Lions 2013: Abuse over the decison to drop Brian O'Driscoll for the third Test was a disgrace In reading this post-event analysis, you may detect a bias, an error in evaluation of the quality of a decision when its outcome is already known. If so, it is unavoidable because Gatland's choice of his starting squad could not be soundly measured without reference to the result because sport only has three outcomes and is judged acordingly. Whatever was claimed to the contrary, the dropping of Brian O'Driscoll for Jamie Roberts, the favouring of Alex Corbisiero and Mako Vunipola in front of Ryan Grant and the replacement of Tom Croft with Dan Lydiate could be defended as sound, but only if they produced a win. The hysteria in some quarters over the O'Driscoll decision, in particular, resulted in nastiness, amplified by social media, and some of the personal abuse posted was a disgrace. The abusers showed that they were never real fans at all because the concept of the Lions is to support the side until the end, whatever occurs. The nationalist fault lines can only be negotiated by loyalty; there is time for rancour afterwards. You do not support a side only if the players you favour are picked and you certainly do not, as some did openly, perfidiously switch allegiance to the opponents. Gatland's were sporting decisions, not intended as national insults. As the game unfolded, Gatland's faith was repaid by the Welsh players and significantly augmented by the non‑Welsh players in the starting line-up and the substitutes. Chief among these was Corbisiero, whose demolition of Ben Alexander paved the way for the dominance over the Australia pack and of the game itself. His playing of the scrum wheel of fortune meant that referee Roman Poite was able to ignore all the other illegalities and choose the worst which, sadly for the Aussies, always lay with the hapless Alexander. It should not be thus, but it was and Corbisiero can claim to have made a seminal contribution to the series win. The opprobrium for Poite in the Aussie media is mere whinging that is to be expected and had the Australian union not done all it can to wreck the scrum as a proper contest, they might have props who are able to compete when it is refereed to something like the correct standard. Just as the scrum set the tone for forward hegemony, the line‑out cemented it and Geoff Parling's retention as the lineout caller was important. Not only did this supply ball, it meant that late on the Australians did not profit from their attempt to gain territory as they were unable to pressure the throw. This platform allowed Sean O'Brien to vent his idiosyncratic fury in attack and defence where he resembled a human wrecking ball. Perhaps the most voiced fear of pre‑match critics was the potential lack of leadership in the team and here Alun Wynn Jones and his decision makers, especially Jonathan Sexton, proved their mettle. The potentially disastrous wobble either side of half‑time saw the Lions ship 13 points and closely resembled the second Test in 2001 which effectively cost the Lions that series. That the Lions steadied themselves and through calculated gambles from Sexton turned defence and turnover into attack, lifted the tourists to another plane from which the view to the finishing line was clear. Behind all this, for most of the time, was the remarkable Leigh Halfpenny. A throwback to the days of regular‑sized backs, his regular deposits into the Lions account totalled something astonishing. His coup de grâce was an intricate run to set up George North's try and thus he just edged out A W Jones for player of the tour. It is true that the Aussies missed several players who would have started the series but none of this is the fault of the Lions and the emphatic dispatch of a more settled team was so comprehensive they could do no more. There are some people claiming they knew it would turn out like this but not only are they guilty of creeping determinism; they are also telling porkies. This triumph by Gatland, his management team and captain Sam Warburton was achieved without a hint of excess and Warburton has borne his frustration with dignity. It is an admonishment to those, including me, who expressed sincere doubt. To the abusive, some of whom should have known better, it is a two-fingered riposte and fully deserved.