British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand (2017)

[zer0]

I can understand the Warburton logic - the kiwi's totally bossed the breakdown last week.
AWJ hasn't played well all tour & still doesn't look 100% to me.
I've been impressed with Henderson & Lawes as a combo at 2nd row.

This is the first time I recall seeing Henderson, but he has indeed looked good each time he's taken the field. But, in light of the first test, I do wonder how much this has to do with the level of opposition he's up against. George Kruis, for example, was also looking good in all his matches. Right up until he came up against mad man Retallicka. Then he was a non event outside of the lineout.

On that note, it'll be interesting to see how Itoje goes in his first start against the ABs starting pair. Though he'll probably be hampered by being paired with AWJ.

 

[Wales Fan]

This is the first time I recall seeing Henderson, but he has indeed looked good each time he's taken the field. But, in light of the first test, I do wonder how much this has to do with the level of opposition he's up against. George Kruis, for example, was also looking good in all his matches. Right up until he came up against mad man Retallicka. Then he was a non event outside of the lineout.

On that note, it'll be interesting to see how Itoje goes in his first start against the ABs starting pair. Though he'll probably be hampered by being paired with AWJ.

Itoje is a class young player & I'm sure will make an impact. Both Kruis & AWJ were poor last week but to me it wasn't a coincidence that the Lions scrum started to creak more after AWJ was replaced when the score was 13-8.
Probably one of the reasons he's been retained this week.
Personally I'd still have gone with Henderson maybe in that role instead on form though. Itoje is a super athletic forward but lacks the bulk of a strong scrummaging test lock. It's one of the reasons Eddie has picked him at 6 for England.
The Lions need Lawes to have a stormer off the bench.
It's a strangely unbalanced 23 imho, not sure Gats knows which way to go with this line-up.
Smacks of desperation.


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[Highlander35]

Ryan Grant BEEB interview re: Not getting on despite a Mako clearly struggling with 20 mins to go in Melbourne Test

""It's a tough pill to swallow even now, to be so close and to really feel like the team could have benefited from me coming on," Grant added. "Mako was clearly wrecked and we were under the pump, and a bit of fresh legs would have benefited the team. It kind of made it a bit worse that the scrum wasn't going particularly well..................

"I kind of avoided [forwards coach] Graham Rowntree for a few days after that because I was bitterly disappointed and if we spoke sooner, I would probably say something stupid.

"So I let it cool down for a couple of days, went and spoke to him, and he just kind of said to me that he hadn't seen enough of me and he wasn't sure he could trust me in a Test match like that, and it was the one they lost."

Nail: head. No balls.

 

[Twoilms]

the fuck he on the bench for then?

 

[aeneas]

Not starting Te'o is either genius or desperate. The post match second guessing will be quite the sight to behold.

 

[Baldric]

Maybe we can get some Active Puss Cream for Dismal and he can give us a report on its effectiveness.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Maybe we can get some Active Puss Cream for Dismal and he can give us a report on its effectiveness.

Fuck yeah I’ll do it. Whatever youre talking about that is. I’ve done medical trials for Glaxo, somewhere in the pommyland countryside, fuck knows where really, the place where the train stopped, piece of piss, 600 pound squid a day, a needle here, a pie chart there and I'm back home in time for kippers and Coro St. I’ll rub some of Balders active pus in with my dick cream, no questions asked

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

The good news is it shouldn't be cold in Wellywood tonight, MetService are predicting ~13C. The not so good news is that it's raining already & predicted to get heavier during the morning, ease off a bit in the afternoon, then piss down some more tonight. Also it'll be windy, 35-40 km/h so could be a tough night for goal- and tactical kicking, not to mention for the guys under the high ball.

 

[Dan54]

SBW doing it again, I got to say this man may have faults but he does a lot to give rugby a good name, this is a kid that has been battling some illness for a year and was taken to AB training, gave the kid his beanie, noticed he gave a kid in Lion's gear his shorts and socks as he left field last week too.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Funny thing about SBW is that since walking away from the toxic swamp that was the Bulldogs all those years ago he's not actually done anything to justify the bad rap he still gets from some people. He's honoured every contract he's signed since (& paid what was owing to the 'dogs) & promise he's made. I really just don't get the residual dislike.

 

[TSR]

I think it's worth noting too that he was very young when he walked out on the Bulldogs.

 

[zer0]

Official MetService forecast for Wellington.....

 

[formerflanker]

In the context of evaluating future Lions tours, Warburton makes an impassioned statement to his countrymen in today's Australian.
Without sounding too strong, I’d be devastated, gutted, if the Lions were ever lost. In my house I’ve only got one jersey hanging up on my wall and it’s my Lions jersey. That’s how much I think of the Lions.”

 

[Dan54]

One of the many things I am liking about this Lion's tour is the impression I get that it means a lot to the players to play for the Lions, it's not just a paycheck.

 

[Highlander35]

It always has.

The problem, as it probably can be described, is that there's a small but growing number of groups (primarily those who prioritize Club Rugby, those who prioritize International Rugby, and those who view BILs tours as little more than an underserved financial subsidisation of SH Rugby by the NH) that are starting to hold power.

There's still a hell of a lot of love across the board, players, coaches, fans, administrators, young and old.

At some point that love will fade. Not many have liked Gatland, and there's certainly reduced Scottish love from some due to non-representation, albeit prior to this season, it was well deserved (where every criticism that can be leveled at Scotland performances could equally have been labelled at Welsh ones).

Who knows, I'll enjoy them while they last, and hope that's another few series at least.

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[Sully]

Funny thing about SBW is that since walking away from the toxic swamp that was the Bulldogs all those years ago he's not actually done anything to justify the bad rap he still gets from some people. He's honoured every contract he's signed since (& paid what was owing to the 'dogs) & promise he's made. I really just don't get the residual dislike.

Really? How do you fell about Quade Cooper?

 

[Sully]

The good news is it shouldn't be cold in Wellywood tonight, MetService are predicting ~13C. The not so good news is that it's raining already & predicted to get heavier during the morning, ease off a bit in the afternoon, then piss down some more tonight. Also it'll be windy, 35-40 km/h so could be a tough night for goal- and tactical kicking, not to mention for the guys under the high ball.

I've seen Barrett with the ball on a string in similar conditions. Hope he can repeat it.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Really? How do you fell about Quade Cooper?

It's been so long since he did anothing truly objectionable that anyone who hasn't moved on is the one with the problem.

 

[teach]

I think the SBW issue is because he turned his back on the ABs. He could have cemented his place in the backline, becoming one of the all time, great All Blacks.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^ the temporary switch back to NRL & the return to rugby were the "promises made" I was referring to. Pretty hard to bag a guy for (twice) keeping his word & more than likely taking a pay cut to do it.