One bad performance v the best team in the world doesnt make him a bad player even I can see that and now the the Lions are over I can happily state I cant stand the squinty eyed ****!!! 😉
Haven't even seen the 3rd test yet. Controversially, on s MTB forum, I've been riding my bike in the Alps! (Tignes - bloody brilliant btw!)
Hopefully get to watch it today as I recover from the monster drive home.
I'm not saying he's a bad player - he's actually pretty good but he's not world class.
If you took away the kicking he wouldn't be selected.
He really can't tackle though. If you look back over recent years the number of times he gets handed off or brushed aside as he goes in too high is astounding.
He really can't tackle though.
Then England better start looking hard for a 10 who can. I think Loz has a decent hit on him.
Sinkler arrested in Auckland, typical Englisher on tour 😆
Farrell's tackling is a bit poo; he does tend to go too high and often gets bounced off.
I was a big detractor, but in the last season or so I think he's developed into a pretty good player had has developed his attacking game. He usually has a pretty good pass on him (his pass was key in the try that beat Wales in the 6N). He wasn't at his best in the third test, but he's young and played a shed load of rugby.
Then England better start looking hard for a 10 who can
Yeah but England don't play him at 10 do they? They play him at 12. It's handy if your 12 can actually tackle.
Seriously though, if England had, say, a fullback who kicked 90%+ would Farrell get picked at 10 or 12 for the rest of his skills?
Farrell was all at sea in the third Test but is a bloody good rugby player. Sexton is the only better *proper*, complete 10 of the home nations but will probably have to be carefully managed to prolong his career and is likely to be a bit more up and down (as he has been recently). Farrell might not run a game or keep a defence on its toes in the same way but is ridiculously consistent and if kicking all one's points were so easy then NZ would have comfortably won the series 3-0. He cops a lot of flak for his tackling but isn't usually [i]that[/i] bad and is one tough mofo! I actually like Ford and Farrell together and think we need a bit of a Scotlandish view on things to pick the best team rather than the best individuals in a position 😉 🙂
Just watched the match. Wow. Kieran Read & Warbs obvs have huge respect for each other.
Good article here;
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lions-tour-2017/2017/07/lions-tour-opinion-let-the-media-put-their-hands-up-as-one-we-failed-you-nz.html#.WWZ9Mrwgmgw.facebook
Wow. Kieran Read & Warbs obvs have huge respect for each other.
Apparently, during a break in play, Read turned to Hovis and said, "Wow. THIS is rugby!" and Hovis nodded in agreement.
I didn't get to see the 2nd and 3rd test and haven't bothered to watch them.
Fair play to Gatland and the lions - Warrenball and a dead eye kicker was [i]almost[/i] enough. Superb defence to restrict the ABs scoring. Warburton proved Gatland right in picking him from what I hear as well.
I didn't get to see the 2nd and 3rd test and haven't bothered to watch them.Fair play to Gatland and the lions - Warrenball and a dead eye kicker was almost enough. Superb defence to restrict the ABs scoring. Warburton proved Gatland right in picking him from what I hear as well.
Sour grapes anyone?
Oh and they didnt really play Warrenball which you would know had you watched or indeed if you you had a clue!
And we're off 😆
HTF you get sour grapes from that AA is a bit odd.
Congratulating them and accepting that Gatland met his aims.
Anyone who starts with, I didnt see it but...and then uses the term Warrenball and comments on how they played...yep sour grapes
Gatland met his aims.
I'm pretty syre he was aiming to win, I dont think his aim was to justify his selection and coaching to the likes of you
TBF it does read badly. It is worth watching the other two Tests as a rugby fan, forgetting the selection politics for a second and you may be pleasantly surprised
TeeJ, you're talking out of your bumhole mate.
I couldn't give a shite about the Standard Life Investment British and Irish Lions. But it's still fantastic rugby to watch. Compelling even. Seeing a scratch side get inside the heads of the All Blacks after a bit of a duffing in the first test and come close to a most unlikely series win was mad.
You're just lucky that jamba made the embarrassingly dumb "this is embarrassing" statement during the second test. Otherwise yours would have been the silliest post of the Lions part of this thread.
