Dan Cole tells talkSPORT: British and Irish Lions need ‘someone to deliver something special’ to beat All Blacks
Dan Cole believes the British and Irish Lions will need ‘someone to deliver something special’ if they are to overcome the All Blacks on their Tour of New Zealand.
Warren Gatland’s men struggled to victory over the Provincial Barbarians as they opened the 2017 Tour on Saturday, and have five matches more to play before the first test against the All Blacks.
Saturday’s performance was blasted by critics, with Gatland’s tactics dubbed 'Warrenball' - focusing on a physical style of play with players forced to stick to their one and only prescribed task.
Gatland hit out at such criticism, claiming he wants the Lions to ‘play positive rugby’, but Cole made it clear having a strong foundation will be key to defeating the All Blacks.
However, a ’99 per cent’ performance can only turn into a winning showing if a ‘gamebreaker’ turns up and ‘delivers something special’.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the 30-year-old said: “They [New Zealand] play a lot of rugby; they play smart and they play teams like South Africa who are physically direct and they’ve got a great record against them.
“So you have to mix it up, you have to control the ball and not let them play too much. Ideally you have that bit of extra, a gamebreaker or someone to deliver something special, but that comes from having 95 per cent of the game right… 99 per cent of the game right.
“The foundation is set and everything’s solid and it’s that extra bit that takes you over the top, rather than looking for that from minute one because they are a team that can pounce on any opportunity and score.”
The victory over the Provincial Barbarians was the first match of the Tour, and there are still five games to go before the Lions have to be at their best for the opening test.
On Wednesday they face off against an Auckland Blues side boasting eight All Blacks and, though Cole wants to win, he is aware the Lions don’t need to be perfect as these games are all about ‘building momentum and gelling as a team’ before the real challenge starts.
He added: “We don’t have to be perfect tomorrow night, [but] ideally win the game.
“We’re here for six weeks so there’s another couple of weekends before the first test, so that is when you’ve got to be hitting your straps and being perfect.
“So it was the first time playing together, first time playing on this tour, first time playing some combinations, so it’s just about building momentum and gelling as a team and gelling as a forward pack.
“Ideally [it will be] another step up from Saturday and a step forward on the tour.”
talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 will broadcast full commentary of every match of the Lions' Tour of New Zealand along with dedicated daily news and programming - more coverage than ever before. Fans can tune in for all the action on talkSPORT and talkSPORT2 on DAB radio, via our free online streaming service at marvelbet369.com or on your radio at 1089 or 1053 AM.