[Closed] summer rugby

Phillips is easily the first choice scrum half in my book.

Interesting comment from Keith Wood at the weekend that he felt the Lions had major injury worries given the tests hadn't started and that in his view if they didn't win the first test they would have major issues.

I'm really looking forward to the tests but after last Saturday I am more nervous than before as whilst the Lions look good going forward there were too many erros of concern that I think the Wallabies will exploit and they will be by some margin a better side than anything the Lions have faced.

Baa baa's exhibition match wasn't it?
It's always a back gets MOM in those.
His MOM comes from our other backs not having enough ball to shine themselves.
Any one of them could have won MOM with more ball.
How do you reckon 10-15 can shine when 9 can't pass?

your joking right?

Manu for a surprise appearance on the wing, BOD and Davies in the centre?

Its been rumoured a few times. I am worried at the moment. The backrow looks all wrong to me Faletau, SOB and Tips looks stronger, Faletau, Croft and Warbs or Heaslip, SOB, Warbs. I really do think that Croft and Heaslip are not good enough without the ball as a pair. The front five had better strangle the life out of Aus or we are screwed. And all this is before we consider how many injuries there are in the backs.

Yeah, heaslip not doing it for me. I'd go SOB at 8, Croft and Warbs. Bit of extra bosh to add to Croft's pace and lineout (which will be crucial - the last series here came down to one sneaky elbow and a couple of stolen lineouts, I see nothing to suggest this one will be any different)

Digby Ioane likely to be fit for the 1st test. Good for the game, perhaps not the Lions if he lines up against Cuthbert.

Hogg giving good enough reason why scots shouldn't be picked for the lions 😯

Nice post zokes more mindless crap

It's a bit of a shambles at the moment

zokes - Member
Hogg giving good enough reason why scots shouldn't be picked for the lions

Posted 7 minutes ago # Report-Post

Did your Mum leave your Dad for a Scot? It would explain a bit....

And more abuse from aa hole and duckface

My Views Explained by the fact he seemed to be singularly responsible for several early mistakes, capped by kicking off straight into touch just before I posted.

Hogg having a poor start doesn't mean Scots shouldn't be picked for the Lions though does it?

Much as I am biased towards our Ulster captain today. He's having a shocker at line out time

Hogg having a poor start doesn't mean Scots shouldn't be picked for the Lions though does it?

No... It was a bit of humour, akin to aa hole saying in his op that there weren't enough welsh picked in the squad.

I must have missed the smiley!!

Best continues to throw like Its dark. Youngs service is very poor to Hogg in his defence

Hogg Can't be blamed for playing 10 with centres he only met yesterday, and being played Out of Position Again, when there's injuries in the "test" back 3. Deserves a propper chance, not being forced to cover the coach's selection holes and being made a scapegoat for poor squad balance .
He couldn't be blamed even if he thought "f unk it, whatever I do I'm not getting looked at for getting picked ."
Likewise for Rory and a couple of the others, TBH.
Don't know what the squad morale is like, you don't really hear 'til afterwards.
But Gatland's selection's would be giving a few players good excuse to think it's "them and us". Bollox is there no midweek team.

edit 🙂 😉 🙂

Poor service and playing with centres and wingers he has perhaps trained with once, in a position he has played only once recently i think maybe a little allowance can be given.

EDIT: Beaten to the point, i agree with loum

I must have missed the smiley!!

Sorry, thought most people would be bright enough to see a comment like that was obviously tongue in cheek.

Clearly not...

Ok guys, this isn't a Wendy thread. Lets play nicely.

I thought people were trying to play themselves into contention not out of it? Makeshift team = makeshift performance. Hopefully they can pull it out in 2H but line out is awful and backs not cohesive or threatening enough at the moment.

I thought people were trying to play themselves into contention not out of it?

That's what I would have thought. Most seem to be doing the opposite, as loum suggests.

Interesting point on morale: won the easy matches easily, struggled against the stronger Reds, and pretty much in disarray here.

I was not a Grey fan before, but he has impressed me on tour so far. Looks like the only leader on the pitch right now. Still think POC and AWJ to start but grey as first reserve. Don't think Gatts likes Parling. We just need someone who can throw the ball in properly now.

Started and ended the warm up games with a Baa-baas match.

We just need someone who can throw the ball in properly now.

I'm convinced we've got the best throwing hookers in the world.
This a squad ploy to draw the Ozzies into kicking for touch and lineouts rather than infield for Cuthbert to try to catch.
Proof is in the fact that they're "throwing badly" too well. they just can't help it. They haven't missed an oppo all tour.
Except Youngs, who doesn't speak Welsh.

There's been a lot of references to the fact that they're not using the "test" line out strategy as yet. Could be that the hookers little minds 😀 Can't handle the confusion of the two sets of calls etc.

I beleive the calls they have been using are simply shouting the targets name and then missing them, is there an element of genius in that? 😀

I don't think the calls would give rise to the crooked throws. Although the last few have been a wee bit better. This is depressing

And now we bring on the test team...

How are the wings fairing?

Sorry, thought most people would be bright enough to see a comment like that was [b]obviously[/b] tongue in cheek.

Thing is Zokes,with your posting history you are well aware that it is unlikely to be taken as tongue in cheek,maybe you should add the smiley,as suggested. Unless you are trolling?

So alluded to above by THM, how did Grey play? Well enough to make the bench till PoC comes off for a rest after 50mins?

