The British and Irish Lions kick off what coach Clive Woodward calls ”the last great rugby tour” on Saturday with a match more important than the strength of their opponents suggest. Bay of Plenty, hosting the match at Rotorua, is among the weakest of New Zealand’s first division sides and wouldn’t normally be expected to tax a Lions team that includes as many as 12 test players.
Renowned for its vigorous physical play, Bay of Plenty assumes larger importance as Woodward attempts to mould his 45-man squad into a winning one at the start of an 11-match, three-test tour.
The Lions tour has become one of the most hyped events in New Zealand’s sporting history, far outstripping the actual and historical rivalries between the teams. The Lions have come to New Zealand 10 times since 1930 and have won only one series.
To underscore the economic importance of the Lions’ visit, Air New Zealand on Friday said it would add an extra 84 domestic flights for the tour. Government estimates say the ”economic roar” from the seven-week tour in a host of locations — eight on the North Island and three on the South — will help improve New Zealand’s gross domestic product.
And Woodward’s suggestion that a series win by the Lions in New Zealand will outweigh England’s 2003 World Cup victory has greatly increased the pressure on his players to perform.
Woodward has repeatedly stated in the first week of the tour that it matters only that his team wins, not how it wins. His comments suggest he will shackle the Lions to the grinding style that he employed with his England teams rather than the more
expressive styles of Ireland or Wales.
That style will win few fans but Woodward makes no apology. After the Lions’ dismal 25-25 draw with Argentina at Cardiff 10 days ago, he realises his team needs a win to give their tour momentum.
”Experience has shown me that if you win a game of rugby, but have not played well in it, you can still get some momentum going and move forward,” Woodward said on Friday.
”It’s very difficult to get momentum going, especially on a tour, if you happen to lose a game.”
The Lions’ Irish captain, centre Brian O’Driscoll, has also sensed the importance of the Bay of Plenty game. The home team is likely to lack combination, playing its first match as a representative squad since October last year, but it will be physical and that will try the Lions, who lack top-class forwards.
”They will be very pumped up,” O’Driscoll said. ”We just have to make sure we’re on our game because we’ll get a shock if we don’t start playing the way we know we can.” – Sapa-AP