British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand (2017)

[KevinO]

think the maori are going to have the game to really take it to the lions who ever they pick, cant see them intimidating or out muscling the maori boys, the lions have been kept in check in all 4 games so far, and the pace should be even a step up om this game, which was already too much for the midweek lions backs

Watching through All Black tinted glasses. Here's the Lions tour from another perspective for you.
Game 1: Who cares, was just off a 24 hour flight
Game 2: Amazing try seals the game, blues were lucky with an earlier try and this game does not matter.
Game 3: Kept the best side in NZ tryless and bombed about 3 trys.
Game 4: Better effort in attack, no where near the test side and Highlanders got lucky the Ref moved a penalty back a couple of meters and electing to go the posts.

Game 5: A make shift team that has had a week together, Lions most comfortable win of the tour.

Game 6: Another lose by the mid week team as all test starters are rested.

Test 1: When the only rugby that matter starts. Who gives a crap about the earlier 6 games.

Game 8: Don't give a crap

Test 2: Most important rugby game of the year

Test 3: TBD

 

[ChargerWA]

With Aaron Smith at 9 Highlanders win that in a canter.

 

[KevinO]

With Aaron Smith at 9 Highlanders win that in a canter.

With Murray at 9 Lions win that in a counter

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[ChargerWA]

Watching these amazing Lions V Provincial games makes me think of one thing.

Of all the things wrong Michael Foley did as a coach of Australian sides, devaluing the occasion and using Sydney club players who had never pulled on a Western Force jersey to take on the Lions so he could rest actual Force players and try to ambush the Tahs the following weekend was the absolute worst.

 

[ChargerWA]

With Murray at 9 Lions win that in a counter

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With Smith at 15 Highlanders win that in a canter.

There's no winning in this one for you mate.

 

[I like to watch]

Watching through All Black tinted glasses. Here's the Lions tour from another perspective for you.
Game 1: Who cares, was just off a 24 hour flight
Game 2: Amazing try seals the game, blues were lucky with an earlier try and this game does not matter.
Game 3: Kept the best side in NZ tryless and bombed about 3 trys.
Game 4: Better effort in attack, no where near the test side and Highlanders got lucky the Ref moved a penalty back a couple of meters and electing to go the posts.

Game 5: A make shift team that has had a week together, Lions most comfortable win of the tour.

Game 6: Another lose by the mid week team as all test starters are rested.

Test 1: When the only rugby that matter starts. Who gives a crap about the earlier 6 games.

Game 8: Don't give a crap

Test 2: Most important rugby game of the year

Test 3: TBD

First time I've ever heard that the Lions are happy to lose games.

Better effort in attack? how?
Against a provincial side with their 7 best on rep duty and another 2 injured?

They are going to struggle to win more than they lose,which I'm sure has never ever been an issue on a Lions tour.

 

[wamberal]

Early days. But there is absolutely no doubt that the depth and width of talent in the New Zealand ranks is just frightening.

That said, and not having seen more than a few seconds of play, I will be very surprised if the Loins do not take them all the way to the bitter end. In fact, wash my mouth out, I would not be totally surprised if they won a couple of Tests. Their best tight five is very very good.

 

[kiap]

using Sydney club players who had never pulled on a Western Force jersey to take on the Lions so he could rest actual Force players and try to ambush the Tahs the following weekend was the absolute worst.

Bad, particularly for those who bought tickets, but who to blame? He was given a shit sandwich with a four day turn-around.

Force would not have beat the Lions either way. And the day job was all about Super Rugby – regardless whether they were thirteenth or third – and not the dirt-tracking tourists.

Organisers should have either scheduled around the Super Rugby bye or swapped the Combined Country fixture.

 

[Dan54]

Well have to say how much I enjoyed that game. In my opinion, one of reasons why I love the whole full tour thing, and I have seen it before in the days when tours were regular, you get a team who was perhaps not as strong as touring team if you measure them player for player, that just rips into it and hey presto, an upset.
I would add that after watching the game I would be quite happy to see Naholo start for ABs, he was very good, and would add that Luke Whitelock has added to my belief that he has shown himself to be capable of playing at a pretty good level all this year. In fact I thought all 6 loosies on the field were pretty good and Stander for the Lions impressed me as well.

 

[aeneas]

Well if bad refeerring is a thing in this series I think the version that results in five tries is probably more preferable, but that's just me.

Stander, Lawes and maybe Biggar enhanced their reputations for the Lions. As Dan says above Naholo and Luke Whitelock were excellent.

 

[aeneas]

I am pleased to see Gatland is smart enough to know that giving the Maori game its due respect is good for the PR. I have vivid memories of the NZ media turning on Woodward after his classless comments after the loss in 2005. Not that the press hadn't been looking for a reason but they had kept themselves in check to that point.

Leading obviously, to me at any rate, to the fallout from the *ahem* legal at the time tackle in the first test on BOD.

 

[Ruggo]

Just loving this old style tour stuff. These are great games to watch. No doubt NZ has the best rugby depth in the world but we knew that before the tour began.

