Lions: Outcry as Gatland drops O’Driscoll

BRITISH and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has come under fire from a host of former players after he surprisingly omitted Brian O’Driscoll from Saturday’s decisive third Test in Sydney.

Brian O'Driscoll, seen here training with the Lions, has been dropped for the series decider. Picture: Getty

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O’Driscoll has not even made the bench after Gatland made six changes from last weekend’s 16-15 defeat, with the returning Jamie Roberts to partner fellow Welshman Jonathan Davies in midfield.

Tipped by many to take over the captaincy with Sam Warburton and Paul O’Connell both out injured, O’Driscoll was axed from the 23-man squad and Alun Wyn Jones will lead the team out at the Olympic Stadium.

Willie John McBride, the 1974 Lions captain, said he was “gutted” by O’Driscoll’s omission and expects Australia coach Robbie Deans will have been delighted by the team announcment.

“I was absolutely gutted,” said McBride. “The first thing that came into my mind was that Deans, the Australian coach, must be laughing all the way.

“The Australian media and others, Eddie Jones the previous Australian coach, have convinced them to drop O’Driscoll which I find amazing.

“He was the guy I would have tipped as captain of the tour. He has been a big influence so far. You live and die by the team

you pick and we will see what Saturday brings.

“Brian O’Driscoll has been the greatest player we have ever produced in Ireland and I still think he is a major influence in any team.”

Former Ireland and Lions hooker Keith Wood described O’Driscoll’s omission as a “massive mistake”, while New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter and former Wallaby centre Matt Giteau both expressed their surprise on Twitter.

Wood believes O’Driscoll’s experience as a four-time Lions tourist with 125 caps to his name will be sorely missed and that Gatland has erred badly in not recognising the value of leadership. “I’ve been uncomfortable throughout this tour whenever Warren Gatland has spoken about the captaincy,” Wood said.

“He tries to depower it, he consistently says it isn’t about leadership and that isn’t the most important thing. Having been on two Lions tours myself under (former England skipper) Martin Johnson, I would have said the leadership of the captain was the most important thing.

“Brian O’Driscoll has been quiet in the two Tests but, at every stage, he has been the clarion call once Paul O’Connell got injured. I just think Gatland has made a terrible mistake.”

Roberts missed the first two Tests with a hamstring injury but he is fit to partner Davies in midfield and Wood believes a great deal rests on his shoulders as the Lions look to overpower the Wallabies.

“A huge amount rests on Jamie Roberts’ shoulders and they were crying out for him in the last two weeks. I just think Brian’s subtlety off him would have worked,” Wood said.

“You can say (Gatland is) picking on form but he’s picked an unbelievably direct team with very little guile in it, specifically to play this game plan.

“You’re asking them to pulverise a team. The Lions are at the end of virtually 12 months of the season, all these guys are pretty tired and you’re looking for the absolute maximum for it to work for them.”

Gatland found support for his decision in the form of Simon Shaw, who was a star of the 2009 Lions tour and backed his former Wasps boss.

“Can’t understand the flim flam over the lions selection. All players were selected at the outset as potential test players,” Shaw tweeted.

“Everyone turns into an expert on international coaching all of a sudden. Gatlands won 10 titles in club and international rugby inc 2 GSlams”.

The Lions starting line-up for the Sydney Test match features ten Welshmen, which has caused consternation in some quarters but is of no concern to McBride.

What bothers him more was the injury-enforced selection of Tom Court during the tour, who was called because he happened to be in Brisbane.

“I have heard a lot of talk about Welsh players. When you pick a Lions team they are Lions. They are not Welsh any longer,” McBride said.

“I think the concept and the ethos of the Lions is beginning to slip and that worries me very much.

“They picked a player who was at home in Brisbane (Court) and happened to be there and they brought him into the squad. He didn’t earn his place in the squad. I don’t think this is the concept of the Lions that I know.”

Some of the biggest names in world rugby were lining up to give their view, with Carter tweeting: “There must be some angry Irish out there waking up to see @BrianODriscoll not playing this weekend. #ShouldBeTheCaptain”

Giteau, who won the Heineken Cup alongside Jonny Wilkinson at Toulon, yesterday added on Twitter: “Gee dropping @BrianODriscoll out of the team is a huge call.. For mine, he has been the stand out unsung hero this series.. Defensively huge”

The former Australia centre Morgan Turinui questioned where the advantage lay following the respective teams’ selections, with George Smith reportedly ready to return for the Wallabies when their team is named today.

He tweeted: “Best Wallaby of our generation IN. Best Lion of our Generation @BrianODriscoll OUT. Most influential Lion @JonnyWilkinson absent. Advantage?”

Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister Martin McGuinness summed up the feelings of many Irish rugby fans when he took to the social network to describe Gatland’s call as “mind boggling”, while comedy writer Colm Tobin sarcastically praised Irish trio Jonathan Sexton, Tommy Bowe and Sean O’Brien for making the cut in a team dominated by Welshmen. “Big congrats to Sean O’Brien, Tommy Bowe and Jonathan Sexton on their debut for Wales this weekend,” he tweeted.