Gregor Paul: Gatland's bold call to go with form against All Blacks is right

Liam Williams has been in great form for the Lions. Photo / Greg Bowker

The Lions have gone on form. And good on them. Warren Gatland spent much of the early part of this week saying the door was still open to the test team, despite having split the squad into groups.

Players had to trust him on that. Those sent out to play the Chiefs had to believe that if they gave it everything, showed something special, they might be just rewarded.

Two men did just that in Hamilton - Liam Williams and Elliot Daly and both have been rewarded with starting places against the All Blacks.

Williams is at fullback which suggests Gatland has bowed to pressure from the other coaches in the party. Gatland said he isn't sure Williams is a fullback, that he prefers him on the wing but that others saw the Welshman as a No 15.

He comes in for Leigh Halfpenny who, other than his goalkicking, hasn't set the world on fire with either his counter attack or ability on defence.

Daly has forced his way on to the left wing because how could he have been left out? He's had a good tour, was especially good in Hamilton and the other option, George North, has been a ghost.

So form has won out and so too has pragmatism. The option of fielding Owen Farrell at 12 with Johnny Sexton has been resisted.

At least it has been rejected as the place to start. With Sexton on the bench, that remains an option to consider later in the game - a way perhaps for the Lions to either generate width to their attacking game by having two decision-makers and distributors.

Or a way to increase the aerial bombardment. Either way, it's a trick up Gatland's sleeve with the bruising Ben Te'o asked to charge up the guts and see if he can get any change out of Sonny Bill Williams.

The only other area of uncertainty pre announcement was the order in which the three locks - Alun Wyn Jones, Maro Itoje and George Kruis - would be used. The older, more experienced pair of Jones and Kruis have been asked to nut it out against Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock and Itoje stacks up as an impact sub.

To no one's surprise Peter O'Mahony will captain the side with Sam Warburton on the bench. The intention to do that had been flagged weeks ago with the tour captain, Warburton, making it obvious he didn't feel he was going to have enough form under his belt to win a test place for the first test.

British & Irish Lions
15. Liam Williams - Scarlets, Wales
14. Anthony Watson - Bath Rugby, England
13. Jonathan Davies - Scarlets, Wales
12. Ben Te'o - Worcester Warriors, England
11. Elliot Daly - Wasps, England
10. Owen Farrell - Saracens, England
9. Conor Murray - Munster, Ireland
1. Mako Vunipola - Saracens, England
2. Jamie George - Saracens, England
3. Tadhg Furlong - Leinster, Ireland
4. Alun Wyn Jones - Ospreys, Wales
5. George Kruis - Saracens, England
6. Peter O'Mahony (capt) - Munster, Ireland
7. Sean O'Brien - Leinster, Ireland
8. Taulupe Faletau - Bath Rugby, Wales

Replacements
16. Ken Owens - Scarlets, Wales
17. Jack McGrath - Leinster, Ireland
18. Kyle Sinckler - Harlequins, England
19. Maro Itoje - Saracens, England
20. Sam Warburton - Cardiff Blues, Wales
21. Rhys Webb - Ospreys, Wales
22. Johnny Sexton - Leinster, Ireland
23. Leigh Halfpenny - Toulon, Wales