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open your other eye AA.
tj you’ll love this:
Question to Gatland: is this the most competitive squad in your Lions experiences?
"Yes, absolutely.
"I thought Duhan van der Merwe was excellent tonight. Anthony was great on attack. Couple of defensive lapses we need to sort out with him. Liam Williams was good.
"We had some strong performances in the back-row. Jack Conan was good. Hamish Watson played well. Tahdg Beirne scored a couple of tries and did well and then the guys coming off the bench as well.
Gsatland likes big strong fast wingers even if one dimensional. I think he might start him. Again none of the wingers are weak tho.
Everything in that quote is fairly obvious
Why are we getting strange folk watching their TVs? It's almost as bad as the steamers in the pub last match.
open your other eye AA.
YOu are more than welcome to think DVdM is better than LRZ, I wouldn't even bother countering, but there is no way on god's earth he is anywhere near as quick
Gsatland likes big strong fast wingers even if one dimensional. I think he might start him.
At last you’ve come to your senses.
OH I have always said that. Duhan is like a better version of Visser who can tackle a bit 🙂 He is no finn Russell or even a loopy liam but he is the most destructive winger available.
AA - look at that clip you posted again - he is catching LRZ ( although is LRZ flat out? ). Duhan has serious gas no doubt at all
I wish I could find the stats that someone mentioned of his 100 m time but I cannot.
Well he picked Cuthbert v Australia way back when so anythings possible!!
Actually he scored a great try in one testas I recall
AA – look at that clip you posted again – he is catching LRZ
He skins him on the outside, DVdM gets nowhere near till LRZ slows a bit to kick
its after the kick during the chase. LRZ makes 3 m while duhan is turning, Duhan gets 1 m of that back
Open your eyes man. LRZ ifs seriously fast but Duhan is very close indeed in pace.
At 18 seconds in the clip you posted you can see Duhan catching up with LRZ - he makes a metre on him ( having lost 3 on turning round.)
Now duhan is flat out and I am not conviced lrz is But Duhan has serious gas.
At 18 seconds in the clip you posted you can see Duhan catching up with LRZ – he makes a metre on him ( having lost 3 on turning round.)
You need to go back to school and study trigonometry
YOu need to open your eyes man - its obvious.
interesting but duhan is obviously faster than Hogg.
Even though he wasnt in the top 5. Too much microwave haggis methinks tj...
Not according to those statistics he isn't even in the top 5...... so he isn't faster than Hogg...
I really find that strange having watched him play. do they have a 100m time for him? I cannot find one anywhere but I am sure i did read he had run sub 11 seconds
Maybe I imagined it and I cannot find any reference to his 100m time other than he broke schoolboy records in SA but no time given
Anyway 0- getting boring bickering now about it chaps 😉
My point is not all stats are published, and teams have way more than the simple stats we have access to so trying to claim one player is the best purely on stats alone is futile.
Lions team for Wednesday:
Lions: Anthony Watson; Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris, Bundee Aki, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar, Conor Murray (C); Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje, Iain Henderson; Josh Navidi, Tom Curry, Taulupe Faletau.
Reps: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Zander Fagerson, Adam Beard, Tadhg Beirne, Sam Simmonds, Gareth Davies, Elliot Daly.
People subbed of Early likely to play Saturday which is likely to be provisional test side
Who replaces Biggar if he takes a knock?
Who replaces Biggar if he takes a knock?
Ken Owens
Who replaces Biggar if he takes a knock?
Murray, sure I've seen him cover 10. Not ideal though, when does Smith arrive?
It’s a shame Tipuric is not there, I’d have loved to see him at 10 for 20 minutes or so 😀.
Is Marcus Smith going to turn up and be the player that Russell’s fans said he would be, but betterer? 😉
AWJ is back in full training with Wales. Could still make the plane to SA according to the Beeb and Gatland.
Like someone said up the thread, he needs to go out growling and snarling, playing for the Lions, not bow out with a whimper.
Interesting reading. Aa - see what they say about the demigod duhan?
The problem lots of players like DvDM and the like is the questions are over his defence and he hasn't been tested.
