Phuket Thailand - Lions

steve@thaib · #1 25-06-2005, 03:51

Well here we go, the first test is tomorrow at silly-o-clock in the A.M. and I can't wait.

Clive has gone with the old (English) boys and I'm not convinced. If Wilkinson is fit he should be fly half, he never plays at centre for his club so why is he starting a test match there? I also thought that Jones was massive against Otago and deserved a start, at least he is on the bench.

It looks to me (but what would I know) that they are going to play for territory and strangle the All Blacks up front. They are talking about the weather being a bit shitty down there as well, not ideal for running rugby, so I am expecting a low scoring forwards game, though I'm sure the NZ backs will have something to say about that.

I go 15-12 for the Lions

aussie dollar · #2 25-06-2005, 05:53

GO THE ALL BLACKS
Think game might be close and deceided on pentalties both teams have great kickers.
lucky in oz on at a decent time !

river · #3 25-06-2005, 06:23

The weather has been crap rained all week it will be cold as a bast in Christchurch as well I think the Lions will try and slow it down up front as well hopefully the ref will control it I'd like to see a bit of running.

LivinLOS · #4 25-06-2005, 08:40

I have to say the way the Lions have been playing against the provincial teams I think they are going to get eaten during the tests...

Seeing the France S africa match the other day just shows how poor the ball handling skills of the lions is..

IRISH JONNY · #5 25-06-2005, 13:27

HERES MY PREDICTION.....AND BOY HAVE I BEEN CRAP IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS..[TYSON LOST,TYSOU LOST]
SO HERE IT IS ABs BY 3-6 PINTS.............
IJ

IRISH JONNY · #6 25-06-2005, 16:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by dizbusta

Well they beat the Lions on the park so your predication in the bar stands a good chance !! 55555

Cheers
Diz

WELL DIZ.....MY PREDICTIONS ARE WELL OFF AT THE MOMENT!!!!!!!!!
DIDNT SEE THE GAME AS I AM AT WORK!!!!!!!
MUST HAVE BEEN POOR.........LOOKS LIKE WOODWARD HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO ANSER OVER HIS SELECTION!!!!!!!!!!
IJ

river · #7 25-06-2005, 17:11

Well the All Blacks played well I thought considering the conditions, the tight 5 were outstanding not conceding any ball at the breakdown and winning what must be a record amount of lineouts against the throw, scrum time looked a bit more even but I'd say the AB's had the better of it in the second half.

O'Driscoll dislocated his shoulder in the first minute and had to be carried off which wouldn't of helped the Lions campaign although you would think a team of this calibre would overcome something like this. Poor effort all round including Wilkinson who's position must now be in some doubt or is Sir Clive wanting to drive the last nail in his coffin, we shall see.

Stand out try to the AB's with Tana Umaga breaking the line and delivering a legendary pass which looked like about 25m to Sivivatu on the wing who finished in style.

Final score 21-3 To NZ.

Mav · #8 25-06-2005, 17:13

Just got back from watching the game at The Elephant & Wheelbarrow in St Kilda, Melbourne......pub was full...half British Backpackers and half Kiwi's.

Game was a fizzer as AB's were way too good in every department.....Lions will need to lift a lot if they are going to save the series.

Allybabba22 · #9 25-06-2005, 17:33

Team selection was a joke and the lions got exactly what they deserved which was nothing, Hope the other coaches stand up to CW and make him see through his biased selection's.

I am not trying to take anything away from the ABs by the way who destroyed the lions all over the pitch, And even if the lions put out the best 15, They ABs would more than likely still beat them but at least we would have had a good game and would have given the ABs a run for there money.

steve@thaib · #10 25-06-2005, 19:01

Ouch! Lions were smashed today. I thought Wilkinson played well to be fair, the pack got nothing and that was the gamble in the first place; secure the ball, kick for territory and pin the opposition down in their own half. Trouble was no secure ball from set play.

The Lions lineout was very, very poor with neither ****** hitting their mark, I can't remember the last time I saw a test team lose so much of their own lineout ball.

