In leaving Johnny Sexton, James Ryan and Garry Ringrose out of his 37-man tour, Gatland wrought the whirlwind of online reaction from this side of the Irish Sea. He had legitimate reasons for omitting all three.

His concerns over Sexton’s durability are legitimate, after his own absence with head injuries Ryan needed a big game against Munster or La Rochelle and was part of a beaten pack on both occasions.

Player of the year last season, Ringrose simply hasn’t hit peak form this year. Can he count himself any less lucky than Henry Slade, Davies or Manu Tuilagi who will all have tuned into the broadcast yesterday expecting their names to be read out only to hear that Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly and Chris Harris got in ahead of them? 

It was that kind of announcement. Sexton’s and Ryan’s omissions were well-flagged, momentum was going against them in the days building towards the big reveal, but still it was striking when the final squad list came through and neither Ireland’s captain nor vice-captain was there.

Still, Gatland could come to regret these big calls.

Despite his advancing years and injury profile, Sexton is a better player than Dan Biggar and looks far more suited to this challenge than Finn Russell. Owen Farrell? Well, they’ve played together before and I’m sure the Ireland skipper hoped to do it again.

As for Ryan? He must deal with the notion that he is not among the best six second-rows in Britain and Ireland, which is a bitterly tough pill to swallow. His durability is at question, but Courtney Lawes gets in despite being out injured at the moment. 

When fit, he’s the first name in the Irish pack, but Lawes, Maro Itoje, Iain Henderson and Tadhg Beirne can all play at No 6. Alun Wyn Jones is the captain. Jonny Hill? That’s harder to understand.

Perhaps an Irish representative in the selection meeting might have helped their cause, but Andy Farrell opted to stay with his squad this summer and now he’ll have a few more quality players to work with.

Of course, they all could yet fill a role if injury intervenes; as could Cian Healy who missed out to Scot Rory Sutherland who is currently out with a shoulder problem and a number of others like CJ Stander, Keith Earls, Hugo Keenan and Josh van der Flier who would all have tuned in yesterday with a little hope in their hearts.

At the same time, focusing on the names that are not there does a disservice to those who have been selected. Eight Irishmen enjoyed the day of their dreams yesterday. Conor Murray joins an elite group of three-time tourists, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw and Iain Henderson are back for their second bites at the cherry.

For Beirne, this is the culmination of a career that saw him go to Wales on a pittance after being released by Leinster. His form demanded inclusion, there was no reputation at play, and he goes on merit.

What about Jack Conan who missed a year with a foot injury having had his World Cup dream cruelly denied? While he was out injured, Caelan Doris wiped his eye and many were wondering would Conan be moved to Ulster as a result of the youngster’s form.

Instead, Conan came back and availed of Doris’s own injury issues to force his way into the panel. Gatland wants mobile back-rowers capable of playing the game at pace – the 28-year-old certainly has that.

Bundee Aki, meanwhile, sat in a dressing-room full of Connacht players yesterday with his fingers crossed. Few, if anyone, had included the Aucklander in their panels but despite his red card Gatland saw something in his combination against England in his only Six Nations game.

With Manu Tuilagi sidelined, the 31-year-old got the gig. And then there’s Andrew Porter, a player who only switched to tighthead prop less than five years ago. 

The Dubliner was one of three players from Ryan’s U-20s side fast-tracked by Joe Schmidt but few would have bet on him making this tour ahead of the second-row or Jacob Stockdale.

Furlong’s injury absence opened the door, having his scrum coach Robin McBryde helped but that didn’t get Rónan Kelleher or Cian Healy over the line. Porter got the nod ahead of Kyle Sinckler, who came off the bench to great effect in all three Tests four years ago, and Tomas Francis of Wales. He’s a live contender to play in the series.

This is Gatland’s fourth Lions tour and his third as head coach. He knows what it takes to win a series, while he repeatedly spoke about the lessons of their last trip to South Africa in 2009.

Considering they haven’t played since the 2019 World Cup, he’s not expecting much of a tactical shift from the world champions even though Rassie Erasmus has handed over the reins to his trusted assistant Jacques Nienaber.

Recall how the ‘Boks dismantled England through their controlled power and then unleashed their ‘Bomb-squad’ bench to finish the job before their pacy outside backs added the icing to the cake.

So, Gatland will value size from Nos 1-6, pace at Nos 7 and 8. Control at half-back, power in the centre and pace out wide. His bench will need to mirror the impact of the ‘Boks, while Daly’s long-range kicking could be key at altitude.

The eight Irish tourists can now look forward with relish, those left out will lick their wounds and stay fresh in the hope of profiting from someone else’s misfortune.

After all the speculation, Gatland produced surprises to match the suspense. Now, his challenge is to beat the ‘Boks on their home turf.

 

Rúaidhrí O’Connor’s predicted team for the first Test:
S Hogg; A Watson, B Aki, R Henshaw, L Rees-Zammit; O Farrell, C Murray; M Vunipola, J George, T Furlong; M Itoje, AW Jones (capt); T Beirne, T Curry, T Faletau. Reps: K Owens, R Sutherland, A Porter, I Henderson, C Lawes, H Watson, G Davies, E Daly.

IRELAND’S EIGHT LIONS

Bundee Aki

Position: Centre

Age: 31

Province: Connacht

Caps: 31

First Lions tour

Form guide: A shock selection, Aki only featured once for Ireland during the Six Nations but despite a red card his dominant display against England impressed Gatland.

Robbie Henshaw

Position: Centre

Age: 27

Province: Leinster

Caps: 52

Second Lions tour (0 Tests)

Form guide: Outstanding this season, Henshaw’s inclusion was expected and deserved. In the frame for the Test team after missing out four years ago.

Conor Murray

Position: Scrum-half

Age: 32

Province: Munster

Caps: 89

Third Lions tour (5 Tests)

Form guide: Brings experience and calm, his form was questioned after the World Cup but he had a good Six Nations and looks suited to the test ahead.

Tadhg Furlong

Position: Tighthead prop

Age: 28

Province: Leinster

Caps: 49

Second Lions Tour (3 Tests)

Form guide: The outstanding player in his position in the Northern Hemisphere, he’ll be a key member of Gatland’s Test side.

Andrew Porter

Position: Tighthead prop

Age: 25

Province: Leinster

Caps: 37

First Lions tour

Form guide: Made the most of Furlong’s year out with injury, starring for Leinster and Ireland. A jackal threat who is physical in contact, he can cover both sides of the scrum.

Iain Henderson

Position: Lock

Age: 29

Province: Ulster

Caps: 63

Second Lions tour (0 Tests)

Form guide: Was probably the closest player not to get a Test cap in New Zealand, the Ulster captain enjoyed an excellent Six Nations and skippered Ireland against France.

Tadhg Beirne

Position: Lock/back-row

Age: 29

Province: Munster

Caps: 22

First Lions tour

Form guide: Another form selection, he made the most of his run of games in the Six Nations and Gatland loves his breakdown work. A real Test contender.

Jack Conan

Position: No 8

Age: 28

Province: Leinster

Caps: 28

First Lions tour

Form guide: After a year out with injury, he took his chance at the end of the Six Nations and starred against England. Gatland wants mobile back-rows.