.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
The British and Irish Lions opening match against the Provincial Barbarians on Saturday is likely the easiest and least consequential they will face on tour, yet it will still offer crucial insights into the style the tourists will adopt and the selection plans of coach Warren Gatland.
The Barbarians are a stitched-together collection of players from New Zealand's provinces who have had little time to prepare and who are not expected to pose any serious threat in Whangarei to the Lions as they start a 10-match tour.
But the Lions themselves have not had an ideal preparation. Club commitments held back several players from a training camp prior to their departure and, after their arrival on Wednesday and a host of welcome formalities, the tourists have had little shake-down time ahead of their first match.
The starting 15 includes five players from England, four from Wales and three each from Ireland and Scotland, epitomizing the challenge faced by all Lions sides; to mould players from four nations with distinctive national styles into a single, coherent whole.
With a 41-man squad, Gatland faces a significant personal challenge in trying to shape his side into a cohesive and unified combination in the six matches that precede the first test on June 24.
Gatland has promised to approach that challenge by keeping an open mind on test selection, by giving all 41 of his players every chance to play themselves into test contention.
Many observers, including former Lions players and coaches, see the task as enormous and possibly beyond the tourists, no matter how Gatland attempts to manage his extensive playing resources.
If Gatland gives every player a chance to showcase their talent ahead of the first test he may need a rotational selection policy which would work against the creation of firm combinations. He may instead choose to quickly establish the framework of his test lineup, then rotate players in some positions to fine-tune his combination.
He at least has the choice of relying on already established national combinations in key areas and that, along with his playing style, could factor in the crucial choice of flyhalf. He has three outstanding candidates to choose from: Ireland's Jonathan Sexton, England's Owen Farrell and Wales' Dan Biggar.
Sexton will get first shot at the role on Saturday. He might also have the front-running if Gatland favors established combinations, as Ireland's Conor Murray at scrumhalf and Robbie Henshaw at inside center are strong contenders for test spots.
''Last week at the end of training I had a chat to the 10s and Jonny (Sexton) said, `Don't worry about him (Farrell), he's a midfielder,''' Gatland said. ''There's already a bit of banter.
''The players are aware about the competition in that position. They'll get a chance to start, the three of them, Jonny on Saturday and the others in the next two games.''
The playing style Gatland will adopt for the Lions is likely to reveal itself quickly. The weakness of their first-up opponents may give the tourists some room for self-expression but when the Lions face tougher challenges against Super Rugby sides, the style they will take into the tests will assert itself.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has already indicated that, with little preparation time, Gatland will likely stick with what he knows best. As Hansen put it recently: ''We assume Warren's not going to have an epiphany and change the way he plays.''
That would mean the Lions will adopt ''Warrenball,'' the style Gatland favored with Wales during their most successful years under his coaching from 2011-13. That involves big centers carrying the ball to the gainline and incremental progress through retained possession. He might also add, as a hybrid, England's rush defense. But lack of time gives him little room for innovation.
