British and Irish Lions 2017

[Guest MattP]

This series is surely the most nailed on 3-0 in Lions touring history.

 

Two of the three games are at Eden Park as well where New Zealand just never lose.

[Izzy]

15 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Just for the record, the Blues are the worst of the NZ franchises. 

 

 

 

Edit: I've always said Jack Nowell was truly world class.

I think the Lions will struggle to beat the Crusaders on Saturday. Just heard they've won their last 14 in a row! 

[Finnegan]

3 minutes ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

I think the Lions will struggle to beat the Crusaders on Saturday. Just heard they've won their last 14 in a row! 

 

To be fair, they have, but that's not as unheard of as you'd think. The Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders and Hurricanes only really have each other for competition in Super Rugby. Crusaders have done very well but they've also not finished the season yet, we'll see if they're still unbeaten once the season's done. Canes pretty much did it last year.

 

 

Think the ref has been a wee bitch harsh to the visitors so far. Still don't think that SBW try was a knock back from Nowell and sending Sanjay to the bin for a 50/50 aerial contest is equally harsh.

[Izzy]

I'd put my mortgage on Lee 0.5p to nail any kick within 50 meters. Right up there with the best kickers in the game and cool as fvck under pressure 

[davieG]

Why do teams kick the ball so much to give the opposition possession?

 

I truly do not understand the logic of rugby.

[Izzy]

Rory Best you idiot 

[Lovejoy]

Sonny Bill Williams scoring and beating The Lions whilst fasting for Ramadan . Absolute legend.

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Why do teams kick the ball so much to give the opposition possession?

 

I truly do not understand the logic of rugby.

 

Because we're morons, because we're ridiculously behind the times, because we don't trust ourselves in possession, because we're Northern hemisphere.

 

We call it game management and we like to pretend it's intelligent. You kick for territory, apply pressure, hope your opponents kick for touch and you make yards. It's slow gains but it's reasonably risk free and conservative. 

 

But the Southern hemisphere and especially New Zealand dropped this approach years ago. They're still win-at-all-costs when you get up to All Black level but they back their skill sets, they run from deep, they counter with ball in hand, they offload from the tackle, they break the line, they make their yards whilst retaining the ball. It's better, way better, but it requires a better quality of player.

 

Warrenball doesn't call for the use of the backs as anything other than battering rams, people in Wales are critical of Leigh Halfpenny's game and the way it's developed over the last decade but actually he's been largely hamstrung by Gatland's tactics. Gatland wants North and Roberts to just batter the opposition, he doesn't care about having intricate running moves and playing a more expansive, Southern style.

 

There's two coaches that stand out in the Northern hemisphere at the moment (both from the South) that are trying to change things up. Eddie Jones for England, who has done wonders to modernize the way England play the game and has won the Six Nations as a result. Then there's Wayne Pivac, a Kiwi, who's just taken a ridiculously under-resourced Scarlets side and has blown away the Pro 12 in the last few months to win an away semi and a technically away final against the two Irish regions and seal our first title in about thirteen years.

 

Both of these guys did it by playing expansive, off-loading, free-flowing, attacking rugby. Gatland is a dinosaur, they're not.

 

 

48 minutes ago, Lovejoy said:

Sonny Bill Williams scoring and beating The Lions whilst fasting for Ramadan . Absolute legend.

 

Absolute hero. Love the man.

[davieG]

28 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

Because we're morons, because we're ridiculously behind the times, because we don't trust ourselves in possession, because we're Northern hemisphere.

 

We call it game management and we like to pretend it's intelligent. You kick for territory, apply pressure, hope your opponents kick for touch and you make yards. It's slow gains but it's reasonably risk free and conservative. 

 

But the Southern hemisphere and especially New Zealand dropped this approach years ago. They're still win-at-all-costs when you get up to All Black level but they back their skill sets, they run from deep, they counter with ball in hand, they offload from the tackle, they break the line, they make their yards whilst retaining the ball. It's better, way better, but it requires a better quality of player.

 

Warrenball doesn't call for the use of the backs as anything other than battering rams, people in Wales are critical of Leigh Halfpenny's game and the way it's developed over the last decade but actually he's been largely hamstrung by Gatland's tactics. Gatland wants North and Roberts to just batter the opposition, he doesn't care about having intricate running moves and playing a more expansive, Southern style.

 

There's two coaches that stand out in the Northern hemisphere at the moment (both from the South) that are trying to change things up. Eddie Jones for England, who has done wonders to modernize the way England play the game and has won the Six Nations as a result. Then there's Wayne Pivac, a Kiwi, who's just taken a ridiculously under-resourced Scarlets side and has blown away the Pro 12 in the last few months to win an away semi and a technically away final against the two Irish regions and seal our first title in about thirteen years.

 

Both of these guys did it by playing expansive, off-loading, free-flowing, attacking rugby. Gatland is a dinosaur, they're not.

 

 

 

Absolute hero. Love the man.

Thanks appreciate the time you spent on that.

[Finnegan]

2 minutes ago, davieG said:

Thanks appreciate the time you spent on that.

