Lions 2013: Tom Croft aims to take Lions chance 
By Bryn Palmer BBC Sport in Perth Tom Croft intends to take what could be a single chance to press his Test claims when the British & Irish Lions face Western Force on Wednesday.
The England flanker, 27, was a roaring success in South Africa four years ago, starting the first two Tests despite missing out on the original squad.
But with fierce competition from Wales blind-side Dan Lydiate, Croft knows his first outing of this tour could be key.
"You may only get one chance to play, and you have got to take it," he said.
"If you come off the pitch with regrets, you have only yourself to blame.
"These are the last few games of the season and you have got to go all out and hope you do enough to win a Test place.
"It could be your last game if you don't perform. You have to go out and give everything left in the tank. There is no point holding anything back."
Continue reading the main story “He's a special player is Tom. He has done exceptionally well to come back from a nasty injury” Graham Rowntree Lions forwards coach Croft, who became the first forward in Lions history to score two tries against the Springboks in the first Test in 2009, has completed a remarkable comeback in recent months.
A fractured vertebrae in April 2012 saw him close to becoming permanently paralysed, and he required surgery to insert four screws and a metal plate into his neck.
But after a tentative return in January, the 27-year-old was back to his barnstorming best in the closing weeks of the season as he helped Leicester to the Premiership crown.
"He's a special player is Tom," said Lions forwards coach Graham Rowntree. "He has done exceptionally well to come back from a nasty injury.
"We couldn't ignore his form as England selectors, and those performances have got him on the plane for this trip.
"He has got good competition. 'Lyds' [Dan Lydiate] played very well on Saturday, so the challenge is there for Tom, and we've got other guys in the back row that can play six as well."
While every squad member - barring the injured Rob Kearney - will start one of the first three games, the focus will shift to trialling likely Test permutations after Saturday's match against Queensland Reds, which is likely to see a combination of the two sides fielded so far, plus half a dozen players who have yet to start.
"For a lot of these guys, it is their first chance in a Lions shirt," said Rowntree ahead of Wednesday's match in Perth. "But on this tour, if you don't perform very quickly, you can easily go to the back of the queue.
"After the Reds game [on Saturday] I think we have got to start making some decisions on combinations and having a look at people.
"And certainly by the Waratahs [on Saturday, 15 June] and ACT games [on Tuesday, 18 June], we need to know who we are going to start with in the first Test. But at this point in time there is everything to play for."
Lions fixture list - Sat 1 June: W 59-8 v Barbarians, Hong Kong
- Wed 5 June: Western Force, Perth
- Sat 8 June: Queensland Reds, Brisbane
- Tue 11 June: Combined New South Wales-Queensland Country, Newcastle
- Sat 15 June: New South Wales Waratahs, Sydney
- Tue 18 June: ACT Brumbies, Canberra
- Sat 22 June: Australia, First Test, Brisbane
- Tue 25 June: Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne
- Sat 29 June: Australia, Second Test, Melbourne
- Sat 6 July: Australia, Third Test, Sydney
Among the five players making their Lions debuts on Wednesday is Ireland hooker Rory Best, a last minute call-up to the squad after Dylan Hartley's ban for verbally abusing a referee.
"Rory is a very professional player, very intelligent and knows what he has to do," added Rowntree. "He came in relatively late, but he has quickly got up to speed with how we are doing things.
"He has brought a lot of experience - the more leaders we can have around the group, the better. I have been very impressed with Rory. I am expecting good things from him [on Wednesday]."
Wednesday's opponents the Western Force - who also have a Super 15 fixture on Sunday - will field a side weaker side than normal, with only two players from their last Super 15 game starting against the Lions.
On previous tours, where there has been apparent disparity in class, the Lions' hosts have often used an overtly physical approach to try to bridge that gap.
But Rowntree insists they will not be distracted by any attempts at physical provocation.
"We are here to play our game and play positive rugby," he added. "If we get drawn into that sort of thing, we are not doing our job.
"The best players manage to stay the right side of the line, by being physical but getting on with the job. Our players know there will be sanctions in place if they overstep the mark. They understand that perfectly, and 'Gats' [head coach Warren Gatland] has spoken about it again today."
Best, who makes his Lions debut aged 30, added: "We have to make sure we concentrate on ourselves. We know if physically we are on the money, we have a very good chance of winning the game."
Western Force: Sam Christie, Dane Haylett-Petty, Ed Stubbs, Chris Tuatara-Morrison, Corey Brown; Sam Norton-Knight, Brett Sheehan; Salesi Manu, James Hilterbrand, Salesi Ma'afu, Toby Lynn, Phoenix Battye, Angus Cottrell, Matt Hodgson, Richard Brown. Replacements: Hugh Roach, Sione Kolo, Tim Metcher, Ben Matwijow, Lachlan McCaffrey, Alby Mathewson, Nick Haining, Junior Rasolea.
