Players watch: Lions v Rebels

The British and Irish Lions last midweek fixture on tour provided fringe players their final opportunity to put their hands up for Test match selection. The 35–0 victory was far from error free, but several players proved their form and pressed their case for inclusion in the Melbourne Test.
Captain Dan Lydiate led from the front, combining well with back-row partner Sean O’Brien. The Racing Metro bound blindside was the Lions’ top tackler, felling 15 Rebels during his 65 minutes on the park. O’Brien also made his presence felt in defence with ten tackles and a powerful display at the breakdown.
In addition, the duo’s performance in attack was notable. O’Brien touching down in the 49th minute after a well worked lineout and deft offload from Lydiate. Warren Gatland‘s decision to replace O’Brien on 55 minutes, ten minutes earlier than Lydiate, gives perhaps the biggest insight into the management’s thoughts. The adaptable Irishman is now seen as favourite for a bench slot this Saturday.
From the back off the scrum, man-of-the-match Toby Faletau put on another industrious display with 16 carries and 13 tackles but with another 80 minutes under his belt, he will miss out on a Test spot, at least this week.
The second-row is another hotly contested area, especially after the loss of Lions legend Paul O’Connell earlier this week. Forwards coach Graham Rowntree confirmed Geoff Parling would start the second Test before the Rebels match, leaving Richie Gray and Ian Evans to dispute the vacant replacement spot. Scotsman Gray produced an excellent all-round performance which included six commanding carries and led Gatland to state it was his ‘best game on tour’.
Double Grand-Slam winning lock Evans was in imperious form at the lineout, making an impressive steal just before half-time as the Rebels looked to catch and drive from five metres out. A powerful enforcer, the Osprey is seen as a similar style player to O’Connell and should therefore get the nod for the second Test.
With Alex Corbisiero labelled a doubt for Saturday the focus shifted on to Ryan Grant at loosehead against the Rebels. Mako Vunipola failed to make the right impression against Australia in Brisbane, giving away cheap penalties and struggling at the scrum.
In contrast, Glasgow Warrior Grant did all the right things against an albeit weak Rebels front-row, setting a good scrum height to make the most of the power coming through from Gray and Evans. The Scot is a more consistent scrummaging option to start Test two.
English half-backs Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell made the most of their time on the pitch today, to confirm their Test match potential. Scrum-half starter Mike Phillips was over-run by Will Genia in the series opener and Youngs’ trademark score against the Rebels will act as a timely reminder of his attacking prowess.
Farrell, asked to take the ball to the line more by Gatland, produced a Sexton-like display to marshal his backline creatively. Both Youngs and Farrell proved they can be trusted with extra responsibility throughout the remainder of the series.
Elsewhere, Manu Tuilagi and Simon Zebo looked sharp. Tuilagi, returning from a stinger injury sustained against the Reds, broke through three tacklers in a run that lead to Sean Maitland‘s try. With Jamie Roberts unlikely to feature again on Saturday the Leicester Tigers battering ram is a realistic option from the bench.
Wingman Zebo combined defensive solidity and attacking expertise throughout the match, including taking a high-ball commandingly inside the Lions 22 in the 70^th minute, before passing the ball ‘out the backdoor’ to set up a counter-attack. Gatland must now choose between the extravagant Munster flyer, fit-again Tommy Bowe and incumbent Sean Maitland to decide who will take their place in the Lions match-day 22.
The squad for the second Test will be announced on Thursday.
SAM KNIBBS