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The statistic that sets Elliot Daly apart from any other 2021 Lion
By Liam Heagney
England back Elliot Daly heads into Saturday's third Test versus the Springboks on the cusp of completing the extraordinary feat of playing a part in all eight Lions matches on South African territory. The versatile Saracens operator is the only player in Warren Gatland's squad to have featured in all seven 2021 tour matches in the southern hemisphere so far and he will complete the full house if he steps off the Test bench in Saturday's series finale in Cape Town.
A tourist in 2017 in New Zealand where he played in seven of the ten matches that took place in the southern hemisphere on that trip, Daly has started four matches in South Africa (the first Test versus the Springboks, both games versus the Sharks and the clash with the Stormers) while he also appeared off the bench in the Lions' other three games (South Africa A, last weekend's second Springboks Test and the opener against Sigma Lions).
The interesting difference on this tour is that Daly has been a starter at outside centre, the position where he last started for England in 2016. In contrast, his five starts on the previous Lions tour were on the left wing in 2017.
His 403 minutes on the pitch in South Africa have seen him score one try, provide two try assists, give five offloads, make eleven carries for a 149-metre gain, leave 13 defenders beaten, make 19 kicks in open play, put in 21 tackles, make 36 passes and kick for 452 metres.
On the debit side, he has conceded six turnovers, missed eleven tackles and was also involved in that compelling early first Test hit from Lukhanyo Am which left him on his backside in Cape Town, but under pressure Lions attack coach Gregor Townsend is a fan of what Daly has brought to the table on tour in South Africa.
"It's a credit to his ability, his endurance of being able to back up games," said the Scotsman about Daly's ever-present inclusion on the Lions teamsheet. "He has worked really hard, things like his kick chase, getting back for opposition kicks has been outstanding. It shows his adaptability. He has run at 13, has run at 15, he has covered games and training sessions on the wing. It's a credit to him that he is involved in all three Test matches and is covering a number of positions tomorrow [Saturday]."
It was on May 6, the day of the Lions tour squad announcement, that Townsend initially outlined his enthusiasm regarding Daly's selection as a midfielder for the South African trip rather than as a back three player where he had traditionally featured for England and Saracens. "As a 13 it could go very well for us, the goal-kicking, the left foot - all the various attributes he has are positives," he said.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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