All Blacks will need big guns firing – Franks

Double World Cup-winning Kiwi prop Ben Franks reckons the array of “world-class” talent within the Lions ranks, led by the indomitable Maro Itoje, will ensure there is no repeat of the humiliation suffered by their predecessors 12 years ago.
Clive Woodward’s hapless side were hammered by a combined score of 107-40 in 2005, during a tour that gained notoriety due to the bloated nature of the Lions’ playing and coaching staff and the disruptive presence of ex-Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell as their  ‘media consultant’.
However, Franks, who spearheads London Irish’s push for promotion against Yorkshire Carnegie next week, believes this latest Lions tour will be a vastly different proposition for the world champions.
“It’ll be a much tighter contest than 2005 because the Lions have lots of world-class players who are the best in their position,” he told The Rugby Paper.
“Maro Itoje is right up there. He’s a real competitor and I just like his work ethic; he never lets up for 80 minutes, is great on defence and his tight stuff at lineouts and scrums is right out of the top drawer.
“Even when he was playing No.6 with England they’d use him at lock in the scrums so there’s very little that young man can’t do.
“Mako and Billy Vunipola are both at the top of their game and in Billy’s case I’d expect him to give Kieran Read a run for his money, while Jonny Sexton stands out every time he plays for Ireland and Owen Farrell exudes class.
“George North has had some fantastic games for Wales against Julian Savea and, as a tight-head, I’ve also got huge respect for Dan Cole, who’s easily among that top group in the world. He’s unique for a prop in that he plays 70-80 minutes every game; he scrums well, gets himself around the field and wins a lot of turn overs.
“The England players are coming off a couple of really good seasons and the Irish players had that win over the All Blacks last November, so there’ll be a lot of confidence throughout this Lions team and they’ll believe they can win this Test series.”
Franks added: “The biggest test is how they come together as a team and you’ve also got a coaching team that’s not worked together a hell of a lot. That said, I hope it’s a close series because I love to see the All Blacks being pushed.
“I might not have said that as a player but as a spectator you want to see the best rugby and the first Test will be fascinating because New Zealand usually start slowly in June.
“The All Blacks have got a warm-up game against Samoa but the Lions will have had tough games against the Super Rugby sides, so if they can get off to a good start by winning that first Test it will be a hell of a series.”
Former All Black Nick Evans recently told TRP that he expects the Lions to target a less than dominant Kiwi maul. However, Franks counters: “I don’t think the All Blacks are vulnerable there. The rugby public over here have a perception of mauling and scrumming but in New Zealand we put a lot into it so I think it will be a strength.
“The big difference is the way the game is reffed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. If you watch Super Rugby the refs are very quick on the ‘one-two, play the ball’ and mauls actually don’t go on very long, while in the Premiership they will let mauls and scrums go for quite a while, so it comes down more to the referees and how long they play.
“Top international refs are now pretty consistent and the way Tests are reffed is closer to Super Rugby than the Premiership, so maybe Warren Gatland will get into the referees a bit and want mauls and scrums to go on a bit longer – but I don’t see the All Blacks losing out in those important tight areas.”
The All Blacks have injury concerns over key players in skipper Read (thumb), Jerome Kaino (knee) and Dane Coles (concussion), but Franks expects all three to be ready and says one area of uncertainty could come in midfield where Sonny Bill Williams, left, is yet to find his best after injury.
Franks added: “The All Blacks have a ton of good backs but the midfield is an area where they’re yet to settle on a combination since Conrad Smith left.
“They’ve got Sonny Bill back but he’s picked up a concussion, while Ryan Crotty and George Moala went quite well together in November, but none of those guys have played a lot together at Test level so that’s the one area of real concern. Against a side containing the quality of the Lions, you need all your best guys in there firing.”
NEALE HARVEY