Lions Tours are renowned for helping create legends of the
game. Think of the 1997 tour alone – Martin Johnson's captaincy, Scott Gibbs'
power-packed running, John Bentley's wonder-try, Jeremy Guscott's drop goal and
Keith Wood's superb turn at tour 'judge' which involved Simon Shaw being forced
to dress up as a member of the Village People. Great stuff all round – and this
happens on every tour. And one of the regular occurrences you can bet your hat
on (assuming it's a nice hat) is the 'reserve' player joining the Tour late and
emerging as one of the standouts. I'm talking of the likes of Martin Corry in
2001, Ryan Jones in 2005 and Tom Croft in 2009 – all contenders for players of
their respective series.
Now, since that squad announcement last week there's been a
fair bit of debate on who should and shouldn't be in that squad, and pretty
much every player in Warren Gatland's 37 Lions has been scrutinised and picked
apart by somebody. But let's take a look at the blokes who have been left
behind – who has it in them to be this year's "Called-up hero"? The
guy who flies out and rescues the series? Well RuckedOver are going to have a 2-part look at
the candidates by position and give a hero rating, as described below.
Hero Rating (Out
of 10)
8 – 10: We're
talking Batman/Ironman territory here (i.e. awesome). The Aussies are praying
this lad doesn't hop on a plane down under and administer their brutal brand of
vigilante justice upon them.
4 – 7: Not
exactly earth-saving but capable of causing a bit of trouble for the bad guys –
along the lines of DareDevil.
0 – 3: Will have
next to no effect. Pants. In superhero terms, on par with Marty – the 5th
'Planeteer' from Captain Planet whose special power was to feel little animal's
feelings.
So without further ado, let's see which of those deemed as
unlucky to miss the cut may still have a Tour-Saving role to play at some point
in June…And where better to start than in Part 1, the fatties...
Props
RYAN GRANT. A
decent scrummager and exceptionally mobile, Grant had a good Six Nations and
was unlucky not to make the final Lions squad – but he lost out to the
explosiveness of Mako Vunipola. If he gets called up he'll certainly add
mobility – but as a prop how much will he realistically change things?
Hero Rating:
4/10.
MIKE ROSS. Matt
Stevens was a surprise call up and I haven't quite accepted the view that he's
in the 'form of his life' – see his penalty riddled, ineffectual scrummaging
performance against Toulon. Ross has anchored the Irish scrum remarkably well
over the years but also happens to be the most boring player in the world,
offering next to nothing outside the set piece. He even looks dull – Adam Jones
isn't exactly captain flair but at least he looks superb. He'll do alright in
the scrum, but not much else.
Hero Rating:
1/10.
Others: Euan
Murray (1/10), Paul James (2/10).
Hookers
RORY BEST: Deemed
by many to be one of the unluckiest blokes out there, he was overlooked in
favour of more mobile and aggressive contenders. The fact his lineout throwing
has looked shaky and inconsistent for club and country hasn't helped him, so
it's hard to see what he'll offer physically – but as an occasional captain of
Ireland, he lends a cool head and bags of experience to the mix which may prove
invaluable for the dirt trackers.
Hero Rating: 5/10.
Hero Rating: 5/10.
Others: Ken
Owens: 4/10, Ross Ford: 2/10.
Locks
JOE LAUNCHBURY:
The youngs Wasps lock has been in remarkable form for the majority of the year,
demonstrating an unbelievable work rate and commitment to the cause. But he
looked shellshocked during England's loss to Wales and appeared jaded towards
the end of the season – perhaps the baby-faced assassin would benefit from a
nap more than a Lions tour.
Hero Rating: 5/10
DONNOCHA RYAN:
The big Munster lock was superb in parts during the Six Nations and can count
himself pretty unlucky not to be heading down under. A big presence in the
loose and unnervingly aggressive, he's certainly not afraid to get stuck in to
the dirty stuff – but with Alun Wyn Jones, Paul O'Connell and Ian Evans in
there, there's not a particular lack of those qualities. Should injuries occur
though, Ryan would do a sound job.
Hero Rating: 6/10.
Others: Nathan Hines: 6/10, Jim Hamilton 3/10.
Back Row
TOM WOOD: The England 6/7/8 was inspiring in their win
against New Zealand in the Autumn, relentlessly physical and fast around the
park. But, just when he was looking like
he’d nailed that 6 short down, Ben Morgan went and got himself injured and Wood
got pressed into service at number 8.
His momentum diminished, forced into a carrying role which doesn’t play
to his strengths. Offers a spectacular
work rate and intelligent rugby brain, but perhaps doesn’t have the X-Factor to
really blow people away should he receive a call up.
Hero Rating: 6/10
CHRIS ROBSHAW: Captain of the Premiership champions, Captain
of the most successful Home Nation (win-wise) over the last 12 months and his
country’s player of the Six Nations – guaranteed a Lions spot? Wrong, apparently. In an unfathomable move (in my opinion),
Gatland ignored the versatile workhorse that is Robshaw in favour of a second
string Welsh openside and a blindside who’s played just 4 games for the Newport
Gwent Dragons over the last year. If
there’s an injury amongst the backrow, you can guarantee Robshaw will get the
call – and you know what the flanker will bring. Unbeatable workrate, great hands, powerful
defence, a great rugby brain and strong leadership. Heck, he even looks like a hero (meaning my
missus wants to see him in lycra). Still
worth a cheeky punt on winning a test spot during the Tour.
Hero Rating: 9/10.
BEN MORGAN: At the start of the Six Nations there was a
very real prospect of Morgan earning himself a Lions spot, following an
improved fitness engine developed at Gloucester and a rampant opening half
against Scotland. Then, he tweaked his
ankle, missed the rest of the tournament, and only came back to play the last 4
games for Gloucester. He has the power
and presence to make a real impact should he receive a call up – even if his
critics would still say he’s a bit one dimensional.
Hero Rating: 8/10.
Others: Peter O’Mahony: 4/10, Kelly Brown: 5/10, Johnnie Beattie: 8/10
Who do you think has it in them to be a call up hero?
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