Stuart Barnes not in favour of Warburton captaincy

Stuart Barnes not in favour of handing captaincy to Warburton.

According to the former England out half and current Sky pundit, the only game plan capable of overturning the All-Blacks is to deny them possession and limit the amount of defensive work you have to go through.

In his Times column, Barnes identifies his preferred back row combination of Stander/Faletau, Tipuric and Vunipola.

“Warburton is a fine player. A good man. These are not the issues. It is the nature of his game,” wrote Barnes.

“He will defend until the last man drops in New Zealand. But more will be needed against the best team in the world. And Warburton doesn’t possess that extra ingredient.

“The Lions will not beat a team as good as New Zealand by making a thousand tackles. The higher the tackling stats, the greater the margin of defeat.”

The Englishman’s selection would be good news for Munster’s CJ Stander who’s selection is still in the balance.

The Times rugby columnist also refers to the move in the 3rd test in 2013 to replace Warburton with Sean O’Brien, describing it as a move from ‘defensive heroism to match-winning attack’

“With a new openside flanker in the ball-carrying Sean O’Brien, the Lions were dominant. Their injured skipper wasn’t missed. Playing far more on the front foot, the need for tackling and turning over the opposition was negated,” wrote Barnes.

Stuart Barnes

Barnes is not convinced of Warburton as a ball carrier

There is no doubting Warburton’s ability to compete at the breakdown. The Welshman’s speciality is an innate skill to slow down opposition ball by playing right on the edge of the breakdown laws.

Despite these specialist skills, Barnes does not rate the Cardiff Blues player as a ball carrier.

 

“Warburton is not a natural with the ball in hand, not a comfortable ball carrier,” says Barnes.

“The more the Tests play to the significant strengths of the Cardiff Blues man’s game, the more it is likely to guarantee victory for New Zealand.”

Barnes does have a point. If the Lions are to have a chance at beating the All-Blacks then they will have to attack, they will have to hit the gain line and put the New Zealand defence on the back foot.

While defence is obviously a critical part of any game plan, Gatland knows his time simply cannot just sit back and absorb wave after wave of attack. It is not strategy to win a test let alone a series in the land of the long white cloud.

Perhaps an alternative to Warburton would lend more to that strategy but we will have to wait and see. If Warburton doesn’t recover from his current injury the choice will be out of Gatland’s hands.

Should the former Wales captain not recover from a current knee injury, then the decision may already be made for Gatland.

Social Sharing

Posted in

Conway ruled out of Barbarians clash and is set to miss early rounds of the URC

It is another injury blow for Conway who missed the entirety of Munster's URC winning season last year. ...
Read More

URC winning coach Rowntree extends Munster contract

With an impressive CV, Rowntree has played for and coached with the British and Irish Lions, England Rugby ...
Read More

Ireland outlast World Champions South Africa to put one foot in the knockouts | Highlights

Ireland now have a fortnight break before they play Scotland where another win will secure top spot in ...
Read More

Beirne and O’Mahony start for Springboks clash

Farrell has named an unchanged pack from last weekend’s defeat of Tonga in Nantes.  Head Coach Andy Farrell has named ...
Read More

“I spent every minute of every day trying to figure out how I could deal with it” | Keith Earls opens up on off-pitch struggles

Following a number of poor showings at the 2015 World Cup, Earls sought professional help after the tournament, ...
Read More

Ireland much too strong for Tonga as they secure second RWC win | HIGHLIGHTS

Ireland recorded a second consecutive bonus-point win in Nantes on Saturday to continue a perfect start to Pool ...
Read More

Ireland are capable of “doing special things when switched on” | Keith Earls

As the defending World Champions, the Springboks await down the track, Earls and co are taking it one ...
Read More

Conor Murray starts against Tonga while Craig Casey is in line for Rugby World Cup debut

Having opened their Rugby World Cup campaign with a 12-try victory over Romania in Bordeaux last weekend, Ireland ...
Read More