Warren Gatland believes his British & Irish Lions side have the “X-factor” to stun the All Blacks and win a Test series in New Zealand for only the second time in history. The Lions coach is also keen to update local perceptions of northern hemisphere rugby and earn the respect of the public here from the start of the 10-match tour that kicks off on Saturday.
Contrary to the view of many New Zealanders that the Lions are here simply to make up the numbers, Gatland is in upbeat mood on the eve of his squad’s opening fixture against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei despite the withdrawal of replacement Jared Payne on Thursday night owing to a calf injury. “I honestly feel we’ve got some players with some X-factor to match the All Blacks,” he said, suggesting the touring side would be encouraged to play what they see rather than adhere to a rigid plan. “I want them to express themselves, starting straight away. You have to give them the confidence that they can go and do that and maybe create something special.”
With one survey suggesting 78% of New Zealanders cannot name a single Lions player, Gatland is looking to generate more widespread respect among his compatriots before the first Test on 24 June and is hoping for hard, fast surfaces to help facilitate that aim. “I think we’ve got some players at the moment who aren’t known here but we’ve got some pace, we’ve got footwork and we’ve got the ability in some positions to cause some surprises.
“I see the tour in two parts: everything up to the Maori game [on 17 June] before the first Test and then everything post that. If we can go and play some good rugby and make people stand up and take a little bit of notice it’s going to create even more interest. Maybe when the 30,000 Lions supporters arrive and they do that poll again the number might change. That’s our job: to come here and earn respect.
“I’m not sure a lot of people in New Zealand watch the Pro12, the Premiership or even the Six Nations and as a result don’t know too many of the players. Mind you, there’ll be a lot of people in the northern hemisphere who think Dan Carter is still playing for the All Blacks.”
Beating the All Blacks on their home patch tends to be easier said than done, with the Lions’ only series win coming in 1971, and Gatland freely admits a slow start against a scratch side containing his son, Bryn, at fly-half will be unacceptable.
“To be honest we have to go out there and win – it’s important we get the tour off to a good start. There’s no hiding from that fact and I think the players are well aware of that. I said to them this morning: ‘If we’ve got a four-on-two on our goalline then you’ve got to move the ball and do something. I don’t want you to play by numbers, I want you to play what is in front of you.’”
Gatland is also conscious of the need for diplomacy in his homeland – “You’ve got be very careful about what you say; as a Kiwi, if you’re critical of New Zealand, how isolated we are. You get absolutely smashed, so you keep your mouth shut” – but he senses his team may have the advantage of knowing more about their opposition than vice versa. He added: “I know our players will have done their homework in terms of exactly who they’re playing against. In the past the All Blacks have tended to concentrate on themselves, they haven’t worried too much about who they’re playing against. They’ve never really worried about us in terms of the way they’ve prepared. That’s completely up to them but I know we’ll do our homework.
Perhaps his key selectorial call will be at No10, where Johnny Sexton, Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar are all jockeying for position. Farrell can also play at No12.
“If it’s about getting your best players on the field and it means moving someone from another position then we may look at that,” Gatland said of the possibility of picking Farrell at inside centre. “I want the players to put us coaches under pressure and make the job difficult for us in terms of selection and who we pick when it comes to the first Test.”
