Lions in South Africa 2021

[waiopehu oldboy]

De Jager presumably not fit and available?

He was the first player to return a positive Covid test on 6/07 so likely still isolating & I imagine it would take a while to recover sufficiently to be playing Test footy.....

Edit: as if the Covid situation wasn't bad enough now there's literally rioting in the streets in parts of SA:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/i...il-strife-across-south-africa-since-apartheid

Surely it's time for the whole shambles to he canned & try again next year.

 

[Derpus]

The LRZ try that got called back looked a try to me. He missed with the first motion in the tackle, but can then place it once which he does to hit the line. Didn't propel himself forward with this knees or anything.

Pretty sure Nigel Owen was commentating and he said it looked fine and then some other commentator called him up on it as if he wouldn't know? Weird.

 

[Pfitzy]

Lions not giving much away in that game. Surprised they went for taps instead of scrums, particularly given they had the ascendancy when the Boks "A" reserves came on.

Other than that they didn't do much with a disrupted backline - just hoist to the wings and see what the Boks have.

And the Boks have a good scrumhalf and fairly stodgy options at 10.

Forward packs for the first Test should be fairly evenly matched.

 

[Dan54]

Watching this game reminds me what I miss not playing South African teams. Their forward pack are just monsters and rip into everything like wild cavemen,, I suspect our packs will need a wake up call before we meet them in RC (if they can get here).

 

[Blue]

Pollard is stodgy? Ok then.

I would only pick Barret or Mounga ahead if him in a World 15.

Steyn is very one dimensional. But it is a very consistent dimension and he was played for a reason. We were always going to take zero risk on this game and use it as a defensive hit-out. Mission accomplished.

Bok pack will be a lot better with Malherbe, Mbonambi / Marx starting and I think he could spring a surprise at 8 and pick Dan du Preez, which adds more physicality. It will be pretty even but it's a case of who blinks first.

Can the Lions pack get better through selection? With a fit AWJ back, yes. as for the back row I think they have no clue what their best back row looks like.

Lions not giving much away in that game. Surprised they went for taps instead of scrums, particularly given they had the ascendancy when the Boks "A" reserves came on.

Other than that they didn't do much with a disrupted backline - just hoist to the wings and see what the Boks have.

And the Boks have a good scrumhalf and fairly stodgy options at 10.

Forward packs for the first Test should be fairly evenly matched.

 

[Blue]

He was the first player to return a positive Covid test on 6/07 so likely still isolating & I imagine it would take a while to recover sufficiently to be playing Test footy...

Edit: as if the Covid situation wasn't bad enough now there's literally rioting in the streets in parts of SA:

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/i...il-strife-across-south-africa-since-apartheid

Surely it's time for the whole shambles to he canned & try again next year.

Watching this game reminds me what I miss not playing South African teams. Their forward pack are just monsters and rip into everything like wild cavemen,, I suspect our packs will need a wake up call before we meet them in RC (if they can get here).

So it's not worth trying to keep it going in a bubble?

Why not?

 

[Derpus]

Fit AWJ is highly questionable.

I think South Africa could very well sweep this series. Pollard is definitely not a stodgy 10. I think he picked up that moniker following a conservative gameplan implemented against England in the RWC, which completely choked England out of the game.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

So it's not worth trying to keep it going in a bubble?

Why not?

Weren't they already in their respective bubbles when the infections occurred?

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Pollard is definitely not a stodgy 10.

Pollard's right-to-left pass is positively magisterial.

It puts shuffle steps, telegraph, and shovel BBarrett to shame.

 

[Dan54]

Pollard's right-to-left pass is positively magisterial.

It puts shuffle steps, telegraph, and shovel BBarrett to shame.

If a right handed player can't pass right to left, he wouldn't even get out of club rugby, it's left to right where the weakness usually is, and if BB has a problem with that, he hides it well
https://ur-pk.facebook.com/AllBlacks/videos/488862442450905/
Mate I know you don't like BB, but you getting mixed up I think.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

If a right handed player can't pass right to left, he wouldn't even get out of club rugby, it's left to right where the weakness usually is, and if BB has a problem with that, he hides it well

Mate I know you don't like BB, but you getting mixed up I think.

Where did I say that? It was just a throwaway compliment you failed (AGAIN) to comprehend then jumped all over. It's these braindead extrapolations of yours that get you put on "ignore".

it's left to right where the weakness usually is

NO SHIT, MASTERCOACH

but you getting mixed up I think.

O REEEEEEEEEALLY

 

[Dan54]

Where did I say that? It was just a throwaway compliment you failed (AGAIN) to comprehend then jumped all over. It's these braindead extrapolations of yours that get you put on "ignore".


NO SHIT, MASTERCOACH

O REEEEEEEEEALLY

Whoops ok DP, misread ya. I missed you were perhaps being sarcastic to Blue?

'Pollard's right-to-left pass is positively magisterial.

It puts shuffle steps, telegraph, and shovel BBarrett to shame.'

 

[Dctarget]

I am so keen for the Saffas to give the Lions an absolute spanking. I'm quite surprised by how easy it was to choose to support SA, just too hard to ignore that the Lions are 25% English. That's 25% too much. If they were just Scotland, Ireland & Wales I'd love them. But include Farrell and Itoje, you've lost me.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ Anyone But England (Or A Composite Side Including England). Has a ring to it

 

[Derpus]

There's also the whole North v South element. I almost always back a southern team over a northern one.

 

[Dctarget]

There's also the whole North v South element. I almost always back a southern team over a northern one.

Depends if there’s a solid underdog. Never cared much for Wales but I’d probably back in Ireland & Scotland against NZ/SA.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

There's also the whole North v South element. I almost always back a southern team over a northern one.

Been in the Fuck France camp since I was a kid, firstly on account of their various shenanigans in the South Pacific & of course more recently their state-sponsored terrorism in Auckland Harbour. Never had much time for Wails or Ringinland but used to have a soft spot for the Scots & Irish (they account for most of my ancestry) but gone off them big time since they torpedoed the Test Championship before the fucker even got properly launched. So, yep, sign me up for Team SH & Go Bokke.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Yeah go the Bokke

 

[Blue]

Weren't they already in their respective bubbles when the infections occurred?

Yes. It got in via support staff or apparently outside chance that DeJager got it when he went to a clinic for a jab . Food. Cleaning etc etc. Lots of people. Hard to control. Covid in Johburg is going off.

 

[Blue]

I am so keen for the Saffas to give the Lions an absolute spanking. I'm quite surprised by how easy it was to choose to support SA, just too hard to ignore that the Lions are 25% English. That's 25% too much. If they were just Scotland, Ireland & Wales I'd love them. But include Farrell and Itoje, you've lost me.

Good man.