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Well that was a pretty awful display on Saturday - hopefully Wednesday will be better. Not many people played half as well as they can - they all looked tired by half time too which doesn't bode well. Hopefully there will be a stronger team out on Wednesday
Good points - lee Byrne, Flutey looked lively when he did play. Roberts may have broke a few tackles but not convinced by his display - didn't provide much more in attack
Bad points - the rest! back row was slow and awful at the breakdown, Second row took two steps backward most of the time and seemed to take the ball standing still. Front row poor in the loose (difficult to tell in the scrums as not many went well!)
Not great but first games are always a bit sketchy, a win is a win. Now onto better things.
As a Welshman I was very interested to see the Baba's did so well 😉
Pigface can't argue...
Lions win, Wales win...Babas win...good weekend! 😆
Looks like their saving Murray and Ford for the sat game. Can't be much worse than the pack that played on Sat.
Apart from the front row who looked very average thought the pack did ok, steady and workman like rather than stellar. The ref didnt ping there front row for popping up at all. Not sure if this is SH ref interpretation or just a cack ref
Adam Jones destroyed his opposite number in the scrums but did F all else as did Sheridan both looked like donkey's with a poor workrate though and Rees is just plain shit. I suppose to be fair to Jones and Sheridan dragging that bulk around at altitude with no time to prepare is tough. Gethin and Murray would be my test props. Blair was beyond awful so I will forgive the shit display from O'Gara, almost felt sorry for him.
Robbo, I think Roberts was very good but never had any support, Earls was either always in the wrong place or dropped the ball and the backrow went AWOL. I think Roberts with O'Driscol outside could be tasty. Byrne, Roberts, Bowe and the desire to keep goinng and pull it all back were the plus points.
Yeah, the ref wasn't exactly as sharp as he should have been considering he's supposed to be one of the best in the world.
I'd give the Lions the benefit of the doubt because of altitude and heat - don't forget it's warmer there than here, and a lot of the players will not have played in any heat for a few years because of the crap weather we've had over here lately. Excuses, yes. Poor excuses, yes again.
The Lion's back row was appalling. But then Worsley doesn't exactly play the dynamic game that Williams plays, and the 8 was playing out of position. They didn't combine well - understatement.
As for stand out players - 3 out of 4 tries from the Ospreys, can't ask more.
The poor players were exactly the ones you would expect - Blair, Earls, Worsley. All borderline tourists, and when Blair was called up most people I know asked why a handful of other 9s hadn't been selected in front of him. A token Scot. Shane Williams tried too hard and disappointed.
The Golden Lions next at altitude, with a proper partisan crowd, and a few questionable selections again. I'll cross every thing I can possibly cross.
Rugby is for toffs, as is cricket for that matter.
"loddrik - Member
Rugby is for toffs, as is cricket for that matter.
"
Try standing on a terrace in south Wales and arguing that one.
I think Roberts with O'Driscol outside could be tasty. Byrne, Roberts, Bowe and the desire to keep goinng and pull it all back were the plus points.
Yeh I would agree with that as Roberts should be able to draw in a number of tacklers and hopefully pop it off to BOD who should be in the right place! We will see how it goes tomorrow evening. Im interested to see how Tom Croft will go as well and I think this backrow should go much better than on Sat.
loddrik - MemberRugby is for toffs, as is cricket for that matter.
Ironic isnt it someone comes onto a forum thats about a middle class sport and is so middle class its probably powered by extra virgin olive oil and starts going on about toffs 🙄
Jamie Roberts is 100% of teh awesomeness!
croft is also the don of running fast for a big fella. Roberts is having a bloody good game.
Agree with you there CFH - and BOD [i] is[/i] god
This is much more like it. Forwards roughing 'em up in the tight and the loose and getting the platform for the fancy boys to do their stuff. A couple of folk really nailing down their test place. Roberts, Croft.
Bring on ford and Murray for the second half. Those boys will do the stuff
Much better! Glad to see Croft going so well. Think Heaslip has to do a bit more in second half though
Also great to see the first coongratulations for Croft after his tryt being 2 Welshmen. I do so love the Lions!
Powell warming up, he might run riot through this lot!
Nice to see Todd Clever playing as well, he had a great world cup.
Phillips needs to speed up his delivery! The step then pass doesnt work!
But when he runs through people like that.....!
Hook on in the centre, interesting to see how that goes.
Hook on in the centre, interesting to see how that goes.
Backwards!
Well raise a beer to the pride of lions. Would any team in the world have lived with that?
Awesome!
bloody good performance. how did ferris not get caught at the end there? I guess the Xerox were tired eh.
