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British and Irish Lions

Yep, I'm watching and yep, brutal and dreadful stuff

Where to start?

The huge Lions pack is being outplayed, out-fought and out manouvered. Thus, the breakdown is a mess and turnovers are commonplace. Only DOC can hold his head up.

Kicking from hand is poor. Add to that numerous handling errors and a lack of communication on blind side runs.

The only positives stem from negatives :)confused:)...

Playing Hines at 6 - mistake
Worzel has proved he aint gonna make the test side.
Gethin Jenkins place is uncontested.
Ford cant throw - Mears a starter
None of the backs should start on saturday

The test team is picking itself.

Fatty Barnes is right in saying that the tour needed a game like this, 99 call anyone?

Shame for Hook though.......hope he recovers
 
i thought earls had a good game

i think o'gara, o'callaghan, and fitzgerald didnt have terrible games

it was just generally a bit clueless

jones at 10 might sort the backs out
the forwards- a complete overhaul is needed, thankfully i think thats what the coaches had intended
they'll employ some professionals for sunday's game
 
Not really a surprising result when you pick a blindside at 7 and a second row at 6. Slaughtered at the breakdown all game. Tour party has always lacked another natural openside.
 
Yeah, I'd agree with you RF - Earls had a decent game. Shaw was everywhere in the second half and tackled his heart out but no one played themselves into the test side.

Despite the ragged nature of the match and the areas of (on going) concern at the breakdown and in penalties conceded I'm pleased that the 100% record remains.

Saturday looks more daunting than ever now.....:(

Here's hoping that the Bokke are underdone.........
 
Bok 22 for saturday. Brussow in for Burger.
No real surprises elsewhere.

South Africa: Francois Steyn; JP Pietersen, Adrian Jacobs, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana; Ruan Pienaar, Fourie du Preez; Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, John Smit, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Heinrich Brussow, Juan Smith, Pierre Spies.
Replacements: Gurthro Steenkamp, Deon Carstens, Andries Bekker, Danie Rossouw, Ricky Januarie, Jaque Fourie, Morne Steyn.

Missed todays game, do they repeat streams?
 
Real shame for Hooky. I though he has looked as good as he has for some time on this tour, and his versatility would have freed up a lot of space on the bench. Hook can play in so many positions it would have provided far, far better cover. The bench, and therefore the team, look badly weakened as a result. I think this could well see the Wallace/Williams 6 and 7 partnership start with Croft on the bench to cover at 6 and in the backrow. It's what they do with the seventh slot that will be interesting. My original 'best' bench would have looked like this: Kearney, Hook, Ellis, Adam/Vickery, Ford/Rees, Hines, Wallace/Williams, with Croft starting

This now forces a big rejig. Possible bench: Kearney, Ellis, O'Gara, Adam/Vickery, Ford/Rees, Croft (to cover lock and 6), ? - possibly Powell or another back, maybe Fitzgerald. This would see Wallace and Williams starting together, and Hines denied a place.
 
Another 3 hours before we know but this would be my team:

Byrne
Bowe
O’Driscoll
Roberts
Kearney
Jones
Phillips

Jenkins
Mears
Vickery
AWJ
O’Connell
Croft
Williams
Heaslip
 
The Team from the BBC

L Byrne
T Bowe
B O'Driscoll
J Roberts
U Monye
S Jones
M Phillips

G Jenkins
L Mears
P Vickery
Alun-Wyn Jones
P O'Connell
T Croft
D Wallace
J Heaslip

Replacements:

M Rees
A Jones
D O'Callaghan
M Williams
H Ellis
R O'Gara
R Kearney
 
Its a pretty uninspiring bench all round really. There's a real drop off in quality in most positions once you go beyond the 1st XV. Injuries will cost us dear come tests 2 and 3.

I thought they'd go for Powell on the bench for some last quarter impact at least.

I think ours backs can match the boks, but up front we're going yet ripped apart.:(
 
I still cant work out why Croft plays blind, surely he should be open, I would also liked to have seem Martyn Williams start, and no suprises that Shane Willaims does not feature, how many chances did he have :rolleyes:
 
Its a pretty uninspiring bench all round really. There's a real drop off in quality in most positions once you go beyond the 1st XV. Injuries will cost us dear come tests 2 and 3.

I thought they'd go for Powell on the bench for some last quarter impact at least.

I think ours backs can match the boks, but up front we're going yet ripped apart.:(
Strength in depth has been really hit, especially in the pack. In the backs we really need Hook and Williams fit and on form for 2 and 3.
 
I think our half backs are weak and thats where we'll lose the game. Phillips is brilliant arounf the fringes but his pass is just way too slow.

Jones is just average and the best of a bad crop of out halves in the NH at the moment.

Compared to the Boks we're a bit light weight in the second row too.
 
The boks team on paper looks good, although ring rustiness might be a problem for Pienaar, de villiers and Adi Jacobs. I am happy about Brossouw making the squad, he thoroughly deserved it for consistently playing out of his skin in an under performing Cheetahs squad. Although he is certainly not in the usual bok player mould, a double helping of HUGE with some extra speed on the side.

Frans Steyn has the potential to become an excellent full back, been advocating this change for years, he reminds me a lot of Andre Joubert.

Otherwise this is a pretty settled bok squad, which if they get the tactics right, will be a handful for the lions.

I watch the first lions/Bok test from 97 on ESPN classics the other night. What an excellent game of rugby, the boks had the measure of the lions for 80 percent of that game, but two moments decided that first test, one being a disallowed try to the boks at around 55 minutes, a beaut of a move that in the last pass was forward and the second being the dummy Dawson sold James Small on the blindside leading to a try.

Once the Lions got that try, the entire game changed. The boks started chasing the game and came undone. Was good to see Keith Woods, Neil Jenkins, Dayglo, Johnson, Mark Andrews, Os Durant and Henry Honniball playing in their prime. A seriously enjoyable match to watch, even if I did know the outcome.
 
Comparing the two teams its shirt numbers 4 to 10 where the boks have superiority, real class players a cut above their lions counterparts in all those positions. Burger to come back from injury as well.

Just got to hope we catch them cold in the first test and put in a full on bodies on the line team performance. Thinking of 97 when everyone thought we were weak at scrum half with a relatively unknown Dawson replacing Howley and he stepped up and scored a match winning try. We need someone to do that this time.
 
hmm just been chatting to a mate who is jetting off to see her boyfriend ( a shoe in for the starting 15)...very jealous :)
 
I think it's a pretty unsuprising selection really.

Only suprise is that M Williams is on the bench, not starting. Other than that I think it's pretty bang on.

We will miss Hook badly on the bench.

And for me, forget all the bigger name peformances BOD, POC, Byrne etc. I reckon it's Crofts performance that is going to be vital to whether we win or lose.

I could be way off like, but I really have a feeling he could be a key to unlocking SA.
 
That bench looks very unispiring with no real impact players for the last 20. If Hooky had been fit he would have added a certain sparkle to the subs, and as poorly as he has played I would have stuck ickle in there because he can atleast give you a gazza like magic moment and turn a game, havning said that with the absence of Hook who could have covered so many positions the subs bench was always going to be a tricky selection.
 
Thought Hines had done enough to merit a bench spot & now Murrays fucked for the rest of the tour. Theyve sent for Johnny Hayes.
 
Jones is just average and the best of a bad crop of out halves in the NH at the moment.

Old two-times grand slam winner and now four time Lions test starter; Stephen 'average' Jones.

He's the fourth best o/h in the world. Obviously not good enough.
 
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