Jones gave us some hope for next week, and surely Henson must come in now? I would dump both ******s as well and give Titteral a start, he is far better in the loose than Byrne or Thompson.I would get shut of Robinson as well unfortunately, the guy is a God in my house.

I honestly thought that Clive had a plan and we would all bow down this afternoon to pay homage to his coaching genius

Maybe next week eh?

aussie dollar · #11 27-06-2005, 04:10

nice win for the all blacks they throw the ball around more than loins,and there defence was awesome they deserved the win.

sishow · #12 27-06-2005, 05:35

Well im £230 up from one game! Lets hope it keeps going the same!

Its going to be the same in the next 2 tests! Unless CW gets sacked as all he is going to do is pick his mates! So its going to be either out of form players or players that were only picked to get JW his kicks on goal! i.e. Grewcock!

Though the AB did there job and took the only player slelected, who could of got into there team, taken out in the first minute. So it was job done for them! Its up to Gavin Henson and Gorden D'arcy to offer abit of flair now, as long as they talk with English accents!

river · #13 27-06-2005, 10:29

Well Sir Clive is trying to blame the AB's for foul play and also kicking up a stink about the ref not sending off players for O'Driscoll's injury holding media conferences with video slow mo's and the like, sorry Clive that's rugby mate.

No one complains here it's best to move on focus on the next game and figure out what went wrong and try and correct it and if Lions management don't do this fast it's game over.

The odds on the AB's were next to nothing here from the start.

Allybabba22 · #14 27-06-2005, 16:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by river

Well Sir Clive is trying to blame the AB's for foul play and also kicking up a stink about the ref not sending off players for O'Driscoll's injury holding media conferences with video slow mo's and the like, sorry Clive that's rugby mate.

No one complains here it's best to move on focus on the next game and figure out what went wrong and try and correct it and if Lions management don't do this fast it's game over.

The odds on the AB's were next to nothing here from the start.

Did you see it though river? During the match they didnt show it, But it has been played over here in full and it was really dirty, The ball had long gone and they both picked him up, One leg each and dropped him on his head which is dirty, And it was no accident either

And none of them even went over to say sorry or even see if he was alright, They could have broke his neck, Thats not rugby, It was more like something you see out of the WWF, And to make it worse none of them was even cited for it which is disgraceful, There even calling for them to boycott the tour in some of the papers over here because of it.

LivinLOS · #15 27-06-2005, 16:53

We didnt get much camera coverage of it on our broadcast but it was an obvious professional foul in the first minutes to take out a important team player.. I do feel that someone should have been sin binned for an action like that which was 99% planned..

river · #16 27-06-2005, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by allybabba22

Did you see it though river? During the match they didnt show it, But it has been played over here in full and it was really dirty, The ball had long gone and they both picked him up, One leg each and dropped him on his head which is dirty, And it was no accident either

And none of them even went over to say sorry or even see if he was alright, They could have broke his neck, Thats not rugby, It was more like something you see out of the WWF, And to make it worse none of them was even cited for it which is disgraceful, There even calling for them to boycott the tour in some of the papers over here because of it.

Haven't seen the footage Clive has drummed up but they replayed it about 5 times during the game and I couldn't see anything but who knows.

Lets talk professional fouls 2 in the first half when we where about to score tackling without the ball, I can sympathise with you on O'Driscoll but that's high level sports you don't see half of what goes on in the scrums and at ruck time.

Still even without O'Driscoll the Lions should have been able to regain their composure it's a media ploy from Clive to take the heat off him, if they quit it will make a mockery of the Lions I doubt it will happen.

steve@thaib · #17 27-06-2005, 20:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by river

Haven't seen the footage Clive has drummed up but they replayed it about 5 times during the game and I couldn't see anything but who knows.

Lets talk professional fouls 2 in the first half when we where about to score tackling without the ball, I can sympathise with you on O'Driscoll but that's high level sports you don't see half of what goes on in the scrums and at ruck time.