World Rugby needs to encourage these old style tours again. They are great for the game at all levels.

I remember when the NT beat Scotland in 1992. It was just such a great night.

I wouldn't mind the ARU tapping governments on the shoulder and saying ' hey, they are also good for the economy, so you should throw some support behind us getting them on a regular basis.

 

[Upthenuts]

Watching through All Black tinted glasses. Here's the Lions tour from another perspective for you.
Game 1: Who cares, was just off a 24 hour flight
Game 2: Amazing try seals the game, blues were lucky with an earlier try and this game does not matter.
Game 3: Kept the best side in NZ tryless and bombed about 3 trys.
Game 4: Better effort in attack, no where near the test side and Highlanders got lucky the Ref moved a penalty back a couple of meters and electing to go the posts.

Game 5: A make shift team that has had a week together, Lions most comfortable win of the tour.

Game 6: Another lose by the mid week team as all test starters are rested.

Test 1: When the only rugby that matter starts. Who gives a crap about the earlier 6 games.

Game 8: Don't give a crap

Test 2: Most important rugby game of the year

Test 3: TBD

thats the problem thats a sad mentality, the ABs are winners and play to win everything, when the lions jersey goes on all games should be important, all games should be played to win, this isnt. rugby school

 

[KiwiM]

think the maori are going to have the game to really take it to the lions who ever they pick, cant see them intimidating or out muscling the maori boys, the lions have been kept in check in all 4 games so far, and the pace should be even a step up om this game, which was already too much for the midweek lions backs

Maori tight 5 on paper aren't going to be the best. If they can get anything close to parity the Maori backs should really trouble the Lions but that's a big if. The Maori should draft in that Highlanders lock Hemopo - he was excellent.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Clan match review is up:

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/lions-run-down-in-dunedin/#disqus_thread

Coupland inaccuracies on re-reading, them's the perils of writing at 10 pm & posting for editing & publication at 5:30am!

 

[ACR]

The last play summed up how much trouble they are in.
That was 100% panic.
Zero compusure.

I thought when the Landers would be forced to use their bench, their lack of experience would hurt them.
I think their energy put the wind up the pretenders in red.



It's going to be a long tour.

The last play was mind boggling. First, why not try and milk a penalty with your supposed strength, the lineout maul? Caveat: assuming they were adept enough to bail the ball out if they needed.

So they don't do that, fine. They moved the ball to centre field, makes sense. Easy hit up, finish somewhere near the 22, setup for drop goal. WHY then did they throw a risky ball full speed at the line for a linebreak? It makes no sense.

As for the Highlanders bench, gee fucking wiz. We have got some depth in the squad, that is for sure. We seem to pick up a lot of hard working talent that the other franchises pass over. Good stuff.

With Aaron Smith at 9 Highlanders win that in a canter.

I thought Hemmington was a very handy replacement. Has some similar traits to Smith.

With Murray at 9 Lions win that in a counter

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I also thought Webb one of the best for the Lions. Murray still starts of course. Don't overestimate the value of his pinpoint box kicks though. The AB's learned to deal with these after 2009. It's a basic skill that will certainly help, more so defensively to prevent open space for counter.

The trouble with this schedule for the Lions is they are almost forced to play two different sides, game to game. Eventually some of them are going to have to do a short turnaround.

 

[KevinO]

thats the problem thats a sad mentality, the ABs are winners and play to win everything, when the lions jersey goes on all games should be important, all games should be played to win, this isnt. rugby school

Its about winning the test series, does anyone outside of Canberra really care the Brumbies won in 2011? Can you remember how many NZ sides won in 2005? Nope it's about the 3 test matches and winning the series. The tour games are a steep learning curve for the Lions to test untried combinations and bond rivals into team mates.

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[KiwiM]

Its about winning the test series, does anyone outside of Canberra really care the Brumbies won in 2011? Can you remember how many NZ sides won in 2005? Nope it's about the 3 test matches and winning the series. The tour games are a steep learning curve for the Lions to test untried combinations and bond rivals into team mates.

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The Maori win over the Lions in 2005 is hugely important in NZ rugby circles. It is a win held in more esteem than the 2005 3rd Lions test AB win i'd say.

 

[KevinO]

The Maori win over the Lions in 2005 is hugely important in NZ rugby circles. It is a win held in more esteem than the 2005 3rd Lions test AB win i'd say.

Don't mean to offend anyone, but NZ have devalued the Maori side. I know its the only time that side plays at home.

But when you send a side on tour that loses games against provicial opposition the stigma from the name is gone.

When your talking about Lions tours in history, all that people really care for is who won and the score of the test series.

The rest of the games is novalty to give everyone a chance to be part of the tour.

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[KiwiM]

Don't mean to offend anyone, but NZ have devalued the Maori side. I know its the only time that side plays at home.

It's not the only time the Maori team play in NZ. Since the last Lions tour the Maori played at home in 2008, 2010 and 2015. How exactly have NZ devalued the Maori side?