London: Legendary All Black Dan Carter has issued a reality check to the British and Irish Lions, stating that they must improve their “poor skill execution” and that the freshness and ability of New Zealand will be “too much” for the tourists in the Test series. Carter, one of the greatest players of all time, said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph that the Lions cannot rely on physicality alone and, while he envisages a closer series than the 3-0 mauling the All Blacks inflicted on the tourists in 2005, he is confident of “the same end result”. Carter believes that the hosts’ ”exciting” squad, and Beauden Barrett in particular, will prove too strong and that a “fit and firing” Owen Farrell is essential for the Lions to stand a chance of series victory.
Carter, a four-time Super Rugby champion before his move to Racing 92 in France in 2015, and who was the Lions’ tormentor-in-chief in the second Test of the 2005 series, with 33 points in the All Blacks’ 48-18 victory, said: “They [the Lions] have shown on a couple of occasions on the tour so far that they’re capable of creating line breaks, but they’re just not able to finish them off. “If you’re going to beat a team like the All Blacks, you’ve got to make the most of every opportunity you get. They’re still working on combinations and they’re moving in the right direction, but there have just been a few occasions on this tour where they should have scored a couple of tries but, through poor skill execution, they’ve missed out. They’ll be looking to improve that, and they’ll need to.” Carter echoed the warning by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen that the first Test will be on a different level to anything the Lions will have experienced in the build-up, and questioned whether their game plan would be able to cope. He said: “It all starts with physicality. It’s all part of Warren Gatland’s style, and that’s what you need when you’re playing the All Blacks, or anyone at Test-match level. You need to dominate your opponents physically up front and then just make the most of your opportunities. But it’s not only physicality that’s going to win you Test matches, you’re going have to be extremely skilful and make the most of every opportunity in attack as well.
“You need that physicality, which I know will be there, and it will be a huge step up, that first Test match, from anything they will have played on the tour. But you need a balance. You need to be able to score tries.” While Carter criticised the poverty of the Lions’ attacking play, he enthused about their defensive rigidity. “To keep an attacking team like the Crusaders try-less was extremely impressive. That kind of defence shows there is some character building in the squad, so they’ll take a lot of confidence from that game.” Carter, 35, a former fly-half, insisted that Owen Farrell must start at 10 ahead of Jonathan Sexton in the Tests. “He’s a natural leader and he’s going to be a huge part of that Test side,” he said of the England man, who masterminded the defeat of the Crusaders with four successful penalties from five attempts. “He’ll need to be fit and firing, because I just feel that it’s a different team when he’s playing.” Carter believes Maro Itoje, Farrell’s “fearless” Saracens club-mate, will also excel in the Lions’ “big and mobile forward pack”, and that Gatland’s side can match the All Blacks for impact off the bench, given their strength in depth. But he also endorsed the widely voiced belief that the Lions’ unforgiving schedule will eventually prove their undoing. “The freshness of the All Blacks will be too much,” said Carter, who retired from internationals in 2015 after the All Blacks won their second successive World Cup. “I’m a pretty one-eyed All Black supporter, and I am hoping for the same end result, although I think it’ll be a bit closer than the last series. You’ve seen the dangers the All Blacks have in their back line. If they’ve got ball going forward, it can be a long night at the office, so the Lions pack really need to step up and dominate up front if they’re going to have a chance.” The All Blacks squad, which was named last Thursday, possesses “an exciting blend of youth and experience”, according to Carter. He is particularly pleased by the return of Sonny Bill Williams, following the veteran centre’s fine performance for the Blues last week, when he set up Ihaia West’s 74th-minute winner with a typically sweet offload. He also hopes the “very skilful” Hurricanes full-back, Jordie Barrett, is given his debut during the Test series. He does not share concern over Barrett’s brother, Beauden, whose goal-kicking has been identified as a potential vulnerability for the All Blacks, despite his obvious talent. “I’m not worried about that at all with him,” Carter said of the World Player of the Year. “Him and Aaron Cruden are great kickers and even though they’re not kickers for their Super Rugby teams, they’ll still be doing a lot of work behind the scenes. “He [Barrett] was already a fantastic player but he grew into a key part of the All Blacks in terms of leading them around the field last year. He’s got an extremely calm and clear head. In those big, high-pressure situations, that’s exactly what you need.” Carter has “no regrets” about having not extended his international career, with a view to trying to play in a second Lions series. He said: “It was time to move on and now I’m looking forward to a Lions series as a fan and spectator rather than as a player. I am equally as excited this time around.”
