With the Reds vs Lions fixture this weekend come a number of top shelf one-on-one battles to decide the winner. There can only be one….
Niggle-fest: Robinson vs Warburton
I could easily write the three back row positions are the top three matchups – in fact, I just did. Both sides should have serviceable set piece, and so when it comes to getting decent attacking ball, this will be the winning and losing of the match on Saturday night.
But there’s more to it when it comes to openside. Warburton is Gatland’s captain, and this game is his first trot-out for the Lions. A proper Queensland welcome could just sew some seeds of doubt and there’s no better plough than Beau Robinson.
Beau may not have the international jackalling class of Gill, but I watched him ‘babysit’ (extreme niggle) Sir Richie McCaw to a very quiet performance in the Crusaders’ Super Rugby final loss of 2011. It’ll be fascinating, and mostly nowhere near the ball.
Pressure cooker: Cooper vs Farrell
Our favourite Queenslanders of the tin-foil hat variety will howl if we don’t write about him (another Deans/Waratahs conspiracy) but as it happens this will be a another face-off to watch, even though these two tens probably won’t even touch each other throughout the game.
According to the Wallabies coach, this one match could get Quade into the squad, which will have the fly-half battling between his head (play down the right end, no mistakes) and his heart (triple miss no-look pass behind own goal line). If that wasn’t enough pressure he’s also captain.
Looking very much in Sexton’s shadow, Farrell is also under the pump – not least because he could easily move to the top of the G&GR Lions hate figure poll.
Grey-matter: O’Donoghue vs Gray
Back to where this contest will really be won or lost. Poms bleat about the great form the eleven-year-old with a beard – Parling – has been in. And as Scott Allen has pointed out, Richie Gray is one extremely tall, class operator.
Ewen McKenzie’s predilection for long-backs with wiser heads has paid handsomely for the Reds over his reign and the combination of Adam Wallace-Harrison and Ed O’Donoghue will demonstrate this on Saturday. Both are smart line-out operators and honest grunt-men with some wiles around the breakdown.
Having played for Ireland A, Leinster and Ulster however, Mr Whippy (O’Donoghue) will bring some handy inside knowledge and first hand experience from oop north. Hear him talk about it on the podcast inset.
Another subtle battle for the discerning viewer.
Hype: Tuilagi vs Tapuai
Pundits are dreaming Tuilagi into some fearsome wrecking ball that he so far hasn’t been. Last night Rugby HQ even showed a clip of him from the Force game getting chopped down time and again, as the commentators cooed about just how awesome he was.
Saturday might just be his night though. Tuilagi will be playing in his preferred position, and Tapuai – who in my uneducated opinion is far happier at 12 – will be marking him. Taps is fine in contact, but his defensive reads have been spectacularly dodgy at times this season.
Having said that, an attacking midfield of Tapuai and Faingaa, who both know how to play off Cooper, is mouth watering. With some good ball, both sides could cut loose.
From the pine: Samo vs O’Connell
Either one of these man mountains could turn this match. Their combined age, 94, is the same as their hardness factor.
Over his career O’Connell has killed three men as they tried to pick and drive against him. Deeks likes to run in 60-metre tries having bitch-slapped the whole of the All-Black back row to get there.
This is like some cosmic battle of ancient warrior races – Celtic vs Melanesian – and rumours are the next Highlander movie will be based on it.
Expect lightning.
Queensland Reds vs British and Irish Lions.
7.30pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
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Reds
1. Ben Daley (58 Reds – 3 Wallabies)
2. James Hanson (50 Reds – 1 Wallabies)
3. Greg Holmes (103 Reds – 13 Wallabies)
4. Adam Wallace-Harrison (32 Reds)
5. Ed O’Donoghue (40 Reds)
6. Eddie Quirk (27 Reds)
7. Beau Robinson (35 Reds – 1 Wallabies)
8. Jake Schatz (47 Reds)
9. Nick Frisby (16 Reds)
10. Quade Cooper (C) (87 Reds – 38 Wallabies)
11. Luke Morahan (44 Reds – 1 Wallabies)
12. Anthony Faingaa (58 Reds – 23 Wallabies)
13. Ben Tapuai (38 Reds – 7 Wallabies)
14. Rod Davies (43 Reds – 1 Wallabies)
15. Ben Lucas (60 Reds)
16. Albert Anae (15 Reds)
17. Sam Denny (Queensland debut)
18. Jono Owen (Queensland debut)
19. Radike Samo (32 Reds – 23 Wallabies)
20. Jarrad Butler (12 Reds)
21. Jono Lance (18 Reds)
22. Mike Harris (30 Reds – 8 Wallabies)
23. Dom Shipperley (33 Reds – 8 Wallabies)
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
Lions
1. Gethin Jenkins (Toulon / Wales)
2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers / England)
3. Matt Stevens (Saracens / England)
4. Richie Gray (Scotland)
5. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers / England)
6. Dan Lydiate (Dragons / Wales)
7. Sam Warburton(C) (Cardiff Blues / Wales )
8. Toby Faletau (Dragons / Wales)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers / England)
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens / England)
11. Tommy Bowe (Ulster / Ireland)
12. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets / Wales)
13. Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester / England)
14. Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues / Wales)
15. Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors / Scotland)
16. Richard Hibbard (Ospreys / Wales)
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens / England)
18. Adam Jones (Ospreys / Wales)
19. Paul O’Connell (Munster / Ireland)
20. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys / Wales)
21. Conor Murray (Munster / Ireland)
22. Jonathan Sexton (Leinster / Ireland)
23. George North (Scarlets / Wales)
[/one_half]
