THE LIONS ENDED their non-Test tour schedule with a 31 – 31 draw with the Hurricanes in Wellington. You can find our match report from the Westpac here, plus player ratings for the XV involved here.
For many, that’s the end of the tour
Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne, taken out of today’s match injured after and before kick-off, may just have played their last part in this tour.
Henshaw suffered a shoulder injury and looked in some discomfort as he was replaced midway through the first half.
Hopefully, the injury is not as serious as feared and he can get into contention for the third Test. But if not, it’s a disappointing end to the tour for the Athlone man who was deployed in all three midweek matches by Gatland. Despite his solid performances, he was not afforded the opportunity to perform in a Saturday side as Ben Te’o was consistently given the nod.
Payne, replaced by Leigh Halfpenny because of headaches in the lead up to the game, has not been able to force his way into serious consideration for either fullback or centre slots, so he may have to be content with tackle bags for the next 11 days in his homeland unless injury offers him a route in.
For a few, there is hope of featuring in the second Test
Gatland delivered as big a shock as he could have after last Tuesday’s win over the Chiefs in selecting both Liam Williams and Elliott Daly to start again for the Test four days later. This time around, Iain Henderson was a clear stand-out performer in the first half. However, the first 54 minutes of Courtney Lawes’ day seemed enough to impress the head coach. The English lock now looks a certainty to go into the Test 23 on Saturday.
Pre-match, Rory Best’s breakdown abilities were being highlighted as a skill-set well worth calling on, but the Ireland captain played all 80 minutes in Wellington and will likely need Jamie George or Ken Owens to pull up over the next few days to claim even the number 16 shirt.
Replacements in reserve
Eddie Jones has taken to calling replacements “finishers” to underline the importance of the eight men just outside of the matchday 23. But for the second Tuesday running, Gatland has used his six late call-ups exclusively as emergency cover.
Today, Finn Russell became the second of the six geographically-preferable call-ups to become an official Lion as he took over the 10 position for the six minutes it took for Dan Biggar go through his HIA.
Alan Dell was the first of the sextet called upon last week as he stepped in to the front row for a sin-bin stint. What will become of Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies now that there are no midweek matches to play?
Do they get to go and sit on a bench by a poolside, or will they still have to slog through the rest of this tour without the incentive of getting a Lions appearance to their name?
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