“Warren Gatland must hold his nerve over Lions team,” says Ian McGeechan

In an era when even the finest rugby coaches have a drastically short shelf-life, Sir Ian McGeechan’s longevity of service with the Lions – the pinnacle of the game in anyone’s eyes – is quite remarkable. Put simply what Geech doesn’t know about The Lions isn’t worth knowing.
McGeechan, the arch alchemist when it comes to getting the chemistry of the team right, says it is crucial that The Lions return home from Australia victorious in 2013.
And he has urged head coach Warren Gatland and  his staff to hold their nerve and show patience before selecting their team for the First Test at the Suncorp Stadium on June 22, a game that will be crucial in determining the whole tone of the series.
“There is always uncertainty before the First Test simply because every Lions team is a new team and you have to find the right combinations,” McGeechan, a veteran of seven Tours as a player and coach, told The Rugby Paper from Dubai, where he is on overseas coaching duty.
“That’s the biggest challenge for the coaches and Warren Gatland knows that as well as anyone.
“I’d like to think I have a feel for a player and which players will bring the best out of each other, which is crucial in a Lions context.
“If you’re looking for examples, the most recent one would be Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts playing together in midfield in 2009.
“They had never played together before, but they really hit it off and I think at the time they were the best centre partnership in world rugby.
“Time is limited so, tactically, you cannot develop huge strategies; you have got to be really clear and straightforward about how you want to play.
“But it does take a bit of time to get the chemistry of the side right and fathom out which are the best combinations so in that sense you can’t rush into a decision.
“The thing for any Lions coach is to not to pick their Test team in week one and instead have the courage to wait until the week leading up to the game.”
McGeechan added: “Everyone on Tour is obviously a very good player otherwise they wouldn’t have been picked in the first place.
“So they should all be given an opportunity to play and impress before any Test selection decisions are made.
“In Australia in 1989, Rob Jones worked really well at half-back with Rob Andrew – a late call-up to the tour because of injury, while the back row combination of Dean Richards, Finlay Calder and Mike Teague was really good. These were players from different countries who came together to bring the best out of each other.”
McGeechan’s baptism as a Lions coach in 1989 ended in a 2-1 series win in what was the first-ever Tour hosted entirely by Australia.
It was also the first time The Lions had won a series for 15 years – the same period of time that they have been waiting for success in the fully-fledged pro era.
McGeechan feels that a win Down Under in 2013 would be a massive shot in the arm for rugby in the north, as it was all those years ago when the side was much more scarcely supported compared to the estimated 30-40,000 fans that will roar the side on next summer.
The 65-year-old said: “I think the 1989 series got The Lions back on the map because it was the first Tour to Australia and there had been a six-year gap since the previous tour to New Zealand. “It was still relatively low key in some respects. There were only about 10 or 12 British journalists covering the tour then and only around 900-1,000 supporters. It was quite quaint in a way.
“The 1997 tour to South Africa was massive in terms of raising the profile of The Lions, but 1989 was critical for the credibility of British & Irish rugby.
“The previous summer England had been to Australia and had been beaten quite heftily in the Test matches.
“We weren’t used to winning matches in the Southern Hemisphere and it was a huge boost for us in the north that we did so in 1989.”
JON NEWCOMBE