British and Irish Lions 2017: Andy Farrell wants defensive improvement against Highlanders
The Lions are looking to create some momentum off the back of the impressive victory over the previously unbeaten Crusaders last Saturday
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Your support makes all the difference.There will be plenty of familiarity for the British and Irish Lions when they run out at the Forsyth Barr Stadium on Tuesday night to take on the Otago Highlanders. Both England and Wales have played here in Dunedin in recent years, while starting flanker James Haskell used to call this place home after playing for the Super Rugby side back in the 2012/13 season.
But as soon as the whistle sounds, there will be no room for sentiment. The Lions are looking to create some momentum off the back of the impressive victory over the previously unbeaten Crusaders last Saturday, and a win over the Highlanders, who have pushed the Crusaders hard twice this season already in losing both of their encounters by just three points will really put Warren Gatland’s side on the front foot heading towards the Test series with the All Blacks.
What was most telling about the win over the Crusaders was that the Super Rugby leaders well restricted to just three points, something that happened for just the third time in their history and falls well short of their 37-point average this season.
For that reason, Lions defence coach Andy Farrell has plenty to be happy about. But happy isn’t a word regularly associated with the former England international who is now responsible for the Irish defence when he is not with the Lions squad. The line speed with which the Lions shot out to confront the Crusaders made the Lions’ task much easier than it should have been, but Farrell is not satisfied with leaving it there and wants to see an even bigger improvement from the matchday 23 that take on the Highlanders.
“It ain’t about just sprinting off the line, is it?” Farrell said on Monday. “It’s about adapting to the situation. If the opposition get an offload then the system has to change. It’s about numbers on feet and covering space. I thought our decision making of which system to use at the right time was very good on Saturday.
“It’s always nice to win and the manor that we did is great. There are all sorts of stats and records, but it is about Tuesday now. It's just about making sure we are going on the right direction and improving until we get to the Test matches. We enjoyed Saturday and the feeling I get at this moment in time, and what I would feel if I was playing or sat in the stand watching, is one of excitement that I want to get out there and build on it. There is excitement in the group.”
What there isn’t in the group though is a defensive leader. Confirming that he is still assessing his options with who stands out among the defensive line, Farrell has laid out the challenge to do the job that he did for England at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and that Wales centre Jamie Roberts has often done for Warren Gatland sides in leading the defensive effort when the opposition have the ball.
“I’m still looking for defensive leaders,” Farrell added. “I think everyone should be a leader in defence. If somebody messes up, everyone pays for it. I’m still looking for people to grab hold of the system and take it forward.
“We want that competition, don’t we? That’s why I’m not singling people out. We’ll see who steps up on Tuesday night.”
It will require another stern defensive effort to stop the Highlanders on a pitch that Warren Gatland has confirmed is “very dry” given it sits under the roof of the indoor Forsyth Barr Stadium, something that has helped the Highlanders score over 20 points in all but one of their last 10 rounds of Super Rugby.
The Lions are yet to break the 20-point barrier since arriving in New Zealand, but if they are unable to stop the likes of Malakai Fekitoa and Waisake Naholo, two very talented attacking threats that have featured for the All Blacks since the last Rugby World Cup, it will not be due to Farrell’s failure to prepare.
“I watched the Highlanders against the Crusaders right at the start of the season,” he said. “The pace they play on the back of that attacking kicking game is great to watch.
“We’ve got to be in control of how we want to play the game and be ready for them to hit us at breakneck speed. This is the type of test that we want because that’s exactly what the All Blacks are fantastic at.”
With 15 changes to the starting line-up that defeated the Crusaders, the Lions are beginning to see the light, and if they can secure another shut-out as they did in Christchurch the Farrell might even allow himself to smile. The conditions should also help the Lions banish their try-line jitters, having scored just two tries in three matches, and the silver lining is that even if they fail on both counts, Gatland can recall his big guns for Saturday’s clash with the New Zealand Maori. Things are looking up for the Lions, and who’d have thought that after the loss to the Blues?
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