Brumbies Circus

http://v2journal.com/15/post/2013/06/3-ring-brumbies-circus.html

And so the tide of recriminations flows. Blogs pop up saying: "I knew we were going to lose when I saw the team". Dai Lama claims throwing the game was always part of Gatland's ineffable plan*. 

Maybe it was; I doubt it.

Warren Gatland has form for this sort of thing. Picking a second string side who just squeaked past Italy consigned Wales to 4th in the 2009 6 Nations, just one season after the first of his Grand Slams. Wales went on to stagnate for a further two campaigns before the 2011 World Cup renaissance. Arguably the 2013 non-Grand-Slam champions are a finer vintage than either of the Grand Slammers of 2008 or 2012. Gatland had a roasting for that Italy game which saw him for the first time in his tenure on the back foot in public relations with the Welsh fans. 

However, Gatland's ability to tear it up and start again with fresh players has seen Wales ditch a few old War horses probably earlier than if they were playing for any of the other Home Nations. Like many NZ rugby men, sentiment is not his thing.

So why Shane Williams?

Let me make myself clear from the off. Shane did not lose this game for the Lions by his own actions. He popped up looking for the ball as he always has. The midfield however got swamped in the Brumbies' blitz defence. This has been Gatland's chosen defensive system since his Wasps days so he should know how to counter it. Barritt and Twelvetrees looked far more rusty than Shane.

But again this is not where the game was lost.

The forwards were outplayed by the Brumbies. They were sharper and cuter, playing the ref to a tee. Forwards who had been lauded in the run up and who were destined not to feature on Saturday were expected to use this game as an indication to Gatland that he was wrong to overlook them. With the exception of Sean O'Brien though, that didn't happen.

Personally I can't blame them. Just like the Barbarians in Hong Kong, if you're asked to perform in a circus, there's a good chance you'll end up a clown.

It is hard to underestimate the psychological effect on these players of hearing they were selected for this game. "No Test place for me". They have been until this week a relatively close knit and bonded group of players. However the dilution of those players in this team by the newbies really showed. It was a gamble to get cameo performances out of a retired Legend and to play all the new arrivals together. As much as it lead to a disjointed backline, it knocked Hogg, Tipuric and Gray off their respective horses. They didn't feel as they were in the big top anymore, they were consigned to the side show. If they were 22 of the original 37, all in it together then they would have gelled and sorted the Brumbies I'm sure. As expected the bench players, who are likely to be in the Test squad, took the Bull by the horns, their superior motivation of course being clear.

Gatland's gamble though did not come off.

So as much as I will state that Shane Williams is one of my all-time favourite players, I'm afraid though (even though there is no doubt that the game was not lost due to his efforts) it seems Gatland has lost the bottom third of his squad, at least temporarily, by his inclusion.

Time will tell if these players remain with the clowns or get back to being Lions once more.


*(Editor's note - Dai Lama did suggest on Facebook mid-match that the plan was “#GiveItToShane” so there's been a wee change of mind somewhere ... )

This is a pretty bang on post

Maybe thats fine if they were teenagers. They are supposed to be PROFESSIONAL sportsmen, playing for the Lions which is not something many rugby players get to do. Im not saying that your wrong Glas but I hope you are. The whole squad arent going to get in the 1st test 23, so if its not you then you should do all you can to get into the 2nd or 3rd test. If you dont get into those make sure you push the guy infront of you as hard as you can. I dont doubt it must be disappointing but these guys are extremely lucky to be doing what they are doing(they can do a shift at my work if they like) and they get payed well for it.
Saying that I didnt get that vibe from watching the game today, it just looked like the Brumbies were the better team with a strong defence, with our lineout being so crap it was hard to get momentum, and new backs were on the backfoot against a strong defence.