This was the perfect week to unveil a 2.7 metre-high bronze statue of the legendary former All Black captain Colin Meads in his home town of Te Kuiti, 80km south of the Lions’ latest base. Now 81 and battling pancreatic cancer, the old “Pinetree” is creaking slightly but his formidable reputation remains intact. Having once played on for 74 minutes of a tour game in South Africa with a broken arm, he knows better than most about pushing through the pain barrier.
The 2017 British & Irish Lions will need to be similarly steely in body and mind if they wish to kick off the best-of-three series with a win in Auckland on Saturday. That, at least, is the considered view of their assistant coach Andy Farrell, a renowned Man of Steel in his Wigan days, whose aggressive defensive system is central to the Lions’ strategy. In 2013 he famously exhorted his players to enter the “hurt arena” prior to the decisive third Test against Australia. This time he suspects the Lions will have to go up another level again.
His rationale is that international rugby is even more gladiatorial than it was four years ago. “I think we’re going to have to take ourselves to a place that individually we’ve not been to before,” he stressed as the Lions’ second-string prepared to face the Chiefs in their final midweek fixture before the first Test. “I think the game has cranked up. The All Blacks have certainly got better over the last four years and are reigning supreme. We’ve got to get close to that, haven’t we? Physically I don’t think we’ve disappointed so far. Will we need to up our game? Certainly we will. But the boys realise that and are excited by that. Our squad is full of winners. It’s full of guys who know how to win. I think we’re going to be a hell of a side.”
Successive weekend victories over the Crusaders and the Maori have further convinced Farrell the Lions have the strength of character to cope with whatever is thrown at them, regardless of who features in the Test XV to be announced on Thursday New Zealand time (Wednesday evening BST): “Mentally and physically we’ll be ready. I know we’ll turn up and we’re a good side brimming for a big challenge. It’ll be interesting to see how the two teams marry together: the chemistry of that, who adapts well on the run. That’s what the All Blacks have been very good at. We’ve got to be aware of that. “
Much will depend, as always, on the referee’s perception, with Gatland having already highlighted the cynical blocking tactics he believes are widespread across New Zealand rugby. Farrell felt the Lions were hard done by with at least one crucial offside call in their narrow Highlanders defeat – “I’m still looking for it now” – and hopes the match officials will recognise the Lions’ desire to play to the letter of the law: “We’ve got good referees going forward. I’m sure they’ll review the games like we do but it’s pretty obvious we want to bring some line speed to the game. The offside line ends when the No9 picks the ball up. We’ve been on the “b” of the bang but we don’t want to give away penalties at all.”
Above all Farrell wants his players’ minds to be uncluttered against a “very smart” team whose ability to punish errors remains unsurpassed. Nor does he want them distracted by tit-for-tat mind games involving Gatland and Steve Hansen before Saturday: “We won’t even reference it to the players. We don’t care what goes on or what has been said. Some coaches try to cover you with love and say: ‘He’s a great guy,’ then … boom! It’s irrelevant and all the coaches know that.”
Instead they will keep things deliberately simple as the clock ticks down. “We have to be careful this week of not over-coaching and of making sure the plan is crystal clear for them,” said Farrell. “It’s about who deals with the pressure best in the heat of the battle, who deals with the situation and makes the best decisions on the run.”
Despite only a couple of possible Test supporting roles still being available, the coaches also hope the midweek side will come to the party against a weakened but positive-minded Chiefs selection. The six additional cover players called up to the squad have been cheerfully welcomed intothe fold but Gatland could do with his original squad members establishing a handy lead before he introduces the newcomers to the fray.
He would also ideally prefer a different result from 1993 when Waikato smashed the Lions 38-10. That midweek game has gone down in local folklore, with some bloke called W Gatland among the try-scorers. This time the boot should be on the other foot.
Chiefs: S Stevenson; T Pulu, T Nanai-Williams, J Fa’auli, S Alaimalo; S Donald (capt), F Christie; S Fisiihoi, L Polwart, N Laulala, D Bird, M Allardice, M Brown, L Boshier, T Sanders.
Replacements: H Elliot, A Ross, A Moli, L Messam, M Karpik, J Taumateine, L Laulala, C Tiatia.
British & Irish Lions: L Williams; J Nowell, J Payne, R Henshaw, E Daly; D Biggar, G Laidlaw; J Marler, R Best (capt), D Cole, I Henderson, C Lawes, J Haskell, J Tipuric, C Stander.
Replacements: K Dacey, A Dell, T Francis, C Hill, S Warburton, G Davies, F Russell, T Seymour.
Referee: J Garces (France).
