Australia vs British and Irish Lions 2nd Test (Melbourne)

[RedsHappy]

So would you say you aren't optimistic then?

Could we recruit JSRF10 to the Official Battalion of Deans Haters? I suspect he'd acquit himself exceptionally well in that cause, should he come over. I like his style .

 

[JSRF10]

So would you say you aren't optimistic then?

It just seems to me that Gatland hasn't learnt anything from last week, in fact he has picked an even weaker side! Lets not forget if the Australians had a goal kicker we would have probably lost by about 10 points in a game where we dominated territory and possession for the majority and the scrum for 60 minutes. That's the attitude they should have taken to selection but they've left the problems there although one of them was a problem they created for themselves by naming Warburton as captain.

I'd have picked Grant at 1, Court at 17, they've both locked the scrum on the loose head side against better scrums than this Wallaby one. Courts displays at tight head when he was out of position aren't relevant. Gray should be the reserve lock, with Croft the back up flanker. Murray should be starting 9, he can control a game far better than Youngs who gets rattled too easily and never looks settled especially when his forwards aren't giving him an armchair ride. Manu T should be at 12, Davies rarely got across the gain line and whilst he didn't play badly his lack of this was the main factor in the Lions going nowhere with ball in hand most of the time.

All that said I think the Lions can win, but only because the Wallabies lack of a proven goal kicker. I'd just be more confident if it looked like the Lions had taken on board any of the areas where they were exposed last week. This is probably the weakest Lions team in a generation IMO and they're lucky that fate has thrown up the weakest team the Lions have faced in a long time.

 

[JSRF10]

Could we recruit JSRF10 to the Official Battalion of Deans Haters? I suspect he'd acquit himself exceptionally well in that cause, should he come over. I like his style .

I'm quite happy for Deans to be in situ at the moment because he is helping the Lions get a series win. That said come Rugby Championship time I may be on your bandwagon if he is still around.

I'm not happy with the Lions management approach who seem to have buried their heads in the sand, just because you won doesn't mean your approach was correct.

 

[RoffsChoice]

No Phillips at all is a mistake by the Lions. Sure, he was outdone by Genia at Suncorp but when you ask "Who is the greatest HB in the British Isles?" Phillips is the one who comes to mind.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

i think it's a great squad named and i suspect tomane will have an immediate impact. he is a class winger. i'd disagree with cummins being better than tomane - he lacks tomane's footwork and raw pace, he's fast, but tomane is faster
G smith wasn't considered as he hadn't had enough time back training. not cause deans thinks they are going to lose this test. what a ridiculous comment whoever wrote that.
i think JOC (James O'Connor) will benefit massively from having lilo outside him.
benny mowen to tear it up again. he can switch to 8 when palu tires, gill can come on and play 6
i think the back row is ok, but agree i wouldn't mind seeing MMM instead of simmons.

 

[JSRF10]

No Phillips at all is a mistake by the Lions. Sure, he was outdone by Genia at Suncorp but when you ask "Who is the greatest HB in the British Isles?" Phillips is the one who comes to mind.

He has a knee injury which he played through in the first test. I assume its just gotten worse since then

 

[RedsHappy]

........We picked two flankers who are unfit, neither have offered anything near a threat with ball in hand this tour and frankly both are far from their top form. Heaslip is going to need to have another huge game.........

I have to agree. Watching S Warburton at the ground in two games so far, he's appeared incredibly ineffective wrt what a classic 7 should be doing and gaining. He seems way off his best, looking as I do for a generous assessment.

I have said from early in this BIL tour that the breakdown would be a decisive centre of destiny for these teams and the BIL have often looked all of technically inaccurate, lacking in consistent intensity and having low impact there with numerous BIL players (as you said so well) gaining PhDs in Ruck Observation. Let alone the very poor preparation for the type of world Pollack occupies in his ruck calls. I could not believe how less well the BIL seemed ready for Pollack than the Wallabies so clearly were, and boy did it cost them.

I sense a competition for the Biggest Selection Folly with Potentially Disastrous Consequences emerging: will this highly sought prize go to Deans for the extraordinary selection of JO'C at 10, or to Gatland for what seems a sentimental love affair with Warburton at 7?

 

[fatprop]

No Phillips at all is a mistake by the Lions. Sure, he was outdone by Genia at Suncorp but when you ask "Who is the greatest HB in the British Isles?" Phillips is the one who comes to mind.

He looked to be playing wounded on Saturday

 

[BDA]

Totally unnecessary comment. A complete and utter generalisation. Don't complain next time someone makes a sweeping generalisation about Queenslanders/Reds Fans.

yes, perhaps. I'll withdraw the comment. But I stand by my comment about this being a media beat-up.

 

[daz]

Teams have been announced. Based on that, it's balls on the line stuff now regarding predictions.

Step right up lads; who is going home with the chocolates this week?

I think a backs-to-the-wall Wallaby side will steal this by 3.

And I will temper that by saying a Lions win by 20 is also possible.

 

[Richo]

Wallabies.

Otherwise my train ride out to Homebush next weekend will really suck.

 

[KevinO]

Was driving through the City today for Work, Lions fans everywhere. they really do stand out from the crowd

 

[BDA]

I think all signs point to a Wallabies win. I'm more confident this week than I was going into the first test.
Wallabies would have won last week had lady luck not been so cruel. They should be much better for the run last week, and with Lilo actually playing and Beale starting I think the team is slightly stronger. Plus the Wallabies generally put in their best performance directly after a loss.
The Lions team on the other hand looks slightly weak with no O'Connell and probably wont be able to put as much pressure on at scrum time.

Wallabies by 7

 

[Pedrolicus]

Based on the teams it's not too much of a stretch to imagine the Wallabies being able to dominate both the scrum and the line out, especially if a Lions lock gets injured. Wallabies to win by 12 with only far superior goal kicking by the Lions keeping them in touch.

 

[flat_eric]

Excuse my ignorance but what is up with the 8 man benches?

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Excuse my ignorance but what is up with the 8 man benches?

They carry an extra prop on the bench now.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2

 

[ChargerWA]

Oh well, the Robbie Deans wagon is well and truly hitched to the JOC (James O'Connor) express now. If the Wallabies lose Pulver should sack Deans on Monday and give whoever the next coach is the last game and all of the time up to the RC to try and put together a winning game plan.

To those who say it is impossible to change a national coach that quickly, Cricket Australia did it in one day this week.

 

[BDA]

Excuse my ignorance but what is up with the 8 man benches?

IRB now requires two props on the bench to prevent uncontested scrums, hence the extra man

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Only 3 backs I counted IS.

You're right - I hope my inclusion of Gill (which is what I assume I did) is not a subliminal prediction

 

[KevinO]

Lions lost O'Connell and Phillips. Wallabies lost Digby (BB and McCabe where both very questionable inclusions on their amount of game time and not really a lose as a blessing.)

Would say the return of Tommy Bowe is a massive gain for the Lions. There goal kicking will get them over line again.