LIST: Five players who blew their chance to impress Gatland
Rugby NewsSunday, 07 February 2021 at 18:22
The weekend’s opening round of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations saw holders England lose at home to Scotland, whilst Wales edged Ireland in an entertaining clash at the Principality Stadium.
Plenty of players impressed Lions boss Warren Gatland, but on the other hand there were a number of hopefuls who had days to forget.
Here are five Six Nations stars who blew their chance to impress Warren Gatland in the opening round.
1. Peter O'Mahony (Ireland)
Conceded a costly penalty early doors against Wales and deserved his red card for an ill-disciplined ruck clear-out. The hot-headed flanker at this moment in time would be too much of a liability for Gatland against the Springboks.
2. Finn Russell (Scotland)
With Owen Farrell having a poor game, it was the perfect opportunity for Russell to put down a serious marker. However, a silly trip on Ben Youngs earned him a yellow card. There were glimpses of his talents but he couldn’t quite escape the shackles with Russell coughing up FIVE turnovers. Too many errors for Warren Gatland’s liking.
3. Billy Vunipola (England)
A yellow card in the first half, for a mindless high tackle no doubt borne out of frustration. Not often Eddie Jones hooks him so the fact he did after the number 8 carried just twice spoke volumes. With Faletau and Stander also failing to impress, Vunipola still has time to bounce back.
4. Hallam Amos
The winger, who only had an outside shot of making the tour, made little impression on the game in Cardiff. Touched the ball just once before the break, and didn't do much more in the second half. The icing on the cake was a kick straight into touch off a turnover wasn’t his finest moment.
5. Jonny May (England)
Uncharacteristic knock-ons and caught the eye for packing down in the scrum rather than with ball in hand with no opportunity to stretch the legs. The Gloucester wide-man seems to have lost form at the worst possible time with the Lions tour on the horizon.
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