Lions: Leigh Halfpenny, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (capt), Manu Tuilagi, George North; Jonny Sexton, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Dan Cole, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Tom Croft, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip. Replacements: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Matt Stevens, Geoff Parling, Toby Faletau, Ben Youngs,Owen Farrell, Sean Maitland.
“He's a special player is Tom. He has done exceptionally well to come back from a nasty injury” Graham Rowntree Lions forwards coach
Croft, who became the first forward in Lions history to score two tries against the Springboks in the first Test in 2009, has completed a remarkable comeback in recent months.
A fractured vertebrae in April 2012 saw him close to becoming permanently paralysed, and he required surgery to insert four screws and a metal plate into his neck.
But after a tentative return in January, the 27-year-old was back to his barnstorming best in the closing weeks of the season as he helped Leicester to the Premiership crown.
"He's a special player is Tom," said Lions forwards coach Graham Rowntree. "He has done exceptionally well to come back from a nasty injury.
"We couldn't ignore his form as England selectors, and those performances have got him on the plane for this trip.
"He has got good competition. 'Lyds' [Dan Lydiate] played very well on Saturday, so the challenge is there for Tom, and we've got other guys in the back row that can play six as well."
While every squad member - barring the injured Rob Kearney - will start one of the first three games, the focus will shift to trialling likely Test permutations after Saturday's match against Queensland Reds, which is likely to see a combination of the two sides fielded so far, plus half a dozen players who have yet to start.
"For a lot of these guys, it is their first chance in a Lions shirt," said Rowntree ahead of Wednesday's match in Perth. "But on this tour, if you don't perform very quickly, you can easily go to the back of the queue.
"After the Reds game [on Saturday] I think we have got to start making some decisions on combinations and having a look at people.
"And certainly by the Waratahs [on Saturday, 15 June] and ACT games [on Tuesday, 18 June], we need to know who we are going to start with in the first Test. But at this point in time there is everything to play for."
Lions fixture list
- Sat 1 June: W 59-8 v Barbarians, Hong Kong
- Wed 5 June: Western Force, Perth
- Sat 8 June: Queensland Reds, Brisbane
- Tue 11 June: Combined New South Wales-Queensland Country, Newcastle
- Sat 15 June: New South Wales Waratahs, Sydney
- Tue 18 June: ACT Brumbies, Canberra
- Sat 22 June: Australia, First Test, Brisbane
- Tue 25 June: Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne
- Sat 29 June: Australia, Second Test, Melbourne
- Sat 6 July: Australia, Third Test, Sydney
Among the five players making their Lions debuts on Wednesday is Ireland hooker Rory Best, a last minute call-up to the squad after Dylan Hartley's ban for verbally abusing a referee.
"Rory is a very professional player, very intelligent and knows what he has to do," added Rowntree. "He came in relatively late, but he has quickly got up to speed with how we are doing things.
"He has brought a lot of experience - the more leaders we can have around the group, the better. I have been very impressed with Rory. I am expecting good things from him [on Wednesday]."
Wednesday's opponents the Western Force - who also have a Super 15 fixture on Sunday - will field a side weaker side than normal, with only two players from their last Super 15 game starting against the Lions.
On previous tours, where there has been apparent disparity in class, the Lions' hosts have often used an overtly physical approach to try to bridge that gap.
But Rowntree insists they will not be distracted by any attempts at physical provocation.
"We are here to play our game and play positive rugby," he added. "If we get drawn into that sort of thing, we are not doing our job.
"The best players manage to stay the right side of the line, by being physical but getting on with the job. Our players know there will be sanctions in place if they overstep the mark. They understand that perfectly, and 'Gats' [head coach Warren Gatland] has spoken about it again today."
Best, who makes his Lions debut aged 30, added: "We have to make sure we concentrate on ourselves. We know if physically we are on the money, we have a very good chance of winning the game."
Western Force: Sam Christie, Dane Haylett-Petty, Ed Stubbs, Chris Tuatara-Morrison, Corey Brown; Sam Norton-Knight, Brett Sheehan; Salesi Manu, James Hilterbrand, Salesi Ma'afu, Toby Lynn, Phoenix Battye, Angus Cottrell, Matt Hodgson, Richard Brown.
Replacements: Hugh Roach, Sione Kolo, Tim Metcher, Ben Matwijow, Lachlan McCaffrey, Alby Mathewson, Nick Haining, Junior Rasolea.
Lions: Leigh Halfpenny, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (capt), Manu Tuilagi, George North; Jonny Sexton, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Dan Cole, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Tom Croft, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Matt Stevens, Geoff Parling, Toby Faletau, Ben Youngs,Owen Farrell, Sean Maitland.
No comments :
Post a Comment