I'm not sure whether changing personnel will make any difference, but Gatland needs to chance his arm imo. We were blown away at the breakdown, and that for me was one of the biggest differences between the sides, clinical finishing the other. The speed of NZ's recycling was simply too quick and the Lions were lucky NZ didn't capitalize further in the the first half because of it. In contrast the Lions had to battle for everything, with players getting isolated.
With that in mind, the tight five needs a little shake-up, with mobility the priority. George had a fine game, but Owens will get himself a little more involved at the breakdown. Shame that Best's throwing is so poor, or he'd be in. Can't sacrifice the lineout though. George will offer great impact off the bench. I'd scrap both second rows, not just because both were poor, but because all the other options offer far greater mobility. Start Itoje and Lawes (Lawes has truly earn't it this tour in any case), and put Henderson on the bench. Unsure what to do with the props. The balance at tighthead is good, with Sinkler offering great impact off the bench. At loosehead, I'd only consider McGrath and Vunipola. Marler is neither intelligent enough or mobile enough. Haven't been impressed with him at all this tour outside the scrum. Back to McGrath and Vunipola, I'd consider switching them as Vunipola would add more as an impact sub, but not hugely fussed.
Back-row is a difficult one. All three were a little quiet on Sat imo, especially offensively. They were completely outplayed by their opposition, and for that reason I'd make changes. Stander and Tips should come into the 23, just not sure who should miss-out! Imo Faletau should stay at 8, he's world class and still put in a big shift on Sat, even if we didn't see him as much as we're used to in the loose. Issues at the breakdown would usually have me calling for Warbs, but he's simply not match-fit. I would always have Tipuric start, so I'll call for his inclusion again.
In the backs, I don't think the Farrell, Te'o, Davies axis works at all. Davies was the stand-out, so I'd certainly retain him, so who to play inside him? I have absolutely no idea. Despite looking out of sorts for a while, I'd start Sexton with the hope that he plays well. I'm praying for a strong showing from Henshaw on Tuesday, because I'd also like to see him at 12. His understanding with Sexton could prove crucial. Despite a strong tour, Te'o just doesn't seem to be a able to link up with anyone around him. Whether that's the support runners' faults or lack of communication from Te'o etc. I don't know, but it's simply not working atm. I don't think a single one of his bursts has resulted in a try.
I liked lots about the back three on sat, but Daly did get shown up a little too many times. I'd gamble with North. Does he deserve it? No. Even though, he's the most capable finisher, the most experienced option, the most physically imposing option we have, and on his day is truly world class. Some will argue for Nowell, but his one good game doesn't atone for his 2 dreadful ones. I'd be seriously concerned to see him up against Ione again!
So my 23 would be:
01 Jack McGrath
02 Ken Owens
03 Tadgh Furlong
04 Courtney Lawes
05 Maro Itoje
06 C. J. Stander
07 Justin Tipuric
08 Taulupe Faletau
09 Conor Murray
10 Jonathan Sexton
11 George North
12 Robbie Henshaw
13 Jonathan Davies
14 Anthony Watson
15 Liam Williams
16 Jamie George
17 Mako Vunipola
18 Kyle Sinkler
19 Iain Henderson
20 Sean O'Brien
21 Rhys Webb
22 Owen Farrell (not convinced though)
23 Eliot Daly
Probably makes to sense, and it's completely unfair on quite a few players who certainly weren't poor on the weekend (POM especially), but I fully believe we need more players with a little extra int he pack, be it Lawes' ferocious tackling, Itoje's mobility and aggression, Stander's ball carrying or Tipuric's pace and x-factor. They all bring something special to the table, which those on Sat weren't capable of. It may make no difference at all, but worth a shot imo.
