Wales to play Tonga

Wales: Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues); Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins, capt), Steffan Evans (Scarlets); Sam Davies (Ospreys), Gareth Davies (Scarlets); Nicky Smith (Ospreys) Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues) Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Seb Davies (Cardiff Blues), Cory Hill (Newport Gwent Dragons), Aaron Shingler (Scarlets,), Thomas Young (Wasps), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues).

Replacements: Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), Ellis Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Ollie Griffiths (Newport Gwent Dragons), Aled Davies (Scarlets), Owen Williams (Gloucester), Cory Allen (Ospreys).

Backline is exciting but looks to be defensively challenged! Locks are piss weak and backrow very Pro12 ordinary. Looking forward to seeing Dai’s kid play though. Two flanks on the bench and three in the backrow highlights the lack of locks and 8’s in Wales.

We need a few Derwyn’s 😆

Anyone see the England U20s beat SA in the semi-final of the World Championships?

England v NZ final – Sunday 2:45 ITV4 🙂

Lions vs Maoris:

15 Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon/WAL), 14 Anthony Watson (Bath/ENG), 13 Jonathan Davies (Scarlets/WAL), 12 Ben Te’o (Worcester/ENG), 11 George North (Northampton/ENG), 10 Johnny Sexton (Leinster/IRL), 9 Conor Murray (Munster/IRL), 8 Taulupe Faletau (Bath/WAL), 7 Sean O’Brien (Leinster/IRL), 6 Peter O’Mahony (captain – Munster/IRL), 5 George Kruis, Saracens/ENG), 4 Maro Itoje (Saracens/ENG), 3 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/IRL), 2 Jamie George (Saracens/ENG), 1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens/ENG)

Substitutes: 16 Ken Owens (Scarlets/WAL), 17 Jack McGrath (Leinster/IRL), 18 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins/ENG), 19 Iain Henderson (Ulster/IRL), 20 Sam Warburton (Cardiff/WAL), 21 Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester/SCO), 22 Owen Farrell (Saracens/ENG), 23 Elliot Daly (Wasps/ENG)

According to http://www.sport24.co.za, George North is English. We’ll take him!

Maori side:

15 James Lowe, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Elliot Dixon, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Joe Wheeler, 3 Ben May, 2 Ash Dixon (capttain), 1 Kane Hames

Substitutes: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Leighton Price, 20 Kara Pryor, 21 Bryn Hall, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Rob Thompson

Shouldn’t trouble the Lions. The backs look a bit pedestrian…. 😯

No Lawes on the bench yet no news of injury – guess hes being rested. Sextons big chance too, Tough pack.

Nice looking Lions team, Faz at 12 apart I would settle for that as the test team if Sexton plays well, if not Faz at 10.
Wouldnt have Henderson or Laidlaw on the bench for the tests but otherwise it looks a strong bench that will add dynamism.

Looks close to a Test team with a few forced changes given the volume of rugby some of these guys have had (e.g. Farrell)

All the reports I’ve seen put Lawes out for a few weeks at least…

Maori All Blacks not far off being the All Blacks really! What a squad.

22. Dan Biggar – Ospreys, Wales, #821 (UPDATE: Late injury replacement for Owen Farrell)

F***

If its a late replacement, its not likely to be serious is my hope!!

Nice looking Lions team,

Too many Celts for my liking. 😉

That doesn’t look like a side that’s gonna score too many tries. Halfpenny is competent but no threat. JD seems to have got his place despite not really putting his hand up. Surely two from Loopy Liam, JJ or Daly would do the trick?

I can’t recall anybody beating the ABs recently by shutting them down and kicking a load of penalties. Even if we do get 5-7 kickable penalties and nail them all, are we gonna keep them below 20pts?

You’ve got to go at them and never relent. Wales did it in two tests for 50-60mins. Argentina did it for the first half in one of the RC games. Ireland did it for the whole game in Chicago.

Maori All Blacks not far off being the All Blacks really! What a squad.

Well here’s the ABs team for Samoa:

15 Ben Smith (captain); 14 Israel Dagg, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea; 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith; 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Jerome Kaino; 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick; 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.

Substitutes: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Vaea Fifita, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Jordie Barrett.

Few surprises although I thought TJ Perenara would start. All 3 Barrett brothers are in. Cruden and Read supposedly ready for 1st test. Kaino’s first game in a while.

Not good news about Farrell – hope it’s precautionary and not tour ending. If his tour is done for, who is next in line to be called up – would Gats look at Ford or would he look to someone like Preistland?

I’m not too worried about the forwards who have demonstrated what they can do, but the backs are a concern because they’ve not really fired or clicked yet. Is that down to individuals, form, combinations of coaching?

That All blacks team is much stronger than the Maori team!!

I can’t recall anybody beating the ABs recently by shutting them down and kicking a load of penalties.

I also cant recall anyone beating the all blacks by playing beach rugby and the Lions dont have the players to do it anyway. With Hogg gone 1/2p is really the only sensible choice. When ireland beat them in Chicago they did it by beating them up front. Liam has been poor and Watson didnt look to have great decision making with his little cameo at 15 and Daly like the other 2 isnt a full time full back. Centre is the biggest issue if Faz doesnt play 12 and we have the Abu Hamzar twins at 12 and 13 it wont matter who is on the wing! I’d have Joseph at 13 but think Davies deserves another shot to stake a claim, he runs good lines and if we have a 10 and a second play maker at 12 his lack of passing ability is not too much of a problem.

