Jekyll and Hyde syndrome is a topic that intrigues many. Being more than one person and not having any
control over who pops out to say hello is both a fascinating and frightening
idea – which is probably why it has formed the undercurrent for so many
Hollywood films, such as 'Psycho', 'American Psycho' (I'm seeing a trend here)
and, the worst of them all, 'Me Myself and Irene' starring Jim Carey. Chilling stuff. But perhaps we don't realise that varying
degrees of split-personalities are all around us every day, and it's no
different on the sports field.
Before I get accused of gross ignorance, I am of course
referring to individuals characterised by casually blowing hot and cold with no
indication as to which, as opposed to actual clinical schizophrenia, which is a
serious issue. I'm talking about your
boss who will smile and buy you a cup of coffee one morning before attempting
to hang you by your tie the next (perhaps that's just my office though) – you can't
deny that there's nothing like a bit of unpredictability to keep you on your
toes. And of course, when it does come
to sport, it becomes a very divisive topic – whilst some may refer to an interchangeable
individual as inconsistent and a liability, I would refer to them as mercurial
and a maverick. It depends whether or
not you're a glass half full kind of guy I suppose. And nobody has earned that 'unpredictable'
tag more than Quade Cooper.
I'll be honest – I think he's great. Not necessarily the nicest (think of his
cheap shots on Richie McCaw) or smartest (calling your coach 'toxic' won't
endear you to selectors) bloke in the world, but he sure is good to watch on
the rugby field. You can't coach out
that instinct to have a go and spot gaps and opportunities that others would
miss – although the English coaching team does its best with their guys – and there
is a reason why the Reds look so much more of a threat when he's in the
side. Ewan McKenzie has placed so much
stock in him that he's handed the kiwi-born playmaker a captain's armband for
the fixture against the British and Irish Lions – one final opportunity for
Cooper to prove to Robbie Deans that he is the real deal for the Test series. Of course, Cooper's captaincy credentials
have been bolstered by the fact that the Reds are missing 7 players to the
Wallaby camp, but it would be cynical to suggest that's the only reason the fly
half will be leading his side out at Brisbane.
This Reds side still contains 9 full Test internationals,
and a raft of powerful talent that has seen them turning over the likes of
reigning Super XV Champions, the Chiefs, away from home. Of course, that Jekyll and Hyde syndrome
appears to have been caught by the rest of the side, with bizarrely bad
performances against the Western Force providing particular disappointment, but
there is no doubting that, on their day, the Queenslanders are a class
act. Their Achilles heel though may well
be in the engine rooms of the pack and the backline. With their first choice lock pairing on
international duty, the less experienced duo of Adam Wallace-Harrison and Ed
O'Donoghue will be required to provide the required grunt and rule the lineouts
and whilst the international centre pairing of Ben Tapuai and Anthony Faingaa
may be rock solid defensively, they're pretty limited in attack. In those two areas, the Reds look vulnerable,
but there's some serious wheels out wide – the Reds will be relying on Cooper's
distribution skills and their pacey backrow to pull this Lions' defence from
one side to another and see how they react under pressure.
Of course, nobody really knows how this Lions side will
react to pressure because nobody has done it yet. The most uncomfortable parts of the tour so
far for the combined outfit have come courtesy of Cian Healy's teeth and ankle,
as well as Gethin Jenkins' calf muscle.
From looking overloaded at loosehead prop, the Lions are now starting to
look a bit vulnerable, with Mako Vunipola forced to start again despite playing
over a half on Wednesday. This Lions
side as a whole, looks a bit more mix and match, but the main talking point is
the fact that Captain Sam Warburton will finally get to lead his side out after
recovering from a knee injury. And what
a job he has too – not only taking the reins in the Lions' toughest assignment
of the Tour so far, but also knowing he has to put in a display to match the
wonderful performances of Justin Tipuric and Sean O'Brien.
Of course, Warburton is not alone in his need to impress. Geoff Parling, who looked good against the
Force during his cameo, will want to get stuck into the opposition lineout and
prove his ability around the park, whilst Ben Youngs will need to be at his
razor sharp best to cast doubt on the apparent 'dead cert' that is a starting
spot for Mike Phillips. Jonathan Davies
and Manu Tuilagi will need to show more than just power to get through their
opposite numbers, and Tom Youngs will be aware that neither Best nor Hibbard
have looked entirely convincing so far on tour, and an accurate display from
him will throw his hat into the ring.
For the Lions to get on top, they need to attack the fringes of this
Reds defence and suck in their quick back row – that means runners off Youngs'
shoulders around the fringes of the rucks.
If Gatland has chosen brutal physicality as the Lions' primary weapon,
then the tourists need to go all out to hammer it home.
