British and Irish Lions 2017: Dan Cole won't bring the X-factor as prop focuses on the basics to leave flair to teammates

Cole knows that the Lions can develop their attacking rugby as the tour of New Zealand wears on, but that doesn't mean he'll be popping offloads left, right and centre any time soon

Dan Cole accepts he will not be resorting to any flair as he focuses on the basics (Getty)

Dan Cole agrees with British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland that they need to display an “X-factor” to beat the All Blacks, but just don’t look at the tighthead prop to be the one who brings it.

After joking “I’ve been practicing my drop-goals” in line with the X-factor party line that seems to have been employed by the Lions coaching team – both Gatland and attack coach Rob Howley have talked up their squad’s ability to create something out of nothing – Cole admitted that something extra is needed if the Lions are going to beat all five Super Rugby sides and challenge the All Blacks later this month.

But the England prop did not lose sight of his job, and explained that Lions fans should not expect to see him popping the ball out of tackles and throwing 30m glory passes any time soon. Instead, the Leicester Tigers front-row will concentrate on what he does best in getting the basics right to provide the platform for those around him to provide that extra bit of flare.

“I think the X-factor he's [Gatland’s] looking for, if you get the basics in place, physicality, looking after the ball, if you get the 99 per cent right it comes on top of that,” Cole said on Tuesday ahead of his first appearance on the tour of New Zealand against the Blues on Wednesday night.

“He's not just going to ask us to pull something out of the bag. It comes out when you get everything else perfect. It's the one per cent on top that brings that out.

“I don't think he's just looking for me to tap and go from my own goalline, put it that way.”

Cole finds himself in a very different position to 2013, where he toured Australia very much as the junior tighthead for the Lions, fighting with Adam Jones and Matt Stevens for the Test side. This time around, he finds himself as the elder statesman among Gatland’s squad, with the 30-year-old now providing the experience for 24-year-olds Tadhg Furlong and Kyle Sinckler.

Cole now finds himself the experienced hand in the tighthead department (Getty)

But that doesn’t mean that the Leicester prop has done with learning himself, and he explained that while he is there to guide his younger teammates when they find themselves in times of difficulty, he is also expanding his own game and knowledge as the tour progresses.

“It's changed a bit, [I’m] the old man, thank you,” Cole joked. “It's as much I'm learning as much as them, like on the last tour, and you might have been in situations where they haven’t and they want to ask you.

You learn from guys around you who you haven't played with before

Dan Cole

“You learn from guys around you who you haven't played with before. That makes you better as a player. You help each other out for the team.”

Cole will need to draw on his experience to ensure that the new front-row combination of Jack McGrath, Ken Owens and himself do not falter against an all-New Zealand front-row, with loosehead Ofa Tu’ungafasi set to give him a stern test. Come through it successfully though, and it’ll be Cole who has the Test shirt with Furlong and Sinckler yet to stamp their mark on it.