Forum menu
Oh so nearly. If only ..............
Murray hadn't knackered his ankle
Shane had found some form
Cussiter had gone on tour
We had a proper no 10
And Geech had listened to the armchair experts 🙂
Well this arm chair expert was right about Vickery.
Vickery was done over well and truly. I don't think the beast was turning in on him. Vickery was turning under the pressure. As above no-one I knew thought Vickery should have been there. We could see that outcome. Stunned Geech and co could not!
For test 2
Jones and Rees in (case for Ford though as he is so powerful)
Williams starting
Kearney starting.
I would also bench Phillips. His service is shocking for test level. Blair and Hook would be a very interesting combo. Cannot see it happening though.
Alas I think it will be 3-0. We only ran them close at the end as SA thought they had it in the bag.
I dont think Shane Williams has got it back yet. Lets see what he can do mid week if he's over is bug. Taz is right about Phillips service he is still trying to take a step before passing. But having said that I dont think Blair is the answer and neither Ellis. Maybe bring Blair or Ellis on half time to change the game a bit.
Bloody Jones and his Kicking. I am fed up of saying that if Jones had done his job and got his kicks we would have won the match. Never bloody liked him. Give Hooky some test experience next time?
if bloody jones had got his two early conversions we would have won!! cant miss kicks at that level.
amazing the difference when you put the welsh front row in 😉
If Jones had kicked the penalties we would have been 6 points up.
If Vickery hadn't started SA would have been at least 9 points down.
If Monye could put the ball down we would be ?? points up.
If Phillips hadn't stretched and knocked on, we would have been 5/7 points up.
All ifs and buts. We lost.
Team to face emerging Springboks below: Will be the last game on tour for quite a few of these guys I suspect. I wonder if Hayes has a chance though being such a beast come scrum time.
Backs: K Earls (Munster and Ireland); S Williams (Ospreys/Wales), R Flutey (Wasps/England), G D'Arcy (Leinster/Ireland), L Fitzgerald (Leinster/ Ireland); R O'Gara (Munster/Ireland, capt), H Ellis (Leicester/England)
Forwards: T Payne (Wasps/England), R Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland), J Hayes (Munster/Ireland), D O'Callaghan (Munster/ Ireland), N Hines (Perpignan/Scotland), J Worsley (Wasps/England), M Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales), A Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales).
Replacements: L Mears (Bath/England), P Vickery (Wasps/England), S Shaw (Wasps/England), D Wallace (Munster/Ireland), M Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland), J Hook (Ospreys/Wales), U Monye (Harlequins/England).
Interesting that Hook is benching, maybe he is thought about for bench next weekend. Looks like M Williams is not going to start saturday. Shane picked at 14 again which must be annoying for him.
anyone see the game tonight?
Yup. Not the best game ever. Half the lions looked like they were on the plane home and it didn't gel as a team at all.
Just watched it on S4C with the sound off and subtitles on (can't understand welsh and it disrupts me abusing the ref!)
Only caught the 2nd half which looked pretty poor, Hook didn't seem to run the game on the few occasions we had the ball with some poor kicks (I know it was windy), think that's him out of starting unless Geech is mad.
Williams looked good on defense and I might be tempted instead of Moyne.
Good on Vickery winning the penalty that drew the game but please Geech don't play him in a test ever again!
I accidently just found S4C on my Sky box, changed channels and couldn't find it again! Know what channel no. it is?
first half was better - but not a lot
Sorry DezB watched it on freeview so don't know about Sky. For Saturday I think the highlights are on at 9pm if you haven't got skysports and you want to watch it.
Subtitles suggested the 1st half was better, was it the pack or O'Gara doing a better job?
Thought Hines was going to do his usual and get himself sent off from the clips I saw, why does he like a scrap so much! Though might be worthwhile to get in the Boks faces on saturday and disrupt them a little.
O'gara controlled the game reasonably well - and the rain didn't tip down early on. Very few scrums i the first half
Hines was taunting the Boks trying to get them to lose their temper I think and maybe protecting the smaller guys - lucky not to give away a penalty
He's good at starting scraps but does lose the head quite often too. Still might risk it as we need an edge in the pack.
Liked Flutey's tackle late on in 2nd half but still can't get past BOD and the man mountain Roberts.
Looking forward to the game on sat still.
Hines should be in the test team. It needs his steel and he is also a great ball player. really good hands for a big bloke. He has got better at controlling his temper - a year or two ago he would have clocked one of them and gone to the bin
It would be good if he made it as I'd love to be able to cheer a Scotland player on. Blair should make the bench and get some game time as he does have quicker service than Philips though he has been pretty average so far this tour.
I think Blair will be for the bench as he got no game time at all today. ellis was his usual self - too bloody slow to decide what to do! When he plays instinctively he is good but sometimes he just leaves the ball at the base of the ruck for far too long. One time Martin Williams virtually pushed him out of the way to play the ball.
Doc had a good game as well I thought.
