British and Irish Lions 2017: Warren Gatland sticks as Steve Hansen twists in hope of finding All Blacks' answer

If this were high stakes blackjack, Warren Gatland would be holding a pair of kings in his hand right now, content with the cards he has been dealt and letting his poker face do the talking. His opposite number, Steve Hansen, is not so comfortable at the table, as he has a pair of fives, but the All Blacks coach is ready to twist in the hope of receiving the ace he needs to wrestle back the advantage in this intriguing British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.

That’s because where Lions coach Gatland has been able to name an unchanged line-up, a first for the tourists in 24 years, Hansen has decided the revamp his back-line. His hand has been partly forced by the suspension of Sonny Bill Williams following his red card last weekend, but rather than put his faith just in the untested Ngani Laumape, Hansen has elected to throw two players in at the deep end by also handing Jordie Barrett his first international start.

It’s a massive gamble by the World Cup winner. The loss of Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty to concussion and a hamstring injury respectively has significantly hampered the All Blacks’ cause during this Test series, and rather than stick with the power game that they have surprisingly resorted to in the first two matches, Hansen has put his faith in young Jordie to bring the flair and dazzling rugby that he has displayed for the Hurricanes this season.

He is the youngest of three brothers named in the matchday squad, with Beauden at fly-half and Scott on the bench as the replacement lock. Yet he proved he can mix it with the Lions after starring in the 31-31 draw for the Canes last week in Wellington, and if he can bring his running boots with him on Saturday, Jordie could well be the man who does the most damage to the Lions – not to mention he is a better goal-kicker than big brother Beauden.

However, the weather forecast again suggests that running rugby may not be the order of the day in Auckland this weekend, and do not be surprised if images of Gatland leading his squad through a rain dance emerge over the next 48 hours.

The Lions have been the side that have adapted to conditions much better over the series, and he has unsurprisingly kept faith with the side that secured a 24-21 victory last time out at Westpac Stadium.

The key for the tourists will be to see how quickly they can regain their focus. While the All Blacks made an immediate return to the training field to right the wrongs of their second Test performance, the Lions ventured to Queenstown for some rest and recovery, though that can also be read as bungee jumping, jet boating and booze.

It’s a plan that has worked for the Lions under Gatland, given they won the third Test in 2009 and 2013 after similar trips. But if the players do not hit the ground running this weekend, there will be plenty of questions about why the squad were living it up in Queenstown rather than knuckling down in Auckland.