Lions Tour Thread

[Blue]

Agreed the front row senanigans were not all one way as Laurence saw it. That said, Vickery was poor, and the Lions immeasurably better once he (and the hooker) were changed. The hooker more so for the lineout improvement.
Lions midfield immense, that 12 Roberts is a real handful. He owned JdV, which surprised me a bit. PB might also be a bit surprised!
Lions should be good enough to contest better next week. Win? On the veldt is never easy, but you never know.
Jacobs, F Steyn and Januarie (in his cameo) kak for mine. Can't believe the Bokke wouldn't use Pietersen and Habana, but I guess they would argue they didn't need them. Brossouw very good
Liked how they subbed Smit back on at the end with the front rower rule, as the Lions started to look like they might steal it.
Bokke deserved the win, but only just for me, and there is not much between these 2 teams.

Yeah I agree.

Both teams will be better next week. The Boks are likely to make a few changes like in the midfield and they will definitely keep playing for 80. Add the highveld factor and I truly cannot see the Lion beating the Boks.

 

[Moses]

Anyone else notice the small typo on the SuperSport broadcast?

 

[PaarlBok]

Moses they try to impress the Sky lot in the UK. :lmao:

Altho it was close in the end I am confident the Bokke will put them away in the Ring. Snor acknowledge the farce with the replacements and sure this wont happen again. They try to speed up the Bokke play but I am sure they got the replacements totally wrong and took off the wrong players. Anyway enough have been said in this regard so lets move on to the 2nd.

Sure we wont have the same amount of pill like we had in that first half but the Ring always the place where Bakkies, Matfield, FdP, Habana, Spies and the Brute lot grow a extra arm and leg.

I dont think the Lion lot will keep house with a burning Ring lot and the Boks play full blast hive voltage rugby.

 

[Hugonaut]

Congratulations to the Boks on a good win.

The endgame was thrilling, no other word for it! No doubt that the number of the substitutions and a lack of match fitness had a hugely negative impact on the Boks rhythm, and they struggled to hold on in a match they should have won a lot more comfortably.

Interesting to note that the Lions also made heavy use of their bench: Kearney on late in the first half for the injured Lee Byrne, and then the malfunctioning English front row duo of Vickery and Mears pulled off at 44 and 50 minutes respectively for Adam Jones and Matthew Rees, who went much better. O'Callaghan and Williams also made a positive impact when they came on with 10/15 minutes on the clock.

Sure, Bryce Lawrence could have penalised Mtawawira [Jeez, I'll just call him The Beast] once or twice for not scrummaging square on Vickery in the first half, but in fairness he absolutely mullered the Englishman. Vickery has never seriously been in trouble at scrum time, and he's played in two world cup finals, more than a decade of 6 Nations games, and a Lions test series. He'd actually been in excellent form during the tour and deserved his place on the test team. A sad way to go out from a long and frankly pretty glorious career. The Beast owned him. Absolutely owned him.

Lions finishing could have been a lot better, although the South African last-ditch defense was inspired. Monye was twice stripped of the ball on/over the line: both times he was holding the ball in the wrong [inside] hand. At this level it's a game of inches, and while both defensive efforts [Jean de Villiers and Morne Steyn respectively] were exceptional, you've got to be able to finish tries if you're supposed to be a finisher.

O'Driscoll and Roberts shredded the Boks midfield frequently and constantly looked a threat, as did Bowe when he came off the wing. The Boks tight five absolutely annihilated the Lions at scrum and maul, and did a pretty good number on their lineout as well, although that was far more secure once Rees came on for Mears [who had also gone well on the tour to date and earned his place in the test team].

The Lions kicking from hand [especially Steven Jones'] was poor throughout, constantly giving the ball back to the Boks under little pressure. A big improvement is needed next week, when surely the Boks won't kick away as much ball as they did on Saturday.

 

[Blue]

I'd keep the same team except in the centres:

First choice: 12. Olivier 13 Jdv (Try get through that)
Second choice 12. JdV 13. Fourie

Olivier for obvious reasons my choice as he performs incredibly well in Pretoria.

I would also drop Bekker off the bench and bring in Kanko or Burger. Replace Botha with Rossouw and Spies or Smith with Kanko / Burger with 10 to go. At this point the Lions seem to pick up the pace so we can bring in more mobility (but keep Brussow on FFS). Bekker was a real passenger.

Needless to say Vermaak in for Januarie who I hope never wears a Bok jersey again.

