It will be short and sharp this week as real work has intervened. It does raise the point that if you have something to contribute, we are a fan site and reach out through the contact us tab on the page. We would love to hear from a tourist.
Australia have been told they must release players for the British & Irish Lions’ warm-up matches.
Lions CEO Ben Calveley has revealed failing to do so would breach their tour agreement. It comes after Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt suggested his stars would only be available for the Western Force this weekend. However, the Lions are expecting to face Australian test level players in all four of their provincial matches against Super Rugby clubs.
Having lost to Argentina in Dublin on Friday, Andy Farrell’s team have now arrived Down Under. Speaking ahead of the clash with the Force on Saturday, Calveley explained: “We’ll see a competitive fixture at the weekend, and of course, that’s what we’re looking for.”
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To be fair, the Saffers ran out the bin juice against the BIL in the last tour which was part of an overall strategy to not have a battle tested opposition before the blood and thunder of the tests. I expect Australia will be more nuanced as we want a group of great games, not the garbage that the South African provinces put out. This tour is an opportunity to show how good rugby is, not the drivel of gaol ball.
Sliding doors Super Rugby.
The closest Super Rugby comp has been run and won, congratulations to the Crusaders who won the comp fair and square. The sliding doors moment of the entire season was the missed knock on in the last Brumbies game. Assuming they win if the call was incorrect, they play the Reds in the knock out game. The Chiefs and the Blues still play so the Brumbies were that close to potentially hosting the GF in Canberra.
Crusaders dominance.
Firstly, congratulations to the Crusaders, it’s not their job to play down to the opposition. 13 titles in 30 years makes them the most successful professional sports team in history, it’s the job of the other teams to get better. But it does raise a serious question: is the dominance of the Christchurch boys good for the competition? Personally, I think it’s bad for the competition as the jeopardy is lost.
I’d institute a draft system to make the distribution of talent more even. Perhaps the new stadium will actually be a hindrance for the boys from Christchurch as it has a roof. IMHO this will even out the playing field as they won’t have the benefit of being used to playing in garbage weather.
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Hoss is back tomorrow. Sully and I will be on a pod tomorrow as hopefully the teams for the Force v the Lions will be out.
