In Billy Vunipola, Warren Gatland had a battering which might have blown open the usually secure All Black gates.
Gatland's plans to run over the New Zealanders took a major hit earlier this month when the 24-year-old pulled out of the Lions tour due to a shoulder injury. Of all the injuries which the Lions could suffer, and there will be many more, Vunipola was one of those they could least afford. His absence will likely cause a shift in Gatland's plans.
Speaking on The Times' Ruck podcast this week, columnist and Sky Sports commentator Stuart Barnes speculated that Vunipola's absence will mean Toby Faletau playing eight. Had Vunipola been available, Barnes believes the Welsh international would have lined out at blindside.
While considering the make-up of the Lions backrow, Barnes cast some doubt over CJ Stander's credentials to be a starter against the All Blacks. Barnes suggested that while Stander has impressive numbers in terms of carries, he does not back it with metres made.
There was a chance that they were going to play Taulupe Faletau, who has had a sensational end to the season, at six. He’s a lineout forward, he’s another carrier. He’s going to have to go to eight. He’s a class act, he’s a top level eight.
So what do you do at six? You then say, ‘Do we need another ball carrier there?’ Sean O’Brien comes into it because with Faletau going to eight and Vunipola dropping out, you’ve lost your out and out ball carrier. That’s the thing, someone’s got to just go bang, bang, bang.
Some people have been saying CJ Stander but Stander I think does it to a certain level, it’s an international level as well, but I’ve been watching him the last two months and I’m thinking he carries a lot, but it’s this awful statistics thing. ‘He’s made 28 carries and it’s, ‘Wow, let’s make him Man of the Match.' Then you realise he’s gone minus two metres.
It was the old Steve Borthwick thing, we used to say, ‘Borthers has carrier really well today.’ Then you see he’s gone backwards over 12 carries.
The number of carries doesn’t matter, it’s the impact of the carries. Billy has massive impact. He carried so hard and fast, he could have pulled Kieran Read of the wing, where’s he’s so dangerous for New Zealand, and changed the way New Zealand play their game. That has gone now so there has to be a major restructure of the back row.
Stander is undoubtedly a serious workhorse. He had far more carries than any other player in the Six Nations this year - 32 more than the second placed Louis Picamoles. For his 103 carries, Stander made a considerable 234 metres, hardly the minus yards of which Barnes speaks.
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio also appeared on the podcast. Dallaglio believes that Peter O'Mahony, who catapulted himself into the Lions squad with his performance in the final round of the Six Nations against England, could become the player to fill the six shirt.
Faletau will hopefully step up and perform far beyond the levels we have seen this season, because he will have to.
I think Peter O’Mahony is another one who may have been taken on the tour to play in some of those mid-week games but could actually end up forcing his way into the test side.
