THE LOOK! To paraphrase Ian Mc Geechan, in years to come, Lions players will see each other walking down the street and all they will need is a look! Sky has been building up this ‘look’ now for months. The chosen few, who go from four nations into one. The legend of the ‘Lion’.
Well, for me, this week, the legend of a Lion has been cheapened. The call ups of Wade, Barritt, Twelvetrees and Williams might have been needed for cover, but surely that only confirms that the initial squad was picked incorrectly.
Williams was retired from rugby, making his inclusion a mockery of the tradition of the previous tours, where players were almost expected to play out of position at one point or another and legends were born from same.
Aside from the call ups, Rory Best, not good enough in Gatland’s eyes for a squad place originally, managed to captain the Lions in their loss to the Brumbies. I mean no disrespect to Best, but surely the players in the original 37 must have questioned that decision, either openly or privately.
The mid week loss to the Brumbies which included Hogg at 10, once more proved the decision to bring two 10s was incorrect. With the integrity and more so the tradition of the ‘Lions’ at stake, a series’ win is a must.
