When time allows for clarity of thought; after an evening of maddening, frenetic, passionate intensity, there will be no doubting who is the happier of the two coaches; Warren Gatland.…
Ireland
A tale of two coaches: How Warren Gatland and Steve Hansen are coping with pressure
With the hours counting down to a game being talked up as the biggest since the 2015 World Cup final, camps from both sides have been fulfilling their media obligations.…
The Lions remain unchanged for the Third and deciding Test
Warren Gatland has had the luxury of being able to name the same 23 players who took part in the nail-biting 24-21 win over New Zealand in Wellington. It is the…
Lions 2017: Does Warren Gatland stick or twist for the Series decider?
We’re five weeks into the Lions tour and Warren Gatland has endured enough vitriol to make lesser men weep but when it has come to selection, he has resolved to make…
Five reasons the pressure is on the All Blacks ahead of the Third Test
Momentum shift Bottling momentum in sport is a precious commodity. Before and after the First Test, it was the All Blacks who gave off an insouciant, laid-back air. If there…
Lions Second Test: Five things we learnt
Lions glory. But a black elephant remains in the room The Lions beat the All Blacks by 24-21, levelled the series, and achieved something that few professional rugby players will…
Lions 2017: Warren Gatland’s men silence the doubters to set up Auckland decider
Saturday 1st July, 2017. A date that will forever be etched in the Lion’ illustrious 129-year history. It was an evening where records tumbled as fast as the odds for…
Lions 2017: Warren Gatland gambles for must-win Second Test
The thwack was perceptible through the cold Wellington air. In amongst a throng of All Blacks on the Westpac turf, Beauden Barrett was drilling the ball 40m across field into…
Steve Hansen offers an olive branch to under-fire Warren Gatland
All tour, like two ageing prize fighters, Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland have kept each other at arm’s length, offering the odd verbal jab that, that has been seized upon…
Lions 2017: Hurricanes 31-31 British & Irish Lions
The Lions midweekers gave Warren Gatland both questions and answers after a few days in which the head coach has had to wear a tin hat to protect himself from…