#ShouldHaveBeenCaptain

Gatland’s decision doesn’t just go against the Irish, but also the Lions concept in general, says Kristian Ross…

Early Wednesday morning came, I was on the way to work, I refreshed my Twitter feed from the night before and what do I see ? Warren Gatland has dropped Brian O’Driscoll from the final test against Australia for this coming Saturday.

I couldn't quite believe it. The fact that Gatland who has already made a copious amount of controversial squad decisions and call ups this tour has had the nerve to drop the biggest player of my generation. A man who has scored the most tries in the Six Nations, a man who has had European success on four different occasions, and who was described yesterday by Irish rugby legend Willie John McBride ‘’ the best player that Ireland have ever produced’’.

When you think of the number 13 in rugby, immediately BOD springs to mind. A player with superb tactical knowledge, who knows the ins and outs of the game, and a unit that is always associated with the word ‘’gamechanger’’. Gatland not only has caused uproar by leaving out O’Driscoll, but has also said it was ‘’the right call’’.

Brian yesterday was quoted as being ‘’disappointed’’ however he of course said he will be fully behind the Lions come Saturday morning. Needless to say some fans especially within Ireland have finally snapped and have lost interest and I have to say, I cannot blame them. Gatland has been what I can only describe as a shambles, and even Australia head coach Robbie Deans is shocked at the omission. Surely Australian fans must just be laughing all the way.

None other than NZ rugby hero Dan Carter tweeted also voicing his concerns at Gatland’s maddening decision using the hashtag ‘’Should Have Been Captain’’. Keith Wood also expressed his opinion too, and clearly he didn't share the same views as WG. Brian hasn't had the stand out tour that everyone thought he would have, but he hasn't been incredibly poor, so therefore the reason to drop him still remains a mystery.

With the loss of Paul O’Connell in the squad, and the injury that ruled out Sam Warburton, O’Driscoll was odds on favourite of becoming the captain at the weekend. Not just because he displays exemplary talent, but because he displays leadership to the highest magnitude. A grace decision has been made by a coach that I personally believe hasn't a clue about the Lions concept and has ended the British and Irish Lions career of one player on a rather sour note. In all you can say the word legend is overused, but at the end of the day Brian O’Driscoll is one.

I'm Kristian. 18. And my mind is filled with rugby shaped thoughts. Supporting Ulster Rugby, Newcastle Falcons and of course the mighty Ireland. Tommy Bowe is the MAN !!!! SUFTUM.

Lions tour dying a death

reproduced from Fergal Cantwell’s blog with permission from author

Is it time to liven up the Lions tour?

Change is always frowned upon, when it comes to tradition but maybe we have arrived at a situation where change is needed. The Lions tour still generates huge interest but it’s not the animal that it used to be. Wouldn’t it be interesting to play this game in a Ryder Cup format? The best of the Northern Hemisphere versus the best of the Southern. A bi-annual series with home advantage switching between north and south.

How European rugby followers would love to see this. The Lions tour goes to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Wouldn’t it be fantastic for fans that will never be able to travel to support the Lions, to know that every second year, they would be playing either in their country or very close to home. What a boost to rugby in the country that is honoured with hosting the test series.

Two panels picked from the best of the north versus the best of the south, a mouth watering prospect. The likes of Parisse from Italy and any other European that isn’t British or Irish would be biting at the bit to get involved in something like this. What a sight to see a team made up of South Africans, Aussies, All Blacks, Fijians and the other Islanders and of course Argentinians.

Of course this will never happen, tradition is tradition and in rugby, tradition weighs a bit more than in other sports. It is however an interesting debate, the pros far out weigh the cons and the prospect of two such sides meeting is far more than just appealing. The Ryder Cup has that bite in it that is hard to explain. A rugby version of this could be an event to be envied by all other sports. The European Lions, it maybe a dream, but what a dream it would be.

