Shane Williams: Warburton still the pick of captaincy candidates
If it was all about the 80 minutes, then I think Alun-Wyn Jones would be a perfect choice. But the fact is, Sam is an excellent politician, is used to dealing with the media, and is playing some of the best rugby of his career right now.
All three of those things make him the standout candidate in my opinion. Sam is highly regarded by Warren Gatland, too, and I know from my experience of working with both men that they get on really well. That’s so important when you’re away with the Lions and big decisions need to be made under the most intense pressure.
I still think there’s a chance Warren might pick two or three tour captains and I don’t really have an issue with that. You always have a leadership group made up of senior players and the captain, but for me you need someone established as the Test skipper.
For me, Sam is the right man but I’m sure that whoever Warren goes for, there will be plenty of players ready to put their hand up and demand a senior role. Sam, Alun- Wyn, Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton are just a few who spring to mind. Wales, on the whole, had a poor Six Nations campaign, but I thought Sam was outstanding.
How he wasn’t on the shortlist for the player of the tournament was beyond me. There’ll be those who say one of the reasons he was so good was because he didn’t have to think about captaining Wales. That’s a fair point, but Sam is such a relaxed figure that I don’t think it would bother him unduly.
He also has previous experience of the role, was successful on the 2013 tour of Australia, and is among the best players in the Northern Hemisphere right now. There aren’t many players who you can say are nailed on for the Test side, but Sam, Owen and Sexton are probably three.
That brings me to Gatland’s next problem, how on earth is he going to pick a final squad?
If I look at just the back three alone, there’s a serious amount of competition. If I had to pick it right now, I’d go for Stuart Hogg at full-back with George North and Liam Williams on the wings.
In the form Stuart is in he’s going to be a threat to the All Blacks and you just have to pick him. One thing is for sure though, he will be tested in New Zealand. Hogg is a fantastic player and brings so much in attack that he demands selection. But he slipped off a few tackles in the Six Nations and wasn’t the most comfortable under the high ball.
Steve Hansen will be aware of that, and will tell his team to target that area. This is where I think Liam can come in.
I’ve always thought he’s much more of a threat at full-back and I’ll stick by that, but he can also be a great asset to the Lions on the wing alongside George. Both players know their way to the try line, and when they play with confidence they’re world class. We saw against Ireland what a fully fit George North can do when he’s given the ball in time and space. That’s what the Lions will need to do.
I’m a big fan of Anthony Watson, but I’m not sure his form has been quite there, and I also think Jack Nowell is a very underrated player. Christian Wade could also be a bit of a bolter, he’s been in electric form for Wasps.
Then you’ve got guys like Tommy Seymour and Simon Zebo and Elliot Daly, who has the versatility to cover a number of positions in the back line. There’s so much strength in depth there, but I think a back three of Hogg, North and Williams would be a good place to start for the first Test at Eden Park on June 24.
The Lions are going to have to score tries to win in New Zealand. When you play the All Blacks you know you’re going to concede at least one or two, so the focus has to be on doing at least that yourselves.
I can see Daly getting on the bench to cover across the line with Halfpenny as back-up kicker. The final spot is anyone’s guess but I’d probably go for Watson for his ability to beat a man and find his way to the try line.
I went on the 2005 tour down there and we were completely outplayed. They threw everything at us and with ball in hand they were on a different level. I think this series will be a lot closer with the Lions facing their toughest selection yet. But with Sam as captain, they’re certainly not without a chance.
