Warren Gatland heaped praise on Jack Conan after he delivered an outstanding performance in helping the Lions to a crucial first Test victory over South Africa.
Conan earned his starting place ahead of the vastly-experienced Taulupe Faletau, one of Gatland’s loyal servants, and the Wicklow native fully justified his selection ahead of the Welsh man.
Conan was comfortably the Lions’ top ball carrier as he punched holes on the edge, where he was again at his most effective. A willing option, the Leinster man never shirked his defensive responsibilities either, with Gatland particularly impressed by Conan’s consistent level of performances throughout the tour, which he took to a new level in his first appearance against the Springboks.
“Jack did what he does well and the reason we picked him, he doesn’t make mistakes” Gatland said following his side’s enthralling 22-17 win. “He’s incredibly accurate, he takes those kick-offs, he has got some good footwork, he got us some go-forward and he does a lot of the unspectacular stuff that you need in a forward pack to get the balance right.
“You have got guys that will carry a bit more and stuff, so we were really pleased with his performance. It was incredibly solid. He has continued to improve and improve in this environment. He’s like a sponge in terms of gaining knowledge.
“He asks really, really good questions. He takes on information well, so we are really pleased with his development.
“I know the first game he played, he was incredibly nervous about the first hit-out. He is one of those players that does get pretty nervy before a game, but this week, he seemed a lot calmer and a lot more assured.”
Gatland refused to entertain the notion that the Lions had been on the end of some favourable refereeing decisions, as he warned against a ’Boks backlash next Saturday.
“From both teams, you look at it and think it was a bounce of a ball, it could have gone any way,” Gatland added. “A couple of calls and if they’d been different, they might have affected the result. We’re really happy with the way we defended.
“We didn’t think that they created a lot of attacking opportunities and in that last passage of play, we were coming off the line and making big tackles and they weren’t going anywhere.
“They’ll be hurt from this because they’re a very proud nation and world champions. Next week is going to be even bigger and tougher, I would expect.”