Because this is the
first big test of the 2013 Tour. There
are so many things about this game that are unpredictable – will Quade show up,
will the Reds gel as a team, will the Lions cope under pressure – but one thing
is certain. You don't get easy games in
Queensland.
Queensland Reds
Team News
Quade Cooper captains a side shorn of seven Wallabies but
still including nine internationals in the starting line-up - including centres
Anthony Faingaa and Ben Tapuai and props Greg Holmes and Ben Daley - and a
further three on the bench with the most familiar name the versatile Radike Samo.
Five of the side have featured in all 15 of the Reds' Super Rugby matches to
this point, including hooker James Hanson and back-rowers Eddie Quirk and Jake
Schatz.
Starting Line-up: Ben Lucas; Rod Davies, Ben Tapuai,
Anthony Faingaa, Luke Morahan; Quade Cooper, Nick Frisby; Ben Daley, James
Hanson, Greg Holmes; Adam Wallace-Harrison, Ed O'Donoghue; Eddie Quirk, Beau
Robinson, Jake Schatz
Subs: Albert
Anae, Sam Denny, Jono Owen, Radike Sam, Jarrad Butler, Jono Lance, Mike Harris,
Dom Shipperley
Key Player
Jake Schatz. The
mobile number 8 has been a key figure behind some of the Reds' impressive
forwards displays this year but has noticeably gone missing in key times when
they have struggled – notably against the Force of late. A mobile ball carrier, his ability to get
around the park and offer himself as a runner in the wider channels will be
absolutely critical to stretching the Lions' defensive line and testing their
organisational skills. He'll be aware
that the tourists also looked most vulnerable around the fringes and so will be
looking to pop up on Frisby's shoulder to keep the pressure on the inside
defenders.
British &
Irish Lions Team News
Captain Sam Warburton will make his British and Irish Lions
debut against Queensland Reds on Saturday after recovering from a knee injury. There are first starts for England quartet
Ben and Tom Youngs, prop Matt Stevens and lock Geoff Parling. Prop Gethin Jenkins was also due to start but
has suffered a calf strain that has caused sufficient concern for Ryan Grant to
be called up as cover.
Starting Line up:
Stuart Hogg; Alex Cuthbert, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Davies, Tommy Bowe; Owen
Farrell, Ben Youngs; Gethin Jenkins, Tom Youngs, Matt Stevens, Richie Gray,
Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.
Subs: Richard
Hibbard, Mako Vunipola, Adam Jones, Paul O'Connell, Justin Tipuric, Conor
Murray, Jonathan Sexton, George North.
Key Player
Sam Warburton. The
Captain (and his magnificent chin) finally gets a chance to make his mark on
the tour and he will be fired up for it.
A revelation in the 2011 World Cup, the outstanding flanker has had a
bit of an up and down time since then and will need to get back to his
ball-snaffling, marauding best if he is to nail down a test spot. He also has a point to prove against the
Aussies, with his record against the Wallabies standing at a discouraging played
7, lost 7, with the last 4 coming as Captain.
He won't be thinking about though; he'll be focused on the need to stall
the Reds pack to Cooper is forced to play under pressure off slow ball. If he does his job, the Reds lose their main
attacking threat.
Key Battle
Quade Cooper v Owen Farrell.
The mercurial genius-cum-moron that is Quade Cooper will be potentially
pulling the strings for both the Reds and the Wallabies, if this one goes well,
and his battle against Farrell is pretty much as chalk-and-cheese as you can
get. The Aussie bad-boy will be looking
to wind Farrell up and expose the powerful centre combination with his quick
footwork and razor sharp passing, whilst Farrell will be hoping to kick on from
his impressive cameo against the Force, where he scored a Cooper-esque try and
showed some slick hands on several occasions.
He will have to stand flat and threaten the gainline to force Cooper into difficult tackles, as well as manage the game better than his opposite number - or else
he'll risk letting Cooper take charge of the proceedings. And there is nobody
more dangerous when they're in control.
Prediction
For me, this where the Lions kick their tour off
for real. Not just because the Reds will
provide some serious opposition and a genuine threat of defeat to the tourists,
but because there are players on both sides who will be looking to force their
way in contention for the test series.
The Youngs brothers, Parling and Warburton will all be looking forward
to presenting their case for Test selection, whilst Quade Cooper will be hungry
to show off what he can do, as will the hard tackling Anthony Faingaa. I can see this one being a brutal battle across
the pitch, with a settled Reds outfit giving this patchy Lions side a real run
for their money. I think that Test
hunger, though, will just be more apparent in the Lions' ranks, so I'm going to
plump for a 3rd win for the tourists. Lions by 6.
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