Andy Farrell is repeating ‘Geography Six' mistake with latest Lions call-ups

Telegraph

6 days ago

In a loud echo of the 2017 Geography Six controversy, the British and Irish Lions have brought in the Scottish trio of Darcy Graham, Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman as training cover.
What their epithet is has yet to be determined. One wag in Brisbane went for the 'Jock-graphy three' or if you extend it to include Thomas Clarkson, the Ireland prop who was called up on Sunday on a similar pretext, you could go for the 'First Nations Four'.
Either way, it is clear they are being called up to protect Andy Farrell's players for the match against the First Nations & Pasifika XV which takes place on July 22 between the first and second Tests.
From a utilitarian perspective, this is perfectly understandable that Farrell would not want to risk any Test squad players, especially his front rowers, for a midweek game. John Dalziel, the forwards coach, confirmed that they will head home following the match so that will massively save on the old expenses bill.
None of the picks are offensive in themselves – although it would have been so much funnier if Farrell had called up three more Leinster players. Winger Graham might have been the unluckiest player to miss out on the original squad selection, especially considering the presence of Scotland team-mate Duhan van der Merwe. Sutherland, the loosehead prop, is now a two-time Lions tourist. Ewan Ashman becomes the squad's fifth hooker, which is not as overkill as it seems given Luke Cowan-Dickie's concussion return to play protocols and the fact that Jamie George is only halfway through his marathon trip from the Andes to Australia.
It is all perfectly understandable, particularly because Scotland are so close by in New Zealand preparing for a match against Samoa. 'I think naturally at this stage of the tour that the games are more intense,' Dalziel said. 'Geographically, we're getting people here if they do need to play. I think it's the right time to do it with the right players. We're not giving away opportunities lightly.'
The problem is that the founding principle of the Lions is that only the best of the best get to pull on the famous red shirt. Impinging upon that principle, however logical the decision might appear on paper, is a risky business. Rightly or wrongly, many people already feel disconnected from the Lions because of the presence of eight foreign-born players in the squad. It is easy to see how this round of call-ups will cause other supporters to feel disillusioned as they were for the Geography Six affair, which Gatland said he later regretted.
When George was called up to replace Cowan-Dickie, Farrell was adamant that he wanted the 'right man'. If Farrell really wanted the right men, why did he not send for the England props – Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes – who took the Argentina scrum to the cleaners over two weeks? Class now appears to have been overtaken by convenience.
None of this is the fault of the players being called up, but they will arrive as second-class citizens. Lions in name but not spirit. When the Geography Six – Tomas Francis, Gareth Davies, Finn Russell, Cory Hill, Kristian Dacey and Allan Dell for those with exceptional memories – were called up to cover the midweek game against Hurricanes, props Joe Marler and Dan Cole refused to come off.
Captain Maro Itoje was at pains to emphasise that would not be the case this time around.
'I have no doubt that the boss has called them in because we believe they will help our goals of winning the Test series,' Itoje said. 'All the players called in are quality players who have a high level of experience. We are all in this together. It is not us and them. You have seen in the past how late call-ups can have a huge impact on the tour in a positive way.'
It also raises the question of why the Lions are playing this match against the First Nations & Pasifika team three days after the first Test against another scratch side. Given the pitiful performance by the AUNZ Invitational side in Adelaide and a lower quality talent pool, it feels that this game has little purpose behind it beyond making money.