All Blacks vs Lions: Three key battles which could settle the Second Test

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David Flatman30 June 2017

Standard Sport columnist David Flatman identifies three key battles ahead of the Second Test between the British and Irish Lions and the All Blacks.

Sonny Bill Williams vs Owen Farrell

When preparing to play a top team, ruining their plans has to be part of your own. However, if you overdo it it’s possible to forget what you’re supposed to be doing yourself to win. To this end, it seems sensible not to overstate the influence Sonny Bill Williams may exert tomorrow, simply because Ben Te’o has been dropped. The thing is, though, that Sonny Bill is the best off-loader of a ball we have ever seen, and Te’o handled him last week. Owen Farrell is a superior creative mind and passer to Te’o, but despite being an aggressive and fearless defender, his relative power deficiency may well see Sonny Bill having more freedom in contact and getting those long arms through. This will spell danger for the Lions, as Kiwi runners profit from Sonny Bill’s wizardry. Farrell has a seismic job to do.

Anton Lienert-Brown vs Jonathan Davies

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Anton Lienert-Brown’s replacement of the injured Ryan Crotty at outside-centre means, ultimately, that Jon Davies — a top performer last week — may find more wriggle room in attack. Crotty is valued as an under-rated but world-class operator by the New Zealand management. While Lienert-Brown has the pace to recover from defensive errors, he isn’t quite the nuts-and-bolts machine that Crotty is. In attack, however, Lienert-Brown is more threatening. He has pace, skill and the confidence to attempt a skinning from almost anywhere. Davies might well find there to be rather more required of him in defence tomorrow. Add to that the possibility that the man inside, Sonny Bill Williams, will be somewhat less oppressed with Ben Te’o out of the immediate picture, and Davies will likely be kept busy chasing him in repeatedly as he barrels towards those most fruitful off off-load feeding grounds: Williams’s shoulders.

Sam Whitelock vs Alun Wyn Jones

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Many — in fact, most — observers seem staggered that Alun Wyn Jones has retained his place in the Test side. I am not one of them. He was nowhere near his best last week, even before taking a huge knock. But he delivered a number of heavy defensive hits in close and, frankly, the Lions could have done with a few more of those. Courtney Lawes and Iain Henderson have been in wonderful form but Jones, when not dazed and confused, can deliver a 50-minute dose of driving and hitting power that can be matched by few. His battle with Sam Whitelock — one of the game’s pure grafters — in and around the breakdown mixer is a crucial. The All Blacks’ approach last weekend depended on the forward progress of their ball carriers, and who better to match them than a player we know has the power — and who has a point to prove after what was, let’s face it, a humiliating battering a week ago.

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