Spiky Mikey in the centre as well! Touring rugby at it's finest!
Great performance. OK, against a rather dull team, but you can only beat the team in front of you, and to do it in that style is ideal.
Didnt see the game, sounds like Roberts played well again. How did Hook go? He's been shit this season, but has played 13 towards the end of the seasonit could be good for him to move away from 10. Hopefully Gethin played well too as he is world class when on form.
Gethin was good - played the whole 80 mins and was still making tackles at the end. Hook - good but his usual mixed bag I thought. No glaring errors that I saw tho
Great game, Phillips had a blinder helped by a fantastic pack. Hard to find fault really. I am still to be convinced by Monye, churlish maybe after last night.
Sterner tests to come but that was great.
TBH I think that despite the scoreline there were still plenty of faults.
Certainly there were too many penalties given away at the breakdown especially by certain forwards flopping over the ball - a feature of their play that isn't necessary.
The defence isn't exactly rock solid - too many scrambling defences for my mind for a 64 point margin. Quite a few missed first tackles.
So how is the test team developing?
I'd put forward Byrne, Bowe, BOD, Roberts, 11, S Jones, Philips for the backs based on the first two games. At 11 neither Shane or Monye has convinced me, and I'd also like to see Fitzgerald and Halfpenny play first. But I'd also like to have Kearney on the field somewhere, hmmm.
Forwards: Front row from last night, POC, AWJ, Croft, Heaslip, M Williams.
Bring on the Cheetahs - [i]should[/i] be another win as they were less than impressive in the Super14.
Team v Cheetahs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8085142.stm
Just look at how lightweight and speedy that backs division looks.
Shane gets another go, it is like management are trying to play him into some form.
Interested to see How Ellis goes as I think Phillips will be scrum half for tests.
I don't think it's a case of finding Shane's form, more of telling him to calm down and not try so hard. He's better when he relaxes.
He was trying to do too much work in the first game, trying to win the game on his own, and making too many mistakes on the way.
What is it with scrum halves - the best of them are such irritating gits and sooooooooooooo need a good slapping. 🙂 Are they scrum halves because they are irritating gits or do they become irritating gits after playing there?
Looking forward to saturdays game - I want to see Ford and Murray claim their test places. gonna be hard tho a mears and Vickory both played well
TJ - probably a mix of the two; good scrum halfs have to be irritating gits whether by nature or by learning.
TandemJeremy - Member
What is it with scrum halves - the best of them are such irritating gits and sooooooooooooo need a good slapping. Are they scrum halves because they are irritating gits or do they become irritating gits after playing there?
Last year I was going to a local gym regularly, and would often be changing alongside Ospreys players and a few ex Swansea RFC players.
One day Justin Marshall was there, and while he was perfectly polite and friendly to the 'locals' who were chatting to him, you could feel a tangible arrogance emanating from him. Taller than I expected as well.
And if you ever want to feel inferior (in every sense), try being naked next to Filo Tiatia. Massive!
try being naked next to Filo Tiatia
I cant think of many things I'd least like to do.
Anyway as for Lions and todays showing ..... I told you worsley was shit!!
told you worsley was shit!!
Well, he's not that bad, but with an unbalanced back row he was never going to shine.
Oh and can somebody tell the English forwards to stop bleeding lying on the ball and giving away penalties. Completely and utterly pointless.
TandemJeremy - Member
What is it with scrum halves
A Flanker says;
He's shit, pure shit and so is Fitzgerald at 12. Sheridan is also shit.
AA, did you see how superb Euan Murray was today? A fine display of technical scrummaging!
True, Murray scrummaged well but didnt do much in the loose, compare and contrast with Adam's popped pass from the floor when he came on, not that I'm suggesting Adam is a better player but for Murray to be top quality he needs to be doing things like that. Hines looks like he needs a run in the second row, looked good when he came on and Darcy did more in 10 mins than Fitzgerald did all game.
A treecutter, AA, I think the technical term is (according to S Barnes).
Or one dimensional. But then so is Powell.
CFH, Murray was good wasn't he, and Ford not too shabby either I didn't think.
Powell is a one dimensional donkey but then we all new that and his one dimension is useful, Worsley was gash and did nothing useful.
anagallis_arvensis - Member
True, Murray scrummaged well but didnt do much in the loose
AA, I want a tighthead to be there for their scrummaging ability. Murray has that in abundance.
To be honest I dont think too many of those that played today would make the test team. just a bit dissapointing that a team of secondary players out of the best of the British Isles could play so bad! Or maybe I am being harsh but I think England played better today
robbo, I give you Lee Byrne, Paul O'Connell and Euan Murray. All pretty much stapled on to the starting test side.