Jeremy Guscott: O’Mahony had a hunger England never showed
There are only two players who are nailed-on for Lions selection because their pedigree makes them the first two names on the team sheet, and they are Conor Murray and Jonny Sexton. At their best, they are guys that no coach would leave behind.
In every other position there is a debate to be had. I am only 95 per cent certain that CJ Stander should be at blindside, but outside that and the 9-10, it is debatable.
Lions selection has to be looked at over the entire period of the tournament, although it is such a significant showcase that a player can make a massive statement with just one outstanding performance.
Peter O’Mahony is one such player. The Munster blindside flanker showed in his performance for Ireland against England in Dublin that he is definitely midweek Lions captain material, and maybe even the sort of player who can impose himself sufficiently to get in the test team.
Although it is hard to go past his teammate CJ Stander as the test No.6, O’Mahony is the sort of player who could rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity. Lions tours are not just about great players, they are also about great personalities who make the group tighter. You could be a great player, but you could also be divisive – which is why the Lions have to take a balanced squad.
Most captains are selfless players – they draw people in by putting others in front of themselves. A great Lions tour is about every player being selfless, and the more of them you have, the better your chances of success. If you take a player like Stuart Hogg, and there is a very strong possibility that he will go, there is also a chance that he will not make the Test team.
For rugby supporters that might be hard to understand considering he has just won the player of the Six Nations award for the second time in succession. However, Warren Gatland did not vote for the award, and the Lions head coach will be asking not just which full-back is the best attacker, but who is the best defender, and the best under the high ball?
It’s going to be heartbreaking for some. For instance, it could be that Dylan Hartley is going to struggle to get there, because Ken Owens appeared to me to be the best performing hooker in the tournament. Then there’s also Jamie George, Rory Best and Fraser Brown to consider.
What is also clear is that the Lions must work it so that they have the bench which brings an impact that can swing matches. That’s why I would take Ben Te’o. He showed over the course of the Six Nations that he can be an explosive force.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2017 tournament – barring Italy’s input – and was lifted by a lot of the games in terms of excitement and, on occasions, skill. There was the ambition to score tries, but also intensity and quality in defence – and some of the shuddering hits were phenomenal.
There were highlights like the innovative try scored by Alex Dunbar, while Wales and England were like two stags rutting. It was edge of the seat stuff as they went at each other in Cardiff, and Wales and Ireland was another gladiatorial contest.
I give the tournament an 8/10, even though the last weekend was a notch or two down in terms of excitement. It showed how difficult it is to cope with pressure, and explained why it is so hard to win a Grand Slam, let alone back-to-back Slams.
It also highlighted that at the moment the global game is in a state of flux, because the gap between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere at the 2015 World Cup has disappeared. You would back England and Ireland to beat Australia and South Africa home and away – although New Zealand are another matter.
The contest between the Six Nations coaches was also intriguing, and very close. It was reflected in the results between the four Home Unions: Scotland beat Ireland, England beat Scotland, Ireland beat England, Wales beat Ireland, England beat Wales. The strength of teams at home was evident, with England the only exception when they won late on in Cardiff.
Mental preparation is so important. I was surprised, for instance, by the Scottish attitude going into the Twickenham match with captain John Barclay low-key considering the length of time it had been between Scottish wins there. You’ve got to embrace the opportunity.
There was a similar attempt to play down the importance of England going to Ireland, with a second successive Grand Slam and a world record at stake. You cannot do that. You have to immerse yourself in the whole experience and get to grips with the opportunity in front of you – or you are not mentally there.
I was disappointed in England’s preparation because they had been there before the previous season, and should have known that you have to get yourself in the right frame of mind to get the job done.
England did not have a player on his game as much as O’Mahony – and it a game of that magnitude it was staggering. While everybody in the world would acknowledge that England’s 18 out of 19 winning record was impressive, Ireland’s win over them showed that there is not a huge gap between those teams.
England’s fitness can still go up a notch, so that they can find another level of intensity. They also should acknowledge that the ‘finishers’ concept of the bench is a bit of a false one. The idea that after 60 minutes they would simply come on and win the game was shown to be unrealistic.
What do you learn from losing? I lost on a few occasions with Bath, England and the Lions, and you regroup. You are honest in the debrief, especially when looking at what you could have done better. Sometimes it’s a horror movie, and you just don’t want to hear it, but you have to.
The Kiwis have always impressed me by the way they are able to switch on and off. They are incredibly focused when they are playing, but very relaxed off the field.
There was something of that about Eddie Jones after tasting defeat in Dublin. In the early chat he said, “mate, we just came up against a better side on the day”.
I was pleased with the way he blamed himself for the lack of preparation, and copped it on the chin, rather than looking for outside factors to blame.