Fergal Cantwell is from Kilkenny, he mostly writes on sports and humour and sometimes tries to mix both. He likes to stir up talking points to get the views of others into the mix. He doesn't write matter of factly and is open to correction, his blog is opinion based and as such, welcomes the opinions of others. You can follow him on twitter @fergalcantwell and his blog page is fjcantwell.wordpress.com

Keego on…Brian & Brains

Gatty’s bed is made, now he must Lion it* – but technique will always beat force, says Keego…

I was going to give you the summer off from my insane rugby ramblings.

I thought you may need some time to recharge the nonsense batteries, but then it happened. Yesterday morning mad Gatty did it. He finally crossed that barrier that we all thought he would never cross. He went and picked THAT team for the deciding test against Australia.

I am going to try and keep the green jersey off and be objective about this.

I thought I would break it down into a few different parts, just to keep the ramble to a minimum.

Firstly, the leaving out of the match day squad of Brian O’Driscoll. Even with the green jersey safely tucked away into the wardrobe; this is a call that beggars belief. If a team is picked on form and the stats are being looked at then Drico is in the team. He missed zero (ZERO) tackles in the last test. The only glimpses of inventiveness during the tests so far have come from him. The logical thing to do would be to make him captain from 13. But as we all know, using logic and Gatland in the one sentence doesn’t fit well. Picking Davies instead of O’Driscoll after missing 3 important tackles, 1 of which cost the Lions the match is crazy. Davies is dwarfed in terms of skill and tackling by O’Driscoll. If you ask Jamie Roberts who he would rather play with, we all know that answer. At least O’Driscoll got shown the respect of being talked to about the decision before the announcement. Something that Kidney never gave him.

Secondly, the leaving out of Jamie Heaslip from the match day squad. If you take it as read that Gatland wants to try and pulverize the wallabies with a monster team selection, leaving Heaslip in his suit is another mad call from a mad man. Look at the stats, look at the form being shown at the business end of the season, look at the lack of leaders on the pitch and you really can’t leave him out of the squad. He has been a tackling and carrying demon on the tour and has been in a better vein of form than he was in 2009. He has led his national team as well as his province but is still left out. Wynne Jones is picked as captain, even though he has minimal experience (one) of captaining his national side.

Thirdly, and lastly, the obvious game plan that Gatland and his team look to be going with on Saturday. Warren G (not the rapper, although he might pick a more sensible team) has picked the biggest team he can. The only stat he has looked at is the kg’s. It appears that he wants to try and batter the wallabies. After all this time plotting and planning, this is the best plan he can come up with. It is obvious he is rattled because he and his Welsh management team have picked 10 Welsh in the starting 15. This is not about national allegiances; this is about a coach who is under pressure. When we, as civilians, have our backs against the wall, or we feel out of our depth, we always revert to type. This is why 10 Welsh are in the starting 15. These are the players he feels he can trust. Even though Mike Phillips has been very much out of form and Roberts is coming off an injury, he is still picking them. Murray looked to be the best 9 of the tour so far last week, the only plus for him is that he is on the bench. Davies looked to be out of his depth last week, but he is picked ahead of the only proven leader left in the squad.

At the end of the day, in any kind of conflict, technique will always beat force. The Wallabies are not a great team; they are being made look like one by a rudderless Lions team and a coach who is frightened on the biggest stage he has ever been on. Barring some individual genius, such as the genius shown by George north in test 1, the Lions will struggle hugely to dent the wallabies, let alone win. The Wallabies already addressed the North issue in test 2.

Warren Gatland is killing the franchise that is the Lions. He decided to bring his Welsh coaching staff instead of sprinkling in some other top coaches such as Joe Schmidt. The Lions board are getting exactly what they deserve.

As usual, if you would like to debate / abuse / discuss the above with me then feel free to tweet me @nkeegan. And for more of the same head on over to www.thedailyclothesline.com

Until next time….

Keego (@nkeegan): Blogger, former professional wrestler, sometime attempted rugby player (@TheThirsty3rds), professional procrastinator and attempted musician with a fondness for long walks on the bar, tea and the couch. Opinionated Leinster fan and constant gardener.

* = the editor takes full responsibility for that shocking pun.