We'll be sharper this week. Coaches brains as well.

 

[fatprop]

Good win, but if the Boks aren't going spin it they might as well choose decent defensive centres.

 

[PaarlBok]

Blue dont think there will be many changes. The bench may change and Carstens defnitely have to go. Hope they bring in Jannie Doep , we need at least a TH on the bench. Bekker need to be there to substitute Matfield. Anyway I dont care that much who plays but the more Brutes in Pretoria the better.

 

[RugbyReg]

Blue dont think there will be many changes. The bench may change and Carstens defnitely have to go. Hope they bring in Jannie Doep , we need at least a TH on the bench. Bekker need to be there to substitute Matfield. Anyway I dont care that much who plays but the more Brutes in Pretoria the better.

loved him in Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

[Blue]

Blue dont think there will be many changes. The bench may change and Carstens defnitely have to go. Hope they bring in Jannie Doep , we need at least a TH on the bench. Bekker need to be there to substitute Matfield. Anyway I dont care that much who plays but the more Brutes in Pretoria the better.

Danie covers both locks becuase he can jump at 2 and 4 and Vic is unlikely to come off unless injured.

We need speed on the bench to counter the fact that the Lions can pick up the pace in the last 20. Agreed on Jannie but he was not even in the initial squad. What's the news on Schulk?

Anyway I think Smit does not need to be subbed. He has played many 80 minute tests. But I would feel better with Jannie there.

 

[Biffo]

Bokke 1-0. Two more easies and it's 3-0.

 

[PaarlBok]

Schalk will be ready for the 2nd one. Hope he start from the bench and the perfect impact player. Look like Mossie will get his change in 13 and will update.

Anyway got my & Thomo tickets for teusdays game. Siddie wont go so Thomo can take a buddy if he wishes. Look like a rainy game again on Newlands and sure looking forward to this one. The Emergency side will be stronger then the lower then CC sides. Just a pitty they havent picked Stegmann and look like Muir now have to decide between Deysel & Botes to partner Vermeulen & Potgieter. Think this is going to be a tough one for the Lions.

 

[Lindommer]

Bokke 1-0. Two more easies and it's 3-0.

Don't know about "two more easies", Biffo, with a tweak here and there the EEELs should be very competitive. Be nice for them to win the next one to set up a blockbuster at Ellis Park on 4 July, but I can't see them winning two out of two on the high veldt.

 

[Biffo]

Bokke 1-0. Two more easies and it's 3-0.

Don't know about "two more easies", Biffo, with a tweak here and there the EEELs should be very competitive. Be nice for them to win the next one to set up a blockbuster at Ellis Park on 4 July, but I can't see them winning two out of two on the high veldt.

European bookmakers make the EEELs 6/1 to win one or more of the two remaining exhibitions. Them's big odds.

 

[naza]

I'm just going to come out and say it.

Beast didn't bind properly and was boring in. Bryce Lawrence gets it wrong again. Lions were rogered by a Ref who is not up to the standards of the Match

Nuf said

100% spot on. I'm amazed at all the praise for the Beast coming out of South Africa. Even Tony Woodcock has more subtlety !

The Bokke are an impossible team for a neutral to like. They are utter wankers with their incessant niggling and cheap shots off the ball, even by Habana of all people.

 

[PaarlBok]

I'm just going to come out and say it.

Beast didn't bind properly and was boring in. Bryce Lawrence gets it wrong again. Lions were rogered by a Ref who is not up to the standards of the Match

Nuf said

100% spot on. I'm amazed at all the praise for the Beast coming out of South Africa. Even Tony Woodcock has more subtlety !

The Bokke are an impossible team for a neutral to like. They are utter wankers with their incessant niggling and cheap shots off the ball, even by Habana of all people.

I am not amazed that you two dont know when a LH prop is totally destroying a TH prop. Even Wicus Blaauw put him away in the WP match, and a real surprise they picked him for the test. Maybe the forward coach was looking for a lookalike Tin Ears fatties for the test.

The ref that penalise him I dunno but that Beast was way to strong for Vickery I dont have one doubt. These NH lot is suppose to teach us scrumming. :nta:

 

[Blue]

I'm just going to come out and say it.

Beast didn't bind properly and was boring in. Bryce Lawrence gets it wrong again. Lions were rogered by a Ref who is not up to the standards of the Match

Nuf said

100% spot on. I'm amazed at all the praise for the Beast coming out of South Africa. Even Tony Woodcock has more subtlety !

