by Wayne Smith

With Lions coach-elect Warren Gatland injured and unable to tour Australia with Wales, he will have ample time to assess the candidates for Lions selection during the June test matches. There appears to be an abundance of riches in some positions but a dearth of talent in others. Gatland will be looking closely at performances at scrum-half, out-half and front row in particular where stand out candidates are lacking.

Performance in 6 Nations and Heineken Cup next season will clearly drive the selection process but a number of seasoned campaigners are likely to be included regardless of form in order to secure their experience for the tour. Much will happen between now and the first tour match against the Western Force on June 5th next year but it is a useful exercise to select a possible Lions Test team based on current form and with a few assumptions.

The honour of captaining a Lions team ensures the chosen player membership of an elite group of 27 who have captained the Lions since the inaugural tour of South Africa in 1891. At this stage Sam Warburton is the stand out candidate for 2013. On recent form he is assured of a starting position, has proven himself as an effective leader and he handles the media and public responsibilities with an assurance which defy his relative youth. Warburton has been unfortunate with injury and it will be hoped that he has a better run next year.

For the purposes of this exercise I have selected my Test team with the closest competitor bracketed alongside.

15. Rob Kearney (Leigh Halfpenny)
14. Tommy Bowe (Chris Ashton)
13. Brian O’Driscoll (Jonathan Davies)
12. Jamie Roberts (Manu Tuilagi)
11. George North (Alex Cuthbert)
10. Jonathan Sexton (Owen Farrell)
9. Mike Phillips (Conor Murray)
8. Ben Morgan (Toby Faletau)
7. Sam Warburton (Ross Rennie)
6. Dan Lydiate (Sean O’Brien)
5. Paul O’Connell (Alun Wynne-Jones)
4. Richie Gray (Luke Charteris)
3. Dan Cole (Mike Ross)
2. Rory Best (Ross Ford)
1. Gethin Jenkins (Cian Healy)

I would welcome comment on the above selection and invite readers to select their own Lions Test team and submit it to The Rugby Site.
 

The Wayne Smith Collection
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6 videos

World Cup winning coach Wayne Smith has put together an amazing collection designed specifically to help you be a better coach or player. From counter attack to support play, these videos will cover all aspects of building a backline that is effective on attack or defence.

Topics: Backline, Attack, Passing

Back Moves
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17:48 - 4 chapters

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Topics: Attack, Breakdown

Counter Attack
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19:25 - 5 chapters

Counter attack dominates try scoring in the modern game, it needs to be coached. In this video I will help you grow your players understanding of how to counter attack off kick receipts. What players should look for and how best to exploit the chasing defensive line.

Topics: Attack, Backline

Christmas Special - At Harrow
Free Video
24:23

World Cup winning coach Wayne Smith has put together a FREE rugby video coaching module. Filmed at Harrow school, Wayne will take you through a ball handling session, highlighting a number of functional drills that have real game application.

Topics: Backline, Attack, Passing

Support Play
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26:56 - 6 chapters

I find support play hugely inspirational and motivational to me as a coach. In this video I will show you the ways to get players involved with ball in hand and through effective positioning of players in support, give continuity to the game and an ability to play fifteen man rugby.

Topics: Backline, Attack

Decision Making - Attack
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14:30 - 4 chapters

In this module we look at setting up a starter move from set piece based on what the opposition are giving you. I’ll present a simple way to scout an opponent, come up with a play then how to create variations off that play. So that you can attack the space that is given to you now.

Topics: Backline, Attack

Building a Backline
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35:47 - 3 chapters

In this video we will build a backline based on logic. Establishing firstly a base combination between 9 and 10, which is hugely important for a backline to function and then looking at the roles of the rest of the backs. Giving us a backline with real rhythm and timing.

Topics: Backline, Attack

Principles of Attack (Game Sense)
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43:02 - 3 chapters

Who are you going to attack? Why are you going to attack them? How should you go about it? Research says that a lot of our champions have great game sense through playing games and being involved in game like situations at training. I believe games help make sense of rugby.

Topics: Backline, Attack