Lions coach Warren Gatland has highlighted goal-kicking as a major issue going into the test series against the All Blacks. A balance was needed between protecting the test players and not making others feel left out of the test calculations. Gatland coached Payne at Waikato, but he was not re-signed and moved to Northland, where he made his name. "We've picked Owen as a 10, that's where he plays for Saracens and we know he can cover 12. - The Lions are expecting plenty of injury issues, with Gatland saying 6-10 players had been lost on previous tours.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 19, 2017 18:42 UTC