The infrequency of New Zealand tours makes 2017 an exciting chapter in British rugby, but history is firmly on the side of the home team where this event is concerned. It has been twenty-four long years since any Lions side emerged victorious against New Zealand, doing so by an impressive scoreline of 20-7 recorded by ESPN in Wellington – a result albeit sandwiched between defeats in Christchurch and Auckland. The Lions’ credibility is further damaged by the fact that no visiting side has won a tour match in Auckland, the country’s largest city, since September 1959.
The 2005 tour was another painful reminder of the gulf that exists between New Zealand and Britain on the international stage. All four matches against the Adidas-sponsored All Blacks were lost by significant margins, and the 2017 squad will already be plotting a route to vengeance. At the very least, avoiding another whitewash will be seen as a minor victory for the Lions, but to do so will require the Lions’ management to identify the All Blacks‘ most dangerous men, and how they can be stopped in their tracks.
The passion for rugby in New Zealand is ingrained into would-be professionals from an early age.
New Zealand’s immovable number eight and captain Kieran Read is the beating heart of the All Blacks’ unrivalled solidity. As of May 22, 2017, Read has 97 international caps, as recorded by AllBlacks.com, but he will not be at the peak of his physical capabilities after a long layoff due to a recent injury. Read himself has even admitted that playing a meaningful match before the opening encounter with the Lions. That encounter takes place on June 24, and if he fails to regain full fitness before then, the 11/4 odds offered by Betway Sports on 23/5 for a Lions win in that game may end up shortening drastically. Whether 100% fit or not, Read’s mere presence on the pitch will be a huge psychological fillip for New Zealand, and stopping him will be paramount to any successes the Lions aspire to achieve on this tour. Brute strength and speed – a deadly combination
Considered superlative in every attribute that the title of ‘Hooker’ demands, Dane Coles has been lauded as one of New Zealand’s finest talents in a generation. In particular, his ability from the lineout – a rite of play in which New Zealand once perpetually failed – has served to make the All Blacks a more dynamic side than ever. Coles was recently out of action with concussion, but remains well-placed to recover in time to face the Lions. Such is Coles’ versatility, the entire Lions squad would be well-advised to study his pattern of play, especially from set pieces. His ability to spontaneously perform a dramatic line break is already well documented, aided in no small part by his pace and trickery.
Dane Coles, the All Blacks’ greatest danger man.
One must also consider the role typically played by prop Owen Franks alongside Coles. Enjoying scintillating club form with the Crusaders, Franks – with 90 international test caps to date (as noted on Crusaders.co.nz) and two world cups – is New Zealand’s most seasoned and battle-hardened prop forward by far. Aside from being an accomplished ball winner, Franks is also noted for his sheer brute strength in the takedown. Along with Dane Coles, Franks is an extremely dangerous adversary and one who could only be tamed by a man of equal skill and sheer strength. Britain needs a hero
It has been a long time since the All Blacks boasted such uniform strength throughout the roster. Self-evident though the All Blacks’ collective talents are, Ben Franks – brother of the aforementioned Owen Franks – has warned against complacency. With his additional ability to drift into wide areas with disquieting ease, the aforementioned Coles is perhaps the most dangerous of all. The unenviable task of marking him falls primarily to one of the Lions’ confirmed wing fullbacks, Anthony Watson or Jack Nowell.
Jack Nowell was one of England‘s most exemplary performers when England won the Six Nations of 2016.
The latter, despite being one of the younger members of the Lions squad, has already experienced success in test rugby, after starting in two of England’s three wins over Australia in last year’s famous tour. To put that into context, it was the first ‘whitewash’ inflicted on Australia in their own territory for 45 years, and such a resounding fact can only serve to boost Nowell’s confidence ahead of what could be an impending personal battle against one of the best talents on the planet.
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