Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

The three Saracens players ex-Lions skipper Warburton believes will '100 per cent go on tour'

(Photo by Getty Images)

Two-series Lions tour captain Sam Warburton has named the three Saracens players he believes will definitely be picked when Warren Gatland names his 2021 British and Irish Lions tor squad for South Africa on May 6. The Lions are planning for a three-Test series against the world champions Springboks that will commence on July 24.

ADVERTISEMENT

There are doubts about the form of the front-line Saracens players following England’s shocking fifth-place Guinness Six Nations finish, but 2013 and 2017 skipper Warburton doesn’t believe that this rustiness will be enough of an issue to count against the selection of Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell and Jamie George. 

All three have returned to second-tier club action in the Championship with Saracens in recent weeks and despite that status, ex-Wales back row Warburton feels they have enough credit in the bank from previous times in their careers to now be given a leg-up by Gatland and be included when the tour squad is announced in 14 days’ time.  

Video Spacer

Mike Brown and Maggie Alphonsi guest on the latest RugbyPass Offload

Video Spacer

Mike Brown and Maggie Alphonsi guest on the latest RugbyPass Offload

“Out of those Saracens boys, Jamie George, Maro and Owen will 100 per cent go on tour,” insisted Warburton after he launched the new Canterbury jersey the Lions will wear on their South African trip. “What Warren really backs is his training methods and getting players match-fit without having to play. 

“He did it with a lot of players – including myself – over the years. He will take comfort in that he has got four or five games to get those guys ready for the first Test and it’s not really the first Test that is the thing. 

“Everyone looks at that first Test as that Holy Grail of selection but actually the second and third Tests are arguably more important. So even if they are not ready for the first Test they could have three games under their belt and could rock up for the second Test, which is arguably the most important. 

“Because he knows he has got that buffer he will take them and he has to take them because their ceiling is so high if they play well. I do worry about whether someone like Elliot Daly and Billy (Vunipola) might miss out… whether he thinks Elliot has fallen out of form and Billy might take too much time to get up to full speed from a fitness perspective. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“Some guys can pick up that fitness a lot quicker than others. That is going to be a conversation he will have to have with Saracens’ fitness staff and the English fitness staff who will have those insights on those players. But if he thinks he can get the Saracens boys – including Billy – up to speed in the first three weeks he will take them but he will have to go off a lot of recommendations and chats with their coaches. 

“To be honest, he needs those Sarries boys playing well to have a good chance as well, not even as starters – just to have them on the bench and involved in the tour. From knowing them personally and having played with and against them they are top players and that is why Maro is a top contender to be captain. He would have watched England wanting those guys to do well because he needs them.”

Warburton added that the aura of simply wearing the Lions jersey and being on tour can have an accelerating reaction in getting players back up to speed and firing. “I heard Jamie George’s quotes for the Six Nations. He said it was like a pre-season, it will be great and that was the same party line I used for both Lions tours because I got injured for two months and I was undercooked for the first three, four weeks…

“That is why I don’t think he [Gatland] will expect those guys to be hitting their straps when they are playing the South African clubs in the first few weeks. He has probably got the longer-term goal of first, second, third Test with those boys so as far as game time goes, they will hopefully get two starts and maybe one off the bench before they play a Test match and that will get the cobweb offs. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“Plus when you play for the Lions, it’s no disrespect to anyone else, it brings out a different player, a different mentality and only certain players thrive off that. That is why for me, I can pretty much guarantee every one of the coaching staff will pick Owen Farrell to go on tour. 

“You’d be foolish not to because he is just a leader to have around your environment even if he wasn’t going to start and if he plays himself into form, it’s a bonus. He is massively beneficial and it would be foolish if he is not going to go on tour. Warren will think he has got three, four games to get those guys up to speed and he will back himself to do that.”

  • Sam Warburton was speaking as Canterbury launched the British and Irish Lions Test Jersey. Get yours from www.canterbury.com

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JPM 42 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 44 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

10 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Wales 'in one of their deepest holes for a long time' Wales 'in one of their deepest holes for a long time'
Search