Theo Dan could be Lions wildcard picked ahead of England’s other hookers - Iqraa news

Alex Goode might have been feeling mischievous as he walked through the Stade Mayol mixed zone on Saturday afternoon, but the Saracens full-back had an unprompted suggestion for anyone listening all the same.

“Theo Dan; Lions?” he proposed with a shrug. “That was some performance.” Nods greeted the statement. French journalists were already convinced. One of them subsequently asked Mark McCall to elaborate upon Dan’s “flabbergasting” display. The diving offload for Ivan van Zyl’s try was greeted by a cry of “il est incroyable, ce jouer!” from a beIN Sports commentator.

Dan spearheaded an intrepid effort from the visitors that opened up a 35-13 advantage. Toulon would roar back to prevail 72-42, tapping into a theme of the weekend by using their superior depth to dismiss another Premiership side. Nevertheless, Dan was undeniably brilliant.

Later, the 24-year-old hooker reflected on what had been his first start in over two months, since a loss to Castres on January 19. Dan has needed to navigate an interesting patch in his young career. Awarded an enhanced elite player squad (EPS) contract at the end of October, he made one England appearance during the autumn, off the bench against New Zealand, and then a single cameo over the Six Nations.

No wonder he was like a coiled spring on Côte d’Azur. And as much as the British and Irish Lions cannot be a finishing school, Dan delivered a fine audition to be considered as an explosive option by Andy Farrell.

His first significant contribution was a burst from the back-field thanks to a canny Saracens plan. Notice that as Toulon prepare to clear, after the restart to follow Jiuta Wainiqolo’s try, Dan is nowhere to be seen:

Only when Ben White kicks…

…does Dan come into view, and calls for Goode to feed him from a quick line-out:

Dan scans the Toulon chase before bouncing off his right foot and then his left. He brushes off Lewis Ludlam and powers out of Kyle Sinckler’s tackle, committing two more defenders:

Now, Saracens pride themselves on stringing together meaningful contributions in short spaces of time. Dan is still flat on his back as the visitors play towards the far touchline through Goode:

But he returns to his feet and drops deeper to make himself an option the next phase. Dan hangs on the right shoulder of Eroni Mawi and receives a flat pass, puncturing Toulon with a half-break and passing off the floor to Goode, who swivels to link with Juan Martín González:

Nick Tompkins would burrow over from González’s run. Dan revealed that his hanging in the back-field, which was reminiscent of Schalk Brits, had been devised by Dan Vickers, one of Mark McCall’s long-time lieutenants.

“That got put to me on Monday and I was a bit sceptical because the last time I did it would have been when I was 17 or 18,” Dan explained. “It was an interesting tactic, but being written off maybe freed us up to try different things and be brave in attack.

“DV [Vickers] is a kicking strategist and he watches a bit of AFL as well as so much rugby league and rugby union. I knew it would have been backed up with research.”

Dan was not always comfortable in the back-field. Here, when the best option is probably to ship the ball towards the near flank, he hesitates a little and then cannot connect with Olly Hartley:

Even so, he and Saracens stuck to their guns. Set-piece work is a major focus for Dan and this scrum, which led to Hartley’s stunning solo try, trucked Toulon backwards:

Here, his throw finds González at the tail and Dan can arc around to feed Tobias Elliott behind the run of Hartley:

All the while, his bristling carries continue. Dan steps up at first-receiver here and heads across the pitch before straightening and eking out ground through the tackle of Leicester Fainga’anuku:

Later, on the back of Nick Isiekwe’s interception, he flings a 15-metre pass off his left hand to help Saracens capitalise on a transition situation:

And those post-contact metres pile up. Dan steps up at first-receiver here…

…and busts between Teddy Baubigny, his opposite number, and Facundo Isa, with Saracens earning a penalty advantage at the next ruck:

During the same attack, Dan runs a decoy close to the breakdown…

…and then picks and goes a phase later. Baubigny and Isa just about shackle him this time:

When play comes back for the penalty, Saracens opt to tap. Dan is the point man, and takes on David Ribbans and Esteban Abadie:

A phase later, he demands the ball again. Ribbans and Fainga’anuku must stoop to halt him:

To put it in the simplest terms, Dan is unpleasant to tackle and making opponents tackle him as often as possible is an effective approach.

