NZ Journalist Takes A Needless Pop At Peter O’Mahony’s Lions Captaincy

No need for this.

The Lions secured a massive win yesterday over the Maori All Blacks, setting themselves up nicely for the first Test against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.

Gatland’s men once again proved that there’s a massive difference between his likely Test side and his midweek lads that have struggled to come up with the goods against Super Rugby opposition.

The back-row combination of O’Mahony, O’Brien and Faletau once again impressed, with tour captain Sam Warburton looking like he will miss out on a place in the Test team. Peter O’Mahony captained the side on the night, earning several plaudits, with most suggesting he should captain the Test team.

Kiwi journalist Mark Reason of Stuff however, took a strange pop at the Munster man.

Sam Warburton may not be fully fit, but it is starting to look like the Welshman may have to play against the All Blacks at Eden Park. The Lions are a team desperately in need of a captain and the shambles that took place during the first half in Rotorua was a low point of the tour.

There was no discipline and the Lions were both penalised and warned for back chatting to the referee. Admittedly you sometimes need to have the composure of a Tibetan monk not to ask the ref if he knows what time of day it is.

But these are professional rugby players and they should know better. The Lions gave away far too many penalties, again, and captain Peter O’Mahony appeared to be doing absolutely nothing to appease the man in charge….

…O’Mahony had no idea how to communicate with Peyper and neither did his teammates.

At the end of the half the Lions kicked a penalty into touch and thought that was an end to it. But Peyper signalled the lineout had to be taken and was immediately pursued by Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton and O’Mahony. It was not a good look. The Lions’ discipline had collapsed.

If that continues next week then they will be clobbered by Peyper in the first test at Eden Park. In order to win this series, the Lions have to force penalties through their forward drive and give next to nothing away. Only the first half of that equation looks like happening at the moment.