1970s before leading them four times as head coach (1989, 1993, 1997, 2009) Scott Quinnell After leaving the 1997 tour early because of injury, returned to play a key role in all three Tests on the 2001 tour Paul Wallace Called into the 1997 tour late, but went on to become one of only five men who PRIDE OF LIONS played every minute of all three Tests Stuart Barnes Captained the Lions in their first tour WITH JUST 15 DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST TEST, SPORT CHATS TO FOUR LIONS game in 1993, and has covered every LEGENDS ABOUT THE CLASS OF 2013 AND GREAT LIONS TOURS GONE BY subsequent tour as a commentator First things first, gents – how are the Lions going to beat breakdown, Dennis might come in and the Aussies give away Australia in the Tests? someone like George Smith – I think that’s important to us.” Stuart Barnes: “They’re going to have to stop Will Genia.” Scott Quinnell: “With physicality, yeah. This has got to be the Warren Gatland has picked a Welsh-dominated squad – will we biggest squad ever to leave these shores.” see a Welsh teamsheet playing a Welsh style in the Tests? Ian McGeechan: “The big thing will be getting the forwards to IM: “It’s not that simple. The great thing about the Lions is that carry big, getting attackers on the shoulders and creating space the chemistry is different. Often, when you look at what the for the 10 and 12 to have a real go at that fly-half channel.” Lions have done and the way they’ve played, it doesn’t follow one SB: “That’s got to be our best attacking weapon, because Jonny Will Genia and Quade country – it just reflects that group of players and the way the Sexton is so good playing quite flat. And, if you have people like Cooper: the danger coaches have developed them. Go back to O’Driscoll and Roberts George North coming off him, and Brian O’Driscoll’s ability to use man and the enigma four years ago – they’d never played together, but they spent that first step and open holes for Jamie Roberts, they can cause time together on and off the field and built a really strong rapport. mayhem. There’s a feeling that the Lions are big and powerful and The important thing is to be open-minded. Players will be asked will smash them up front, while the Aussies are quick behind and to do different things to what they’re used to.” will run us ragged. But Australia actually play quite patient rugby.” PW: “The massive Welsh influence is a big issue, though. They IM: “That’s why Quade Cooper could be important for them, just haven’t beaten Australia down there, so just to play their way for that little bit of an X factor.” and slightly adapt might not be the way. It’s all about the guys SB: “Would you play him?” who hit form on that tour, though. I reckon there will probably IM: “I would, because Genia likes him in that half-back combination. be about five players in the Test team that none of us picked Unlike South Africa and New Zealand, though, Australia don’t pre-tour – as long as the coaches have that open mind.” have the strength in depth – and they need their best players fit.” Jamie Roberts and Brian SB: “Everyone’s favourite game is saying who’s going to be in Paul Wallace: “True, and they don’t have much tight-five cover. O’Driscoll showing off the Test team, but it’s not necessarily about who’s going to be in The Lions could dominate the lineout because they have that their strong rapport in the team – it’s about how they’re going to play that will win the strength in depth, and options with people like Tom Croft.” South Africa in 2009 Test matches. There is a slight question about that because it’s SB: “Yeah, and that could force Australia to pick a player like not just how Wales play under Warren, it’s also how Wasps David Dennis – he’s not a bad player, but he’s not top-notch. played under him. The high intensity, massive collisions, hit the Suddenly, where Australia in the past have done this brilliant breakdowns – it worked at club level, and it’s worked very well thing of putting two sevens on and just strangling the for Wales. But we are stepping up a level here.” > David Rogers/Getty Images, Cameron Spencer/Getty Images | June 7 2013 | 31 The British & Irish Lions after 1997. There were a lot of different coaches and ideas, but ’09 took the Lions back to where we want to be – and that’s why Warren Gatland is the right guy to coach this year.” How much has the whole feel of the Lions changed over time? IM: “I remember going with one coach and one manager. You had two liaison officers, and they had a list of where you might eat, where the doctor is, where you could find a physio and all the opening times. If you got injured, they put you in a taxi, you got treated and got a taxi back. The big difference is the coverage, though. In 1989, I think there were a dozen journalists. We used to have the press conferences beside the training pitch because I wanted the media to have an idea of what we were trying to do.” SB: “Now I want to see training, and there’s not a chance!” IM: “Then you look at four years ago, when we were in a room with 30 television cameras and 200-odd journalists for the announcement of the Test team. It’s a different ball game.” SB: “As the media, we’re part of that change. Some of the midweek games in 1993 weren’t even on TV. Sky got the rights in ’97, so every game was live, and people really came to realise what the Lions was. The Lions was an odyssey for rugby people that few others knew about – it’s now a bit like the Ashes, one of the things that takes rugby away from its ghetto. There’s now more media, more pressure, more coverage, more money.” Do you remember when you first got named? We presume you didn’t find out by watching TV… IM: “I got a printed letter, and then you had to reply because it said something like you were invited to join, then you had a card to fill in to say you accepted the invitation.” PW: “I got the phonecall in 1997 because I wasn’t in the original squad. Geech didn’t pick me!” IM: “You only missed the first three days.” SQ: “They were the best!” SQ: “We’ve all sat here and picked Test teams for weeks, but in IM: “It was only day four when 1997 you wouldn’t have picked your team before you left, Geech?” we first went to the pub, IM: “No, no way” actually. It was the Wallace SQ: “But that was the best side at the time. Wally [Paul Wallace] influence!” came through, Jeremy Davidson was outstanding, the back row SQ: “I think 1997 was a letter all came through. It just kind of develops because people pull on originally, which arrived on the a Lions jersey and either disappear or grow.” morning of the announcement. IM: “And that’s the biggest challenge of coaching: not The horrible thing then is you pre-judging. You can’t start with a Test team on week one, go in and stand around saying because all you do is turn everyone else off.” nothing and looking at everyone SQ: “That’s what happened in 2005.” else, until someone whispers: ’Have you got your letter?’ How important are the build-up games for both sides? I remember Allan Bateman IM: “Huge, because it’s all about using combinations in the saying it, and then you stand warm-up games and seeing what starts to work and what’s there and wait for the next clicking. What you have to do – the biggest lesson I learned – is person. It was incredible, but to train to win the Tests. From day one in 2009, we trained to The greatest Lions: you couldn’t go around yelling beat South Africa. We wrote the provinces off and all we talked McGeechan (front right) ’Yes! I’ve been picked!’ because there were other people in the about was the way we wanted to play – and we did it with every and the New Zealand- squad there and you weren’t sure whether they’d had the call.” player in every game, so there were no mixed messages.” conquering class of ‘74 SB: “And just to complete the step from letter to modern day, SQ: “How much of that is about not showing your hand? You we found out by…” want to build, but not show your hand coming into the first Test.” SQ: “…carrier pigeon?” IM: “I don’t think you can, because you’re still evolving. Just going SB: “Ceefax! Geoff Cooke was tour manager and he said he’d back to the last tour, there were certain things we decided we’d phone on the Sunday if we were in. I stayed up until 2am and cover and certain things we didn’t in particular games.