 

Oh, I love a good rant about rugby, thanks for asking.

 

But yes, the general principal is that you kick from, say, 20m inside your own half and your fast players chase the ball and what you're hoping is that the opposition will be put under pressure and they'll have to kick back a little quickly and maybe send the ball out just before the halfway line and you gain 20-30m, for example.

 

It's dull AF to watch and conservative as all hell but there you go.

[davieG]

2 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

Oh, I love a good rant about rugby, thanks for asking.

 

But yes, the general principal is that you kick from, say, 20m inside your own half and your fast players chase the ball and what you're hoping is that the opposition will be put under pressure and they'll have to kick back a little quickly and maybe send the ball out just before the halfway line and you gain 20-30m, for example.

 

It's dull AF to watch and conservative as all hell but there you go.

I was asking myself the question all through the game I just  couldn't see what they  were trying to achieve. From what I can see it doesn't seem to work very well maybe the opposition are wise to it and know how to play it to their advantage.

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, davieG said:

I was asking myself the question all through the game I just  couldn't see what they  were trying to achieve. From what I can see it doesn't seem to work very well maybe the opposition are wise to it and know how to play it to their advantage.

 

That's exactly it really.

 

The kick can't be a hopeless punt, you need to find a good spot where the opposition has little angle to get distance on their kick as deep as possible but equally you need to be able to put pressure on otherwise he's just going to boot it all the way back.

 

That does happen. Especially in the six nations, all northern hemisphere affairs where neither team wants to risk losing. Punt, punt, punt, like god awful kick tennis.

 

What you want to do is watch a game of super rugby between two NZ conference teams on a Friday or Saturday morning and you should see the game how its meant to be played. Amazing.

 

End to end, teams running from their own 22s, offloads for days, loads of fun.

[fuchsntf]

A good group of players...but my god what poor tactics, in the 2nd half from the Lions...

plus some really stupid Penalties from our no8, and in General.

 

This aint one of the home internationals, but the Lions.We lost today because of stupid basics not being

followed...I would start putting some players back on the plane, or off the field in training sessions.

After our last tour which was excellent, we've gone backwards...2017..more like 1927..

[Finnegan]

This really is hard work watching.

 

Absolutely monstrous defensive performance against a regional side that aren't to be sniffed at.

 

But my word we're poor with ball in hand. 

[Nick]

18 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

This really is hard work watching.

 

Absolutely monstrous defensive performance against a regional side that aren't to be sniffed at.

 

But my word we're poor with ball in hand. 

 

Exactly what I was going to post - we should have had 3 tries... 

[Finnegan]

He probably will still get in the test side on reputation but for me Conor Murray has played himself out of the test side. Thought he was shit tbh and he's not even been in that great form domestically.

 

Thing is, neither has Webb. Davies should have been out there ahead of him. 

 

Webb will snipe though, give the game pace.

 

Faz was pretty good, if unimaginative, Watson lively. But yeah not much to shout about in attack. Got to get our wings in to the game, the distribution to them was awful, some hideously sloppy passing.

[Tielemans63]

I think we saw how the Lions are going to beat NZ if they're going to at all. Through sheer physicality and strong defence. I thought the back row were outstanding today. Vunipola not the loss some predicted when Faletau plays like that.

 

We're not going to beat them through running rugby, there were so many moves that broke down through poor passing it was quite shocking. I make it 5 nailed on tries that have been butchered in the last two games which makes me think that after all the machinations our best chance of winning the series probably is by playing Warrenball and edging it through Farrell's kicking. 

[Finnegan]

ABs just put 78 on Samoa for no return. 

 

 

Let's just come home boys. Forget about it.

[leicsmac]

Lions and NZ before first Test:

 

 

[Finnegan]

Tries: Lienert-Brown, Barrett 2, Savea 2, Williams, Dagg, Savea, Taylor, Fifita, Perenara, Cane

 

 

Start the car

[Izzy]

44 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Tries: Lienert-Brown, Barrett 2, Savea 2, Williams, Dagg, Savea, Taylor, Fifita, Perenara, Cane

 

 

Start the car

Hansen after the game:

 

"We still have a lot of work to do"

"We weren't that good at the 20 minute mark"

"There was a fair amount of rust and a lack of cohesion at times"

"We're not the finished article yet"

"We're still forming new combinations"

 

Fvck!!

 

 

[Finnegan]

[Finnegan]

Big fan of Kerr Barlow but he's a lucky boy there. Definitely seen those given as red.

[Vacamion]

 

This is more like it.

 

Stolen from Twitter:

 

"Gatland about to cover injuries by calling up Tom Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones, Ruth Madoc and Ivor the Engine."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Finnegan]

Guys that wouldn't normally be in a Wales shirt getting called up for the lions is a bit cheap but before Eddie Jones has the audacity to suggest it devalues the shirt he should think about the fact he gave a debut to Ben fvcking Teo who's now a Lion somehow.

 

At least Cory Hill is British.

 

Oh but Gareth Davies should have been in the squad anyway, ahead of Rhys Webb. He's THE form British / Irish scrum half.