The Bokke are an impossible team for a neutral to like. They are utter wankers with their incessant niggling and cheap shots off the ball, even by Habana of all people.

How's the weather on Planet Janet today? Foggy?

Vickery got his arse kicked and even the British press on the whole agree.

 

[the gambler]

Vickery was also pretty much destroyed by Robinson at Twickers last year. I got hit in the head with a few plastic pint cups (the heavy kind) for pointing that out rather loudly but it was worth it.

I agree the Beast was boring in, but that was in part due to Vickery not being able to match the hit.

 

[naza]

I'm just going to come out and say it.

Beast didn't bind properly and was boring in. Bryce Lawrence gets it wrong again. Lions were rogered by a Ref who is not up to the standards of the Match

Nuf said

100% spot on. I'm amazed at all the praise for the Beast coming out of South Africa. Even Tony Woodcock has more subtlety !

The Bokke are an impossible team for a neutral to like. They are utter wankers with their incessant niggling and cheap shots off the ball, even by Habana of all people.

How's the weather on Planet Janet today? Foggy?

Vickery got his arse kicked and even the British press on the whole agree.

Probably because they are as clueless as Bryce Lawrence

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...-Vickery-needed-a-down-to-earth-approach.html

Vickery was not helped by the fact that yet another elite referee, Bryce Lawrence, of New Zealand, did not have a clue about what goes on in the front row and officiated accordingly. When Vickery was shot moon-wards, it was the clearest example of illegally lifting a player one could wish for, yet Lawrence saw only that Vickery stood up. How anyone can stand up, yet propel themselves off the ground by five feet is something no doubt Lawrence can explain.

The image of Vickery's embarrassment had deep psychological effects on both teams, but more importantly on Lawrence, who thereafter saw only one team infringing at the scrum. He failed to notice that Mtawarira, not known for his scrummaging hitherto, was allowed to close the head gap and deny Vickery a place to engage, swing out and round and run the Lions' front row sideways and then simply step left and drive under and through Vickery's arm and shoulder – none of which is allowed.

 

[Blue]

Naza you conveniently fail to not quote the entire article where he concedes that the Beast not only outscrummed him but outwitted him and that Vickery is to blame for having no counter strategy.

In case you havenlt got a TV on planet janet, no LH has ever really dominated a TH at test level without some Shenanigans.Part of the art is to play the ref. BEast did. Vicery didn't.

Are you trying to prepare your arguments for when Beast "bores in" on Baxter? :lmao:

 

[PaarlBok]

"Step Inside", whatever it means, Os got the answer on Beast.
Superrugby

Os heaps praise on 'Beast'
Former Springbok loosehead legend, Os du Randt, has praised Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira following the Sharks forward's devastating performance in the scrum on Saturday in the first test against the British and Irish Lions.

"He definitely has everything it takes to become one of the great players in Bok history." Du Randt said that until recently, Mtawarira's scrum capabilities were the only truly unknown factor in his impressive arsenal.

But this has been put to bed over the weekend after his powerful performance against Lions tighthead Phil Vickery.

"Now he just has to be consistent as this will eventually determine if he does become a great player," said Du Randt.

"I don't think we have yet seen the best of the Beast. He will only in a year's time mature as a front-ranker after he has learnt enough about his opponents, but he has impressed me since last year."

"There've been times when I didn't think he scrum that well, but there are few props who in their first year are able to dominate their opponents at test level."

Du Randt said Vickery's tactic to "step inside" failed due to Mtawarira's brute scrumming power. "If you use this tactic and then come up against a strong scrummager like Beast or Andrew Sheridan, then you are going to have trouble. That is what happened to Vickery."

"The Boks clearly placed a lot of emphasis on their scrums. We (the Boks) are very proud of this facet of play (scrums) and regard them as a sign of strength. We were clearly eager to scrum well on Saturday."

Du Randt added to his praise of Mtawarira by branding the Sharks star as an excellent and efficient ball carrier.

Also, he was "not at all surprised" about the way in which Bok captain and tighthead, John Smit, stood up to the feared Welshman, Gethin Jenkins.

"I always knew John would survive and in this test we saw how much his captaincy is worth. After Smit and Heinrich Brüssow (flank) left the field, things suddenly didn't go as smoothly," said Du Randt.

Just know one thing, when Os talk, you listen. 8)