Johnny Sexton backed to start at fly-half for British and Irish Lions
Thursday 9 February 2017 11:03, UK
Johnny Sexton remains in pole position to start at fly-half for the British and Irish Lions in the first Test against New Zealand, despite his injury problems.
That the verdict of Sky Sports pundits Stuart Barnes, Scott Hastings, Ieuan Evans and Alan Quinlan, who discussed Warren Gatland's options at 10 during a Lions Special in Edinburgh.
Sexton topped a poll on skysports.com with over 9,000 votes, ahead of England duo Owen Farrell and George Ford, but concerns remain over his fitness after he ruled out of Ireland's opening Six Nations game against Scotland with a calf injury.
Our pundits discussed how crucial Sexton is to the Lions' chances of registering their second series win in New Zealand, and assess the other contenders.
Stuart Barnes
Johnny Sexton is the best fly-half in this hemisphere because he has the belief, the brain and the experience. Without those three commodities the Lions are going to be floundering in New Zealand.
What about underneath him? I think Owen Farrell will play at 12 and is the favourite to slot into 10 if Sexton gets injured. But I have a concern in that Warren Gatland says he loves Farrell because he does little wrong. Tens have got to do more than that.
Farrell's passing game is better but his kicking game still isn't visionary. When he plays for England he benefits from the fact George Ford runs things.
Ford is suffering because Gatland sees him going for things in an England shirt and says he makes errors. He has to cut those errors out because he is a visionary.
Below them, Dan Biggar is very solid but plays too deep behind the gainline. His up-and-unders are great but I don't think he reads the field as a kicker.
The outsider is Finn Russell. He is brilliantly capable of individual moments but does he have that basic understanding of how to run a game?
Scott Hastings
Undoubtedly Sexton is number one, but the Lions brings out the best in players and Russell should go as the third fly-half if he shows consistency in the Six Nations.
Russell is in scintillating form for Glasgow. He plays flat to the gainline, dictates play and pulls defenders onto him. He is also improving in his kicking game. He is a little like Stuart Hogg, who four years ago went on a Lions tour and utterly excelled.
If Sexton can go through the tour without injury, he only has to play a couple of games to get into the Test team.
Ieuan Evans
You need an all-court game to take on the world champions, a moment of composure, and Russell didn't clear his mind when the drop goal was on for Glasgow against Munster.
You think of the Test arenas in Auckland and Wellington and they're two wide pitches. Ball-in-play time will be long and you need an outside-half to steward that ship, to bring that moment of clarity. When he's fit, Sexton has that in abundance.
The one query I have is over the number of injuries Sexton has suffered and Gatland has talked about needing physical robustness in his players.
Alan Quinlan
Am I concerned about Sexton? Everyone in Ireland is concerned. When he plays for Ireland he is outstanding. Sexton brings a real attitude, a narkiness which is exactly what you want from your 10.
The problem is he's not playing games. Ireland are desperately hoping he comes back for some part of the Championship.
You talk about Russell and that drop-goal decision. Sexton would have demanded the ball and slotted the ball over the bar. You need that dominance in New Zealand.