Wrecker - that is a good article. Always nice to see someone admit they got it wrong.
DD said it better than I could - 100% what AA said - you should watch it before commenting TJ.
Oh the ironing!
You are odd chaps - or I am 😉 . What AA and the rest of you read was not what I meant at all. I was answering someone a page or two ago who asked for my thoughts
I was merely acknowledging that Gatland was right both on overall tactics and selection and over Warburton in particular - two things I criticised strongly - and he got an awful lot closer to a series win than I or many others predicted.
I thought you might enjoy me eating a slice of humble pie!¬
Yes, of course TeeJ. 😀
duckman - Member
Oh the ironing!
I'm happy to admit I was proven wrong by Mr Gatland.
We all were k57, to an extent.
Looks like a decent find. Presumably Cockeril picking his staff.CaptainFlashheart - Member
"the opportunity to join a club that’s improved significantly over the last few years"
Errmm - who told him that?
[img] 
[/img]
Pffptp
Zebre are apparently pulling out of the Pro12.
shame. Still we have 3 SA clubs joining us apparently. Gawd alone knows how that will work
Got a source CFH? I can't find anything.
Was a developing story, TJ. Appears they're under the Italian national rugby wing and back in the Pro 12 now.
And....on to Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. Really don't want to see stories like that in rugby. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-40719803
Ta CFH
It been a fair amount of brinkmanship over the Italians over the years. They can't leave - Edinburgh would be bottom of the league!
Interesting program last night with Nigel admitting he is and has been Bulemic for years.
Some quite sad stories with him admitting he was forcing himself sick between matches in Argentina recently. 🙁
Good on him for putting it in the public domain. A man we can all respect I think both as a ref and as a man
I find it very interesting that both him and Alfie came out a gay and there was almost no backlash because perhaps they are both so widely respected in the game from all sides. Must have made life easier for others
Gareth being gay was the worst kept secret in rugby. Lots of people knew, no one cared. I'd imagine Y Nige was similar. Who cares, really?
The Super rugby finals system to find a winner is somewhat interesting... if extra time and sudden death don't produce a winner after nearly two hours of play then a kicking competition starts. Not penalties, a kicking competition! Sudden death of three kicks in different positions across the 22 per kicker.
I have visions of Martyn Williams-esque grafter having made it through all that rugby scraping one over from in front of the posts and then be facing kicks from the touchlines against a fellow flanker 😆 Sounds kind of improbable but I would have thought the poor guys would be spent after 80 minutes and there's a solid chance of the next 30 not producing a result...
It is different though, being gay is not an issue, being bulimic is a health problem that we hope he conquer ?
[i]The Super rugby finals system to find a winner is somewhat interesting..[/i]
Sounds cool. Some great games in the semis. Really hard to pick a winner out of the 4 this year. Looks like the SA teams (huh, the Lions!) have learned from the B&I Lions how to nullify the NZ attacks, so the Canes will have to up their game tomorrow. Should be a fun watch.
2 fantastic semi-finals. SR final next week will be a great match.
RL Chalenge cup is fun right now. Dave Brailsfiord is reffing
First Super Rugby semi final was a touch average as a neutral and the Chiefs graft wasn't rewarded. They forced the Crusaders in to hundreds of tackles in the first half but just weren't clinical enough. Quite a slow, stodgy game and I switched over to AFL before it finished
Second semi was like another sport all together. Frantic action from start to finish with the first half looking like it was going to end a comfortable win for the Hurricanes. Lions threw the kitchen sink at them in the second half embodied by openside Kwagga Smith- not a big guy but ridiculously aggressive. Really good game to watch on catch up as a neutral is you fancy killing some time
When do we start the 2017/2018 thread ?
First Super Rugby semi final was a touch average as a neutral and the Chiefs graft wasn't rewarded. They forced the Crusaders in to hundreds of tackles in the first half but just weren't clinical enough. Quite a slow, stodgy game
Holy crap. I must've had a completely different game on. It was a superb game. Slow & stodgy? Maybe AFL is more your sport then Dan.
Pete - start it when you like, I think I'll be avoiding it.
