British & Irish Lions Tour 2017

[Deleted member 15344]

Well I thought Itodje would start but not in place of Kruis - I wonder if Gatland will ever drop AWJ

Also gone for Sexton -Farrell at 10-12

And Warburton back with OMahoney and Kruis along with 1/2penny out of the 23 altogether

Williams
Watson
Davis
Farrell
Daly
Sexton
Murray

Furlong
George
Mako
Itodje
AWJ
Warburton
OBrien
Falateu

Rep

McGrath
Owens
Sincklar
Lawes
Stander
Webb
Te'o
Nowell

Reckon the gap this time will be over 20 points to the AB

 

[JT77]

Not sure about changing Teo and moving Farrell to 12, not sure that the 10-12 will work here as it does for England, Teo had a good game and think he should have started, I would have left Farrell at 10, dropped AWJ for Itoje and played him with Kruis, as mucha s I like Omahoney I think bringing in Warburton is a fair call. Thought Henderson may have sneaked onto the bench too as thought he did very well tuesday, yellow card aside.
Not sure about the result here, dont think it will be as big a defeat though, see how the breakdown goes!

 

[Captainron]

Massive errors in selection there in my view.

The back line functioned really well. There is no way that Sexton should be starting at flyhalf for this game. Only change that may have been made was to bin Watson and play another winger but now Halfpenny is out, there's no option of switching the back 3 around.

it was the forwards that lost the game by having no options from the set piece. The lions may have won 95% of their lineouts but they had no options from the ball they secured. Every maul was sacked well by the AB's which slowed down the game. I don't think the lions even went from the top off a ball thrown to the back. The scrums were average too. The AB's were never really going backwards there. It meant that all their defensive patterns were well set and stuck to. The AB's absolutely bossed the ruck and the breakdown. Without gains in those areas the Lions WILL get another thrashing.

The lions only ever looked dangerous in broken play when they got the ball after a failed AB attack. You can't just live off scraps against these guys. Their skill sets are streets ahead of any player in the

I watch the Springboks and Wallabies get pulled apart by these guys 4 times a year and the only way you can put pressure on the All Blacks is to secure your set piece and play on the front foot. Clear the rucks quickly and have a worldie. Otherwise you will get beaten

 

[Val]

I see a heavier defeat than last week with that selection.

Disagree with dropping T'eo but if Farrell goes to 12 then 13 has to be Joseph IMO not Davies. Can't disagree with the back 3 starters but surprised Seymour didn't get a sniff of a bench place ahead of Nowell after Tuesday. Sexton is massively out of form (as is Farrell to be fair) so I'd have started with Biggar but playing 80 minutes on a Tuesday doesn't help that especially as that was easily avoided.

Biggest call for me is AWJ not just starting but making the 23, his best days are behind and for me is the weakest second row in the squad.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Can see this being a 20-25 pint gap to the All Blacks

Nothing int hat side suggests improvements sufficient to overcome last weeks gulf and I still think New Zealand had several more gears if they had needed it

 

[fundy]

Gatland just continues to make this tour a farce. Id love to know how many people watched last weeks game thought that dropping Teo but retaining AWJ was the right choice lol

He clearly has no idea or plan and is just guessing, and guessing badly. Said he was a bad appointment from day 1 and hes been worse than I expected

 

[drewster]

Te'o defensively was immense last week. Can see the AB really exploiting the Farrell channel now. Everything about AWJ has been said. Gatland loves him and has stuck by him when everyone else in the world can see that it's not on merit. I'll wake up on Saturday morning in hope more than expectation.

 

[Val]

Gatland just continues to make this tour a farce. Id love to know how many people watched last weeks game thought that dropping Teo but retaining AWJ was the right choice lol

He clearly has no idea or plan and is just guessing, and guessing badly. Said he was a bad appointment from day 1 and hes been worse than I expected

T'eo is the best (now the only) 12 we have defensively, his match up to SBW was great last week, if he could pass or offload in tackle he would be absolutely world class.

The full Lions management committee needs revamped, at least we'll have a new coaching set up in 2021

 

[JT77]

T'eo is the best (now the only) 12 we have defensively, his match up to SBW was great last week, if he could pass or offload in tackle he would be absolutely world class.

The full Lions management committee needs revamped, at least we'll have a new coaching set up in 2021

Yep a new coaching outfit for 2021, tour of SA though, this was a sterling opportunity to play against the AB's, and win a series against them IMO. Gatland should never have been named coach for me, it looked like it would be awful from the start and it hasnt really set alight. Hopefully I am wrong and we can win on Saturday, I just cant see how! Teo should never have been dropped for this upcoming test, and gatland looks like he is clutching at straws. I will be up watching, and cheering the team on, as I am sure we all will, but it may not be pretty!

Still cant see Farrell/Sexton working the same here as Ford/Farrell for England!

However, i am the eternal optimist, grew up a Newcastle fan, and being English, I actually even believe that one day my football team will win a trophy, so if I think Newcastle can win, then anything is possible!

 

[Piece]

Lawes and Henderson were ahead of AWJ from what I've seen.

 

[Val]

Lawes and Henderson were ahead of AWJ from what I've seen.

As are Itoje and Kruis, there are locks not on tour better......Launchbury, Gray x 2, Toner, Ryan, Charteris, Ball.

 

[Foxholer]

Can see this being a 20-25 pint gap to the All Blacks
...

Pretty sure that's how the ABs will be celebrating!

But that would have been the case either way!

Gatland just doesn't have the talent/commitment available to succeed on this tour! ABs are currently a level above everyone - even with a couple of glitches, particularly the late try, thrown in last week! There would have been some fairly harsh words about allowing the score to be as close as it was - though I'd actually predicted 32-15!

Saturday's score is very likely to be weather dependent - pretty dire (very windy with rain) forecast! So a pretty dour forwards based game with an occasional excursion to probing 3/4 play is likely. Forecast reminds me of watching several matches 'high up' at Athletic Park in 'twenty pointer' (half-time lead needed to compete!) breezes, then looking even further up to see where the commentators were perched - in a wee shed reached by climbing about 20-30 feet up a ladder completely open to the elements! All changed now though - but there'll still be a 'points advantage' rating!

 

[Val]

Gatland does have the talent available, he just didn't chose them to go on tour and he also continues to pick his favourites (AWJ, Warburton etc).

I firmly believe his desire to try and out muscle the All Blacks that he excluded himself from some other talented players who are superb in the loose (Fraser Brown, Alex Dunbar, Hamish Watson from a Scottish persepective, many others from England and Ireland). He clearly stated from the outset he wanted players playing at the business end of the season (Finn Russell played in a tough Euro QF, Biggar didn't) and wanted winners (Finn Russell outshone Biggar in the 6N).

Sounds like Scottish grumbling and it's not but it's a small example of what I believe he got wrong. I'm willing to forget the exclusion of Scottish players in the squad and understand why he chose who he did but in doing so I believe he took a weaker squad to New Zealand than he could have, he showed he has next to no knowledge of players outside of Wales.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Well, well, well - excellent start and helped by a shocker from Sonny Bill. Come on the Lions!!!

 

[Val]

If they're going to beat them they won't have a better chance, AB's down to 14, Barrett left his boots in the dressing room and it's a wet miserable day.

 

[Junior]

Too many penalties !!!!!!!

 

[Val]

Too many penalties !!!!!!!

A shocking amount to concede at this level

 

[chrisd]

Super try!

 

[Piece]

Just about to write we are pressing the self destruct button....then Lions try!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I've been out all morning and just got in for the try. Connor Murray, take a bow 👏👏👏