Savea, Cane and Kaino is a rapid backrow if that is what they go for in the tests passing wide from the Lions would be suicide unless it is really on. With the players we have and our relative strengths and weaknesses a forwards dominated game with some rapid wingers to finish chances when on is our best hope, Watson and North give us that. Another hope if Teo starts is to hope he can draw SBW into a dick swinging bosh contest, Roberts did this with Wales a few seasons ago and the All Blacks only pulled away when SBW went off and they passed round Roberts instead.

would Gats look at Ford or would he look to someone like Preistland?

Think Russell would be next, certainly not Priestland as he’s not even on the Wales tour.

the backs are a concern because they’ve not really fired or clicked yet. Is that down to individuals, form, combinations of coaching?

time I reckon. It takes a long time to adapt to how other people play,
although I doubt agent Howler is helping.

Apparently farrells injury has coincided nicely with Andy goodes arrival in NZ……he did say he was going to take his boots.

Another hope if Teo starts is to hope he can draw SBW into a dick swinging bosh contest

😀 😀 😀

#AnyonebutAnscombe

Dear God.. please save us; your humble servants from ever seeing Andy Goode in a tight rugby strip again….

Anscombe…no…nor Davies…..nor Patchel and certainly not Priestland.
Ford, Russell, Jackson or Carberry must be next surely

From what I have seen so far of the games Farrell seems to be the most in form / best of the tens so far and I didn’t think Sexton / farrell worked.

Lions do really need an in form sexton but so far he does not seem to be showing much

Farrell missed a load of tackles in the one game I saw all of which is a worry

Carbery is home after an ankle injury, so not sure they can have him.

Hopefully they’ll take Ford or Russell. While I’d love (for his sake) to see Sexton have an awesome performance, for whatever reason, he’s bang out of form at the moment and should be on the bench at most.

Not Russell. He needs the familiar players around him. If the squad had been picked with him at the core of it and the players to support him around him then maybe but with the players in the squad – simply he will not work. o point in him chipping into space or flipping the ball backhanded on a no look pass unless the players would be expecting it – the scots back row and centres are, the lions ones are not used to playing with a player like Russell

Mind you if you saw his display against the Italians you can understand why he was rated. More tricks to create space than Farrell has used in his entire career! No brain farts either unusually 😉 Is well worth watch in youtube if you want to see a great show of a 10 with a huge bag of tricks at his disposal.

Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vCxAu4yOXM

for whatever reason, he’s bang out of form at the moment and should be on the bench at most.

Yep. His form has dipped.

But even if he’d lost a limb, he’d still be better than Anscombe.

More tricks to create space than Farrell has used in his entire career!

Farrell (despite being clearly rubbish and the worst 10 ever) has won more trophies so far than Russell ever will 😆

Ford was surprisingly good last week and even managed to kick all but one goal. The game suited him though because it was played at pace and was generally unstructured. I still don’t trust him to back it up on Saturday though!

Hey mindmap – I did say right now I would have Farrell starting 10

Hey mindmap – I did say right now I would have Farrell starting 10

Just joking and winding you up due to your man crush on Russell!

Russell will be a fine 10 in time once he tempers his attacking instinct and plays the corners etc to when pressure needs to be relieved.

Not the Glasgow / Scotland / toonie way!

Farrell has barely had a break all tour. I imagine it is pragmatic to get him fully fit for the Tests

Would love to see Andy Goode line up! If anyone can match the ABs cross kicking and pushing of the laws (cheap shots) it is him 😉 tell him there’s a pie at the opposition try line and he could have the speed to cover the wings too 🙂

Got to be Goode, got to be.

tell him there’s a pie at the opposition try line and he could have the speed to cover the wings too

Even quicker if you tell him there’s a pie and a pint waiting for him! 😆

The best performance by any NH fly-half so far this summer was George Ford last week.

Still, if you look at the ABs and Lions teams for this weekend how many Lions backs would make a combined XV? Probably none or possibly just Connor Murray.

Forwards? Maybe 4.

The best performance by any NH fly-half so far this summer was George Ford last week

Ford was player the Jaguares, not the Crusaders or Blues and Russell was playing Italy. I’m sure both played well but its not really comparable.

Well the Toonie tombola goes into full spin cycle for the Aus match. this is the team
15. Greig Tonks (London Irish) – 6 caps

14. Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
13. Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) – 25 caps
12. Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 19 caps
11. Rory Hughes (Glasgow Warriors) – 3 caps

10. Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 28 caps
9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 6 caps

1. Gordon Reid (London Irish) – 25 caps
2. Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 26 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 10 caps
4. Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby) – 2 caps
5. Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 33 caps
6. John Barclay CAPTAIN – 61 caps
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 10 caps
8. Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 28 caps

Substitutes
16. Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 108 caps
17. Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby) – 9 caps
18. Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 16 caps
19. Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 30 caps
20. Josh Strauss (Sale Sharks) – 12 caps
21. Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) – 22 caps
22. Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps) – 30 caps
23. Matt Scott (Gloucester) – 38 caps

Loads of experience in the backs! Russell with the most at 28! good to see Toolis finally getting a place over Tim “mr penalty” Swinson

Forwards? Maybe 4.

?Faletau if Read is broken maybe and……?the props at a push

I was comparing the lineups for this weekend.

The Lions front 5 is probably a close match for the ABs as Coles isn’t there.

Not Toby is a better No8 than Ardie Savea.

So, on balance, you night pick 4.

I dont think any of the Lions front 5 forwards have the ball skills to be in the all blacks so whilst you could argue about set piece work I dont think many/any would get in.

I see your point but you don’t necessarily pick tight forwards primarily for their ball skills.

Besides, Mako Vunipola has fantastic handling skills and Itoje is not too shabby either.

Vunipola, George, Franks, Kruis, Retallic, Kaino, Cane, Faletau.

How’s that?

Wouldnt pick George, would pick Whitelock