Gatland turns on the charm
Let the tour begin.
The British and Irish Lions touched down in Auckland yesterday, and coach Warren Gatland immediately continued his charm offensive he hopes will endear the tourists to the rugby-mad New Zealand public.
Such an event only comes around once every 12 years, and given his Kiwi heritage, Gatland knows the Lions will lead front pages and news bulletins over the next six weeks. Hype will follow campervans and the legion of red jerseys, gripping New Zealand like no event since the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
While rugby will take centre stage, everything the Lions do and say off the field will also be scrutinised.
‘‘That’s New Zealand, isn’t it,’’ said Gatland, the former All Blacks hooker. ‘‘There’s a little bit of bridge building required from 2005. We want to go a long way to doing those things in the community and hopefully play some good rugby. If we can win some hearts and minds it should be a cracking tour and that’s what everyone wants.
‘‘It’s always pretty special coming home. We’re looking forward to what we know will be an incredibly tough challenge.’’
The Lions have no time to settle. Saturday’s opening match against the provincial Barbarians in Whangarei marks the start of a brutal 10-game tour.
After spending four days with 30 of his 41-man squad in Dublin prior to departure, Gatland is well aware of his priorities, having led the Lions on their last successful tour to Australia.
‘‘We’ve had some good time together and I’ll catch up with some other players over the next few days but hopefully we can recover quickly and acclimatise for Saturday.
‘‘The big challenge early, and one of the things I’ve learnt through past experiences, is creating harmony within the group. There’s a lot of players and you’ve got to give them opportunities so we’ll be mixing and rotating in those first few games before we start honing in for the test matches.’’
On arrival the Lions received a traditional powhiri welcome and responded with a Welsh hymn. Gatland has educated his men to understand the unique Kiwi elements this tour will bring.
‘‘It’s been part of my job prepping the guys about what to expect culturally. I know from experience in 2011 a lot of teams arrived here very unprepared about what was going to happen. We felt we did a good job with Wales so we’ve been working hard to make sure nothing is a surprise.
‘‘With the welcome today we responded and sung and we’ve got a welcome in Waitangi on Sunday after the game so we’ve prepared for that. The guys know if someone gets close to you to give you a hongi it’s to embrace it. We’re really excited to be here.’’