The Lions 2013

I spoke too soon.  Australia transparently take the scrum down and the Lions get penalised.  Shades of Andre flumping Watson.  What is it with S.African refs and this nonsense?

 

i like rugby as a game but fuck me it frustrates the hell out of me how many stupid penalties they give away . Don't get me wrong,  i understand penalties can be given away when under pressure but so often it's just for stupid stuff when they don't seem to know the basic rules  . It's like every team has 5 lucas , 5 charlie adams and 5 skrtels .

 

That's true as far as it goes, but there's a real problem with refereeing touring sides which contributes to what you've been seeing.  Northern and Southern hemisphere refs have very different approaches to some aspects of the game and touring sides can suffer quite significantly from this.

 

well this is exciting !

 

unlucky .  i thought the lions were pretty poor from an attacking point of view . Anyway sets it up for next weekend .

 

So many big calls to make for next week.

Although Vunipola recovered quite well we really need Corbs to be fit.

Evans simply has to come into the second row at the expense of Parling.

Roberts back into the side please.

Falatue has to come in at eight.

Phillips back in at scrum half. 9 times out of 10 he steps up in the huge games.

If Sam is ruled out then O'Brien in at 7.

 

BOD has been pretty average so far, it'd be a huge call but i'd be tempted to pair Roberts up with Davies or Tuilagi.

 

I wonder if Vunipola might be ruled out anyway. Depending which way you look at it he either elbowed or body checked A A Cooper.

 

to me it looked like cooper ran into him and after vunipola sort of flicked his elbow upwards in a reactionary "get off me" sort of way. is that enough for a suspension ?

 

Gatlands team for next week imo:

Vunipola *if fit Corbs*
Youngs
Jones
Evans
AW Jones
Lydiate
Warburton *O'Brien if Sam is injured*
Faletua
Phillips
Sexton
Roberts
BOD
North
Bowe
Halfpenny

 

i think he'd be unlucky to get banned mate, but funny things tend to happen at these hearings.

 

Paul Wallace:

"Sam Warburton was outstanding today"

 

Both sides were ropey, really. The Wallabies arguably deserved to win for scoring the only try.

 

On way home from game, not a rugby hero but thought this;

Wallabies #8 was outstanding
Someone to play alongside Genia and we'd have been ripped apart
Vunipola got murdered early at the scrum
Warb and O'Connell on the pitch at the end and the wallabies don't get the meters they did
Lions looked like they were too scared to throw it around. Why not give North something to chase?

Anyway.

 

nothing to do with this individual defeat , more i was looking at stats etc while watching the game . I didn't realise that IF the lions lose next week , this will be 4 tour defeats in a row and 8 in the last 10 stretching back to the 70s . Now i understand there are a multitude of reasons why these tours are so hard and you are playing away to traditionally the best teams in the world but it's still a pretty poor reflection on the best Britain and ireland has to offer. It is impressive though that despite a record like that , these lions tours are still so popular and well supported .

Still , at least they are a better quality than any British and Irish football team that could be made !! . It would just be England plus bale , deary me !

 

If Davies started ahead of O Driscoll then Gatland should be sacked before the 3rd test.

 

Mate, he's Welsh, you have to make allowances.

 

BOD has done sweet f**k all in the 2 tests so far.

Lets face facts, he's not the great player he once was and we do have quality players who could step in to replace him.

 

BoD hardly missed a tackle in the two games while Davies has basically fucked up everything he's tried including his half arsed challenge on A-A Cooper.

 

LEIGH HALFPENNY 7
His first penalty hit the bar but his problem was distance not accuracy. His last penalty sailed even shorter. It was out of his range but he took it anyway. And he deserves to hold his head high for that.


So near yet so far: Halfpenny's kick fell just short at the death

TOMMY BOWE 7
Looked like he hadn’t played for three weeks, which he hadn’t. His quick wit and sharp shooting were not there in the first half, but he grew into the game.

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL 6
A man who has clearly been so significant in training this week was not quite so influential during the 80 minutes. He will have flashbacks about one horror pass.

JONATHAN DAVIES 7
Didn’t see enough of the ball to show off the skill and guile that had defined his tour. Now Jamie Roberts will be pushing for his shirt in the decider.


Double trouble: Davies is tackled by Ashley-Cooper and Hooper

GEORGE NORTH 8
So he didn’t score a 65-yard try, but another clip will make the Lion hall of fame – when he picked up Israel Folau and marched forward carrying both the ball and the man trying to tackle him.

JONATHAN SEXTON 7
Bit of a hit and miss day but you can tell who is the fly-half and who is the full back when he plays opposite James O’Connor.

BEN YOUNGS 7
Justified his selection ahead of Mike Phillips and he gave the Wallabies real cause for concern around the fringe of the breakdown.


Impressive: Ben Youngs was lively behind the pack

MAKO VUNIPOLA 6
Had a bull’s-eye on his head at the scrum but rode the storm and – to his enormous credit – came back stronger. Still, to concede three penalties at the set piece isn’t ideal.

TOM YOUNGS 8
In one season he has gone from second-choice England hooker to the Lions go-to ball carrier in the tight. Another muscular performance.

ADAM JONES 7
Had a massive role in the getting the referee back on side at the scrum. Ran around like a lunatic when he wasn’t scrummaging.


Prop idol: Jones (left) held the scrum together

ALUN-WYN JONES 8
He epitomises the ‘controlled violence’ that is Warren Gatland’s mantra at the breakdown. He occasionally epitomises not-so-controlled violence when picks a fight in the loose.

GEOFF PARLING 6
No great influence on the game. He was in charge of the lineout without Tom Croft and Paul O’Connell and it was too often wayward.

DAN LYDIATE 7
The Lumberjack was his normal ankle-chopping self, although his eagerness in defence saw him offside on occasion. Brought the physicality he was selected for.


On a charge: Lydiate takes on the Wallabies defence

JAMIE HEASLIP 7
Bigger and better than last week. Works well with a referee. Must be that Irish charm.

SAM WARBURTON (capt) 9
One of his finest games. He was the contact king from the very first breakdown. The Lions missed him so much in the final 10 minutes. His knee injury is a major concern.