British and Irish Lions 2017: Courtney Lawes backing himself to take chance and force his way into Test side
Both Maro Itoje and Sam Warburton look to have done enough to force their way into Gatland’s plans but Lawes could also be in the mix
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Your support makes all the difference.The final mid-week game on a British and Irish Lions tour is generally one that does not carry much importance. Test players are protected, fringe players already seem to know if they’ll be involved in the second Test and a number of the squad players prepare for their final outing of the tour. But this time, something feels different.
Warren Gatland lived up to his word by taking the players who impressed in last Tuesday’s 34-6 win over the Chiefs, Liam Williams and Elliot Daly, and throwing them into the first Test. It was a real eye opener for those who were not in Test contention, and for Courtney Lawes, now is his moment.
Both Maro Itoje and Sam Warburton look to have done enough to force their way into Gatland’s plans, with the pack’s failure to take control of their New Zealand opponents forcing the coach into beefing up his tight-forwards and bringing a bigger threat at the breakdown.
But Lawes may also be in this mix. Neither Alun Wyn Jones nor George Kruis covered themselves in glory on Saturday, and while the former is the more likely to drop out, the latter is by no means safe either. That’s why Gatland has delayed his squad selection until Thursday afternoon here in Wellington, which gives Lawes enough time to impress against the Hurricanes on Tuesday – where he starts alongside Iain Henderson in the second row – and show the signs needed to prove that he’s ready to go again 96 hours later.
“Gats [Gatland] has always said we have a chance and the Test team will change from week to week and we have a chance to impress,” Lawes said ahead of the final match against the Super Rugby side. “He said to keep your head on and keep on putting in performances.”
Apart from Stuart Hogg and Ross Moriarty, the two original tourists that were forced to return home through injury, Lawes has probably been the unluckiest member of Gatland’s squad. The lock made an impressive start to his tour, only for the performance to go somewhat under the radar as it came in the 22-16 defeat by the Blues, and his second outing also began with the Northampton Saints standing out, right up until he was knocked out when trying to stop Waisake Naholo from scoring.
“Apart from getting knocked out, [the tour’s gone] pretty well!” laughed Lawes. “I was doing alright in the first 20 minutes [against the Highlanders] then had to come off. I'm back on track now.
“It was very frustrating because it was tackle technique. I was trying to stop him from getting to the line which was why my head was in the way. It’s obviously frustrating but that’s rugby for you.
“There’s nothing I can do about it, but I came off, you get myself right for the next game, that’s what I did and I went relatively well after.”
Lawes also came off in the victory over the Chiefs for a head injury assessment, though this time he passed it and was able to return to help play a starring role. It’s now not out of the question that Gatland takes a leap of faith and throws both Itoje and Lawes into the starting line-up, though the likelihood is that Lawes is competing for a place among the replacements.
However, it was the promotion of Williams and Daly to the Test team that caught the eye of the side that will take on the Hurricanes on Tuesday, given the surprise that went around the changing room when their names were read out during last week’s selection announcement.
"There was definitely a few shocks when the team was read out, and Liam Williams had a brilliant game and Elliot Daly too,” centre Robbie Henshaw said on Monday.
"People were shocked to see them play four days later but there you go. Stand out, play well and you will be looked at and maybe chosen.”
The task on paper is a simple one for Lawes, Henshaw and the other 13 names that will run out in Wellington on Tuesday. Win, win well and make sure you leave nothing out on the pitch.
Very few of this squad will be thrown into the Test mix given the calibre of player that is currently ahead of them in the pecking order, but as Williams and Daly showed, never say never.
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