Still even without O'Driscoll the Lions should have been able to regain their composure it's a media ploy from Clive to take the heat off him, if they quit it will make a mockery of the Lions I doubt it will happen.

Maybe when you see it you will change your mind a little, it was a full on spear tackle and ended the guys tour. He got to captain the Lions test team for around a minute; shame.

As far as proffessional fouls go, I agree that O'Connell (I think) hit the guy from an offside position, but he was sin binned for it so there is no comparison and Grewcock got kicked off the tour!

It is rugby though, and I'm sure any talk of them coming home early is just that. Let's hope they can step up this weekend and make a game of it.

steve@thaib · #18 27-06-2005, 20:06

O'Driscoll hits out at 'cheap shot'
Saturday June 25 2005

'It was one of the most dangerous things that you can do in our game'
Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll has hit out at the "cheap shot" from New Zealand duo Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu which ended his tour - and claimed they could have broken his neck.

The Irish midfield star suffered a dislocated shoulder inside the first 90 seconds of the opening Test match against the All Blacks in Christchurch when the All Black pair appeared to double spear-tackle him.

The Lions management have lodged a complaint with citing commissioner Willem Venter about the challenge, and O'Driscoll was shocked at what happened to him.

"I am in no doubt whatever that it was deliberate foul play, a double spearing. It was a cheap shot which has put me out of the tour," he said.

"But the truth is it could have been an awful lot worse because they could have quite easily broken my neck. I was turned upside down, in the air and speared into the ground.

"I tackled one of their players and then a ruck formed. I was pushing against Jerry Collins and two guys came in, they had a leg each, I got turned around in the air and speared into the ground. I knew straight away that it was serious.

"I had this searing pain that just wouldn't go away, I have never had a dislocated shoulder before so I did not know that is what it was, but I knew instantly that I was out of the game.

"I can hardly believe that I put so much into this and just got over a minute of play in a Test match.

"I have worked so hard for so long to get to this and to have it taken away by such a cheap shot leaves a really nasty feeling. I am really shocked that Umaga did that."

O'Driscoll was speaking as he sat with his parents and other family members at the team hotel in Christchurch, where earlier he attended the post-match meeting with all members of the Lions party.

"It is very hard to describe any emotion at the moment. I just cannot put it into words," he said.

"I am angry because it was such a cheap shot. It was one of the most dangerous things that you can do in our game. It is why spear tackling is banned."

river · #19 28-06-2005, 04:25

They are not showing any footage what so ever here now and I doubt we will get to see it.

aussie dollar · #20 29-06-2005, 10:00

watched O'Driscoll tackle again was IMHO a spear tackle and action should be taken.
after saying that its normal in international rugby to get away with foul play,not the players fault and i dont think its a ref problem but the admin of the game.
even when they do front the disciple panel bans are minor its a joke !

LivinLOS · #21 29-06-2005, 17:11

For me one of the main issues was not only the 2 person spear tackle but the fact it happened instantly in the game.. Seems like obvious team orders.. Go and get rid of him..

I agree Rugby is Rugby and everyone knows its a contact sport.. Wouldnt be the same without a good measure of physicality but going out with the gameplan of hurting a player is poor form IMHO..

Anyway its done and passed now so they should focus on the future but it will give CW a whinging soapbox and allow him to try and slip some of the blame..

sishow · #22 29-06-2005, 17:46

If it happens again with Henson on Saturday, then they will be little that the Ab's can argue with!

In my mind, the All Blacks have the ability to beat the Lions fair and square (With Woodward in charge!) without having to lower themselves to spear tackles. The same can't be said for for some of the Lions players. With the massive example of Grewcock, who can do only one thing on the pitch. Now finds himself banned for doing it! (Which in my first post, I said would happen)

I think Englands win of the world cup, has been put into context now with the 'selection' of both the lions army, sorry squad, and the first test team! Everyone knew that JW kicks gave England an edge, but now it seems it gave them there only real chance!