Earls was good as well
Yeh pretty average last night I thought. I know you prefer Hines TJ but I would like Shaw in the 2nd row but either of them really and to be honest i would drop O'Connell - I just dont see him doing much and he doesnt run onto the ball and then falls to the ground in the tackle. Other than that I didnt think anyone really put themselves up for a test place from last night.
Oh and doesnt Powell look strange without the facial hair!!
oops
was that the half spear tackle that he did but the ref already blowed the whistle and wasnt paying attention?!
I reckon Powell looks like Justin Lee Collins - similar too, fat and useless. The most overhyped player on tour?
I think all 3 Scots may figure on the bench this w/e.
Blair is different from Phillips / Ellis and offers a much faster service.
Ford & Hines would both shore up the scrummage (though Shaw would also)
On the flip side it is perfectly possible that no Scots will appear
Not sure anyone strongly stated their case last night. Still would love Hook to feature at some point
so Hines got a week and will miss the 2nd test
Pity as I think he is just the man to 'noise the S African's up'.
anagallis_arvensis - Memberso Hines got a week and will miss the 2nd test
That ridiculous. If it was a dangerous tackle then the ban should be months.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8118816.stm
The team for saturday - pretty much as expected I think!
Yep
Wonder if Hines would have got the nod in front of Shaw? Moot point now but I reckon it would have been a close call
I am on a flight at the time of the match 🙁
Hope I get to see a re-run later in the day
Bench seems odd, neither halfback replacement would change anything. O'Gara is pointless on the bench as he has the attacking instincts of a snail and if the team are winning might as well stick with Jones. Hook might not be a steady player but if they have 20 mins left and are loosing he's the man to shake it up. Also what is the point of Sheridan on the bench? Gethin will be made to look a numpty trying to play tighthead and the scrum will go backwards if he switches negating any use of bringing on Sheridan.
Replacements: R Ford (Edinburgh and Scotland), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks and England), A-W Jones (Ospreys and Wales), M Williams (Cardiff Blues and Wales), H Ellis (Leicester and England), R O'Gara (Munster and Ireland), S Williams (Ospreys and Wales).
I think the bench it wrong on two accounts
Hook missing - for exactly the same reasona as AA has highlighted.
Ellis instead of Blair??? Ellis was poor on Tuesday and again offers little to change the game.
Not sure what to do about the front row cover. Unless you bench 2 props.
Maybe Ford can tight head? That seems pretty risky!
Do they seriously think that Harry Ellis is a better scrum have than Blair or are they just convinced he has the potential if they give him enough chances? Surely having blair on the bench would have given them a quick ball option rather than the pick-pause-step-pause-pass action of philips and ellis.
I think Ford deserves his place on the bench as he's played himself into a bit of form. And we can all get back to the Shane debate now as he should get on for the last 20 and get some decent service from BOD.
Blair has been useless this tour, and Ellis not much better, but overall, on this tour Ellis just about edges it.
I'd still rather have Care for impact though.
Blair has suffered from the "Shane effect" he's trying too hard playing with the midweek team that aren't securing good ball or protecting it on the ground for him. I'd love to have seen Blair and Hook on the bench to come on and push the level up for the last 20. maybe next week?
Hugo - you echo my sentiments exactly
I hope I'm wrong, but I think we're going to get a right thrashing.
I just think that the boks (among others) have far far more talent in their team than the we(Lions) have.
What on earth did fitzgerald do to get picked? aside from lose the ball a lot.
It is an odd bench, no real centre or full back cover. Hook, Kearney or earls would offer more versatility than S williams or o gara.
backhander - Member
I hope I'm wrong, but I think we're going to get a right thrashing.
I just think that the boks (among others) have far far more talent in their team than the we(Lions) have.
Personally I think that the Boks are pretty one dimensional - good at what they do but not a huge amount of footballing talent, and I think that's where the Lions shine. How many of the Boks backs would you swap for the equivalent Lion?
But it depends on being able to bludgeon the Boks forwards into submission.......
If Ellis get on the pitch I give him 5 minutes before he's yellow carded the bocks will target him knowing hes a hot head
I think our backs have huge potential. However Phillips' service does not look to maximise that.
I think and hope we will beat them at the w/e. Maybe that is blind optimism though as on Saturday i reckoned it was definietly 3 - 0 to them
Bowe has played centre a lot for Ospreys and Roberts was a fullback until this season. Vickery for all his faults should be on the bench as he can cover both sides of the scrum. Gethin will be destroyed at tighthead.
How many of the Boks backs would you swap for the equivalent Lion?
How many of the lions backs do you thin would get a look in the boks team?
BOD, Roberts and maybe Bowe. That's it. None of our forwards would (OK possibly Jenkins).
Come on then, lets hope Shaw is better than I think, cant help but wonder like Worsley how come sure can now be good enough but wasnt in his prime......
Gethin will be destroyed at tighthead.
I hope you're not right, but it's a worry for sure. I dread the first scrum and line-out
Aye it will be a nervous time until we see how the scrum and lineout hold out.
I'm also worried that the Boks will have worked out the centre pairing of BOD and Roberts and the penetration that they got in the last test will be strangled at birth.
Still come on you Lions.