 

Thing is Zokes,with your posting history you are well aware that it is unlikely to be taken as tongue in cheek,maybe you should add the smiley,as suggested. Unless you are trolling?

Pot. Kettle. Etc.

Quiet children...

Bugger.

So alluded to above by THM, how did Grey play? Well enough to make the bench till PoC comes off for a rest after 50mins?

Couple of steals in the lineout to show he can take ball if it's there to be caught. Not bad around the park from what I saw on a dodgy connection. No worse than anyone else, including the other locks.
But, played 80 mins. You never know when injuries will hit, so have to allow for needing to throw your sup on after 5mins - Suggesting to me that Gatland was protecting either Parling or Evans. Madness IMO 'cos Grey's been top3 so far.

Feel a bit sorry for him tbh. Same with tips and faletau. They're the three that, imo, are test squad capable that have had to do 80 today. Really unlucky if they are left out, but looks that way now 😥

Kearney's a bit different. Showed some real class today, high balls like the best. Pick of the backs. But he needed 80 mins a bit like Warbs did last week. Shame it's come so late, but he's put his hand up to be involved from test match 2 onwards.

Depends on the game Gatland wants to play. If he wants to rattle up the middle and force his pace on the Aussies then AWJ and PoC to start. I am suprised if Parling gets the call as he is much more limited than Gray,pretty much everywhere. Gray is a 6"10" 20ish stone Croft, so unlikely, although not impossible for both to start on the same team. Although it would focus the thoughts of the Aussie back 3 😆

Parling was good when he came on and seemed to help stabilise line out. Ok, I may be biased as an Englishman but cannot understand why Parling isn't obvious choice for test. We need jumpers that even Hibbard and Younges can hit under extremis. Historically I have been a POC fan but do not feel that he is automatic. Perhaps Parling, AWJ and Croft at the back. Or POC at front, Parling in the middle and Croft rear gunner? But that seems harsh on Grey.

But who can play #2???? Kearney back as stand in15 rather than Hogg and OF as stand in for Sexton now?

Sad that Gatts was either forced (more likely?) or chose to protect most of his contenders because that was a very poor effort for the Lions shirts IMO.

Still trolling zokes?

The front 3 were desperately poor this morning. I spent a while watching Matt Stephens and he did nothing. Absolutely zippo. He trotted from breakdown to breakdown, arriving slightly too late to make any useful contribution if he even got to the right place. Grant was marginally better but I'd have to ask why either was taken on the tour on the basis of this performance.

Faletau's performance was interesting (in fact the whole back row..). Once they could start doing their own job instead of covering holes for the fat boys then the game plan got back on track.

Barritt was missing for most of the game, maybe with the same excuse as Hogg - poor ball from the forwards. Wade looked massively out of his depth.

Shane looked like a class player who hasn't played at this level for a while. A few nice touches but not really fit enough to play with any continuity.

The back row did their best. Kearney played well. Twelvetrees did his best but was up against a very good oppo. And that's about it.

The real problems with this team were selection issues. Hogg should never have been put in this position. A decent, experienced 10 could maybe have coped and even have put points on the scoreboard but he fell apart. The blame should be put on the front 5, especially the front 3.

A decent 10 like Hook or any other would have wanted a decent crack at claiming a test spot which would have compromised the build up for the two main players. Same applies to Stevens, here is not good enough and never has been but is happy to tour and be a dirt tracker. Had others been picked they would have wanted to be given a fair crack but when they hadn't been it would be bad for squad moral. Not sure its worked though.

Meh I am done with this thread, to much idiot bickering. FFS stop being such a bunch of cock jockeys

Lions to win series 2-1

Its been fun for the most.

was it me saying Hook was a decent 10 that tipped you over the edge? 😆

😆

The blame should be put on the front 5, especially the front 3.

The difference when the replacements came on was quite astounding. But, too late to save the game, and quite disappointing that the reserves couldn't make a better effort at least looking like scoring a try, no matter how disjointed they were. The Brumbies deserved it, if we'd got our ducks in a row for Farrell to drop the final three points on that last attack I doubt the result would make much difference. Winning by a drop goal or penalty wouldn't gloss over the poor performance.

Aaaaaaarrrggghhhh I can't stop myself

Winning by a drop goal or penalty wouldn't gloss over the poor performance.

You didnt say that when it won you a World Cup 😉

Thats it I am out of here, catch you in the Autumn.

Considering the injuries, was this one warm up match too many?
Sounds like an exercise in avoiding injuries rather than a game to win.

I spent a while watching Matt Stephens and he did nothing. Absolutely zippo.

There's a very good reason he does this. It's because he's shit 😀

You didnt say that when it won you a World Cup

That was the last match in the tournament! But where were Wales at that stage? Oh.... 😆

I'm sure we could both agree however that if it is 1-1 in the tests and Farrell seals it with a drop goal in the 78th minute of the third test we'd all be pretty happy.

Sounds like an exercise in avoiding injuries rather than a game to win.

Having watched it, it certainly seemed like there was an objective other than winning!

The real problems with this team were selection issues. Hogg should never have been put in this position. A decent, experienced 10 could maybe have coped and even have put points on the scoreboard but he fell apart. The blame should be put on the front 5, especially the front 3.

Agree with the tight forward comments too. Massive contrast with the likes of POC, AWJ, Mako and Youngs on Saturday. They all put in a shift that looked like it meant something to them. Some of today's played like they had nothing to play for.
But I blame Gatland for that too 😉