On a mild day, the graft would have been exhausting. As Matthias Halagahu is helped off here, you can see Dan receiving treatment from physios in the background:

Indeed, he is close to the Toulon five-metre line when Melvyn Jaminet strikes this goal-line drop-out:

Dan retreats rather slowly as Andy Onyeama-Christie runs the ball back…

…and only walks past the breakdown as Van Zyl is preparing to address the ball:

But that seems to serve as its own form of deception. Saracens play one phase towards the near touchline and Dan sizes up a clever angle that capitalises on a disconnect in Toulon’s defence:

Van Zyl turns in the opposite direction, moving the attack in a zig-zag pattern, and Dan is too quick for a covering Isa. He outstrips Brian Alainu’uese as well. Jaminet does hold firm in a brave tackle, but Dan is able to turn his body and swing an offload to the supporting Van Zyl:

Toulon would launch their own onslaught from here, though Dan did keep working in defence. He pushes out in a bid to rush Sinckler here, but the latter tips a slick pass to Ludlam:

On the next phase, Dan retreats to fill in around the fringe and meets the mammoth Alainu’uese:

Alainu’uese, an imposing presence, would score moments later, yet Dan’s commitment to defence as well as attack is plain. Watch how he begins in midfield here…

…and chops down Ribbans in an excellent one-on-one tackle:

This throw did skew off the straight under pressure from the jump of Ribbans…

…and Dan endured a difficult afternoon at the line-out against Leicester Tigers. The set piece will have been a target area for him over the Six Nations camp. Dan admitted that sitting behind Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George in the England pecking order had been “frustrating”.

He vowed to use it as motivation, though, and viewed an extended training stint at Pennyhill Park, between his brief outing against Ireland at the beginning of February and the end of the tournament in mid-March, as “an unbelievable opportunity to get better every day”.

As Toulon pulled away to record a 30-point win, there were subtle turning points that fell against Saracens. Dan and his colleagues hang in this scrum well, but Baptiste Serin steps out of what appears to be a blind alley to strike a 50:22:

“The first 30 minutes, we blew them away,” Dan surmised. “They didn’t have many answers for our work-rate, our physicality and the intensity of our actions. That was everything we were going to pride ourselves on. Unfortunately, it just slipped away from us.”

Saracens, according to Dan, will now aim to use a heady occasion as a “springboard” into the remainder of their domestic campaign. Beyond that, provided he stays fit and healthy, there is an exciting summer ahead for him on an individual level. Either Dan will travel to Argentina and USA with England or he will be a somewhat left-field Lions pick.

It is perhaps a happy omen that Dan’s first Lions memories are from the 2013 tour of Australia, specifically George North putting Israel Folau over his shoulder.

“I was in the car with my dad and we were listening on the radio,” Dan said. “The commentator couldn’t really describe what had happened, so we had to go to YouTube to figure it out.”

Dan Sheehan is the undisputed front-runner for the starting Test team and Ronan Kelleher, another Ireland and Leinster star, is bound to be in Farrell’s thoughts. Then you have George and Cowan-Dickie, both of whom have started Tests for the Lions, as well as Wales co-captain Dewi Lake and Scotland internationals like Dave Cherry and Ewan Ashman. As one of Farrell’s assistants, John Dalziel will have an input on selection.

George is a close friend of Dan, and has described his mate as “tough and athletic” and “significantly more talented than I was”. “He’s going to do great things for Saracens, England and, hopefully, the Lions,” George said back in March.

While they are hookers with different assets, there are eerie parallels when it comes to the Saracens duo and the Lions. George was behind Dylan Hartley in 2017, yet was named in Warren Gatland’s squad. Then 26-years-old, he had 17 caps but no Test starts.

Dan was fast-tracked into the England set-up by Borthwick and evidently valued, has 17 caps and three Test starts. The 2017 Lions trip was a catalyst for George to tie down the England berth. Dan would return as a more rounded, assured operator were he to go Down Under. While he might begin in the mid-week mix, he can contribute in a positive manner.

“The Lions really is the best of the best and has always been my dream, but I’m definitely not looking that far ahead,” Dan said after wowing Stade Mayol.

“That was my first start since January. I’ve got to play more regularly, play better, be more consistent. It’s not about the flash stuff. I need to nail down my set piece, which I feel like I took big strides in over the last few weeks.

“In the summer, what will be will be. Either way, I’m looking forward to playing for Sarries and finishing strong.”

May 8 is the date that Farrell unveils his Lions cohort. Whether or not Dan is included, a terrific outing in Toulon can boost the bustling hooker to greater heights.

Match images from Premier Sports