Share

Gatland questions All Black selections

accreditation
Warren Gatland (Getty)
Warren Gatland (Getty)

Cape Town - British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has questioned the All Blacks' team selection for the first Test at Eden Park on Saturday.

Gatland has specifically referred to Rieko Ioane replacing Julian Savea, something he feels could come back to haunt All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

The inclusion of Ryan Crotty at inside centre ahead of Anton Lienert-Brown seems to also have encouraged Gatland, who also believes the Lions' bench is superior.

"I’m not sure looking at their bench that it is as strong as it has been in the past," Gatland said, after naming Maro Itoje, the tour skipper Sam Warburton, the experienced Irish flyhalf Johnny Sexton and Wales’s top goal-kicker Leigh Halfpenny among his own replacements. 

"We were surprised by Crotty being selected at 13 and Savea, who has been a constant for them, being replaced. I know how good Ioane is but this is a big game for everyone."

Meanwhile, Gatland feels the All Blacks could potentially be undercooked, having tried to compensate for this with the one-off test against Samoa last weekend.

"They went and arranged the Samoa game because they feel potentially they’re going to be a little bit undone," Gatland said.

"How that helps their preparation I’m not too sure as they’ve been together for the last couple of weeks."

In contrast the Lions have undergone thorough preparation.

"We’ve taken on an incredibly tough schedule, like nothing the Lions have ever faced," Gatland said.

"Sometimes in the past, midweek teams have been a bit of a frolic but we’ve been tested all the way. In terms of the opposition, the preparation and the intensity of matches, it has been really beneficial.

"We think we are in a good place at the moment. We really think we have been improving week to week, we have stayed tight as a group and we haven’t let anything externally have an impact on us. We haven’t had any players moaning about anything - they’ve just got on with their jobs."

Teams:

New Zealand

15 Ben Smith, 14 Israel Dagg, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody

Substitutes: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Aaron Cruden/Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

British & Irish Lions

15 Liam Williams (Scarlets/WAL), 14 Anthony Watson (Bath/ENG), 13 Jonathan Davies (Scarlets/WAL), 12 Ben Te'o (Worcester/ENG), 11 Elliot Daly (Wasps/ENG), 10 Owen Farrell (Saracens/ENG), 9 Conor Murray (Munster/IRL), 8 Taulupe Faletau (Bath/ENG), 7 Sean O'Brien (Leinster/IRL), 6 Peter O'Mahony (captain - Munster/IRL), 5 George Kruis (Saracens/ENG), 4 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/WAL), 3 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/IRL), 2 Jamie George (Saracens/ENG), 1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens/ ENG)

Substitutes: 16 Ken Owens (Scarlets/WAL), 17 Jack McGrath (Leinster/IRL), 18 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins/ENG), 19 Maro Itoje (Saracens/ ENG), 20 Sam Warburton (Cardiff/WAL), 21 Rhys Webb (Ospreys/WAL), 22 Johnny Sexton (Leinster/IRL), 23 Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon/WAL)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE