Gregor Paul: Lions won't roar without Billy Vunipola

Billy Vunipola of England. Photo / Getty Images

It's not hard to understand why British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland tried to persuade Billy Vunipola to still come to New Zealand even if his shoulder was shot.

Gatland had big plans for the England No 8 knowing that Vunipola's presence would add a high-impact, destructive edge to a slow, grinding game plan. Gatland knows that he has abrasive, combative athletes in Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Rory Best and CJ Stander - men who can win the ball and hold their own in the rough and tumble.

But these men are platform-builders, not game winners in their own right. No one could seriously expect to beat the All Blacks simply by pinching the odd lineout or winning a few collisions.

Gatland has always been hoping to offer more than bump and grind and Vunipola was his trump card.

When big Billy gets going, he's a tidal wave of destruction, hence Gatland's attempts to persuade Vunipola to still come to New Zealand on a managed programme of training to protect his damaged shoulder.

At close to 130kg, Vunipola's an astonishing bit of machinery on the charge. He's never been fit enough to give 80 minutes but the Lions were banking on him bringing 65 minutes of ball-carrying carnage.

They were planning to have him power off rucks and force Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett into tackling him.

There were times last year when the All Blacks looked vulnerable to teams attacking them directly through the middle of the ruck and few players in world rugby are better suited to taking that route than Vunipola.

He wouldn't provide a point of difference as such, but what he would have done is elevate the effectiveness of a limited gameplan to the extent the Lions would fancy they could make life intolerable for the All Blacks.

There comes a point when a relentless physical onslaught starts to overwhelm and even the All Blacks aren't immune to that.

They have suffered at the hands of South Africa over the years where the Boks have offered precisely no creativity or subtlety but pounded so hard for so long that eventually they have broken all resistance.

No Vunipola means the Lions suddenly look less dangerous and their gameplan without him feels short of what it will need.

Toby Faletau will most likely be the man who ends up wearing No 8 in the test series, and good player though he is, he won't bring the same driving force as Vunipola.

Faletau is a harder worker, more mobile and more aerobic than Vunipola but the qualities the English No 8 lacks are not the qualities the Lions need.

Vunipola can run over the top of even the best defenders, Faletau can't and while the Welshman played well in New Zealand last June, he holds little fear factor for the All Blacks.

They ultimately see him as a player they know they can dominate because they have done so many teams before.

When he lines up with Sam Warburton at openside the All Blacks will cast their minds back to last June and recall how those two were here in different red jerseys.

And the All Blacks will recall how they managed to win that series against Wales 3-0 without ever managing to play anywhere near their best and feel pretty good that the Lions have two Welshmen in their loose trio.