Agreed
Ok so this is a disrupted lions team and a good SA A team but what a pile of mince. Murray and Farrell don't look like test players, Farrell reverting to kick everything away badly - WTF was he doing for that charge down. Jones is boring in every scrum, back row invisible ( bar a lovely break from Curry) LRZ getting schooled by Kolbe
I love Faff getting a yellow for foul play on a huge Lions forward. He really has no fear. Second yellow a bit harsh I thought
Gatland is not going to be happy
9 minutes to play against 13 men. Will a lions winger actually get a pass?
The best thing about that was the try saving tackle from Watson that VbM would never have made 😉
Fight fight fight!
that was really really poor from the lions. Nobody played themselves into the test side and Farrell, Murray played themselves out of it.
I feel so sorry for the outside backs playing outside Farrell - how are they supposed to shine when he either kicks possession away or is so slow and so deep that when they get the pass they get man and ball
So - Marcus Smith it is then? Biggar and Russell broken, Farrell pure mince
Yeah, Farrell was unbelievably bad. I mean, I literally couldn’t believe what I was watching. Gotta be young Marcus for the first test 😳
Quite concerning how he’d cope if he got smashed like Liam did early in the game.
Loopy was really unlucky - caught his head on a knee as he fell
Fagerson did well those two scrums at the end
I thought Farrell was carp as well yet Ronan o Gara still fancies him . I would like to bow to his vastly superior knowledge but I still thought he was carp...
Its one of these weird things with sport. Myths get made adn everyone follows them - in a emperors new clothes sort of way. Farrell is a good 10, russell is defensivly weak and a flake, Hogg cannot tackle, vunipola is a prop etc etc daley is a good player
😁
Ive got to say TJ your unrelenting support for anything Scottish is getting pretty tiresome now.
It'd be nice if you could reign it in a bit and play Lions with the rest of us.
Kryton eh?
the only scots player I have put any praise on today was to say I thought Fagerson had a decent cameo at the end.
Harris was pretty Meh today
MY team would have 3 scots in it. Hogg, Price, Watson I think those 3 have a good case. I wouldnt play VDM - not because I think he is not a good player but I want a back 3 of Hogg, Adams and Williams - experience, pace, good under the high ball and in good form
Id have Biggar at 10. Or marcus smith? Farrell was pure mince today
I think fagerson is probably going to miss out at prop. Props we have plent of good ones. He might get a bench spot
I find your complete dismissal of scots players and promotion of english players odd.
calm down old chap
Farrell has held Ingurlund back for 10 years now. He wasn't even the best English 10 at Salerycens when Champagne Charlie was playing. He shouldn't be anywhere near the Lions, except carrying bags maybe and bringing the pies from Wigan for the front row.
Only saw the last 5mins of first half second half so cannot comment too much, but dear god the half backs. Need a try, five mins to go, everytime we get the ball we'll kick it away!!
And what's the point of high kicks that are too far to contest!!!
And why with two SA A players in the bin would you not TAKE THE ****ING SCRUM!!!
Thats funny! I really like Faff. He is the model SH - little yappy and annoying and forgets he is half the size of the rest of them. a chihuahua / Jack russell cross.
Interesting team:
Lions team to face the Stormers
15. Stuart Hogg – captain (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland)
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby, Wales)
13. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England)
12. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, England)
9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
1. Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland)
4. Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales)
5. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, England)
6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland)
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland)
8. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland)
Replacements:
16. Jamie George (Saracens, England)
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England)
18. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
19. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales)
20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England)
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales)
22. Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland)
23. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester Rugby, Wales)
I reckon that could be the test backs +Smith and the test front row and back row
I agree. Looks pretty much the test side to me.
anyone know how strong the Stormers are?
Question marks perhaps over DVM and Hill. Daly needs a good performance after a curates egg last game. the Mish also needs a good performance as he was a bit subdued last game and most pundits think curry played well last game and I think they are competing for the same place
Smith needs the gametime and could force his way into the test side
Henderson and Itoje into 4 and 5 and whoever is fit and isn't Farrel at 10. Daly's big advantage over the other centres is that he can pass!!
I couldn’t pick the Test team. One way or another, top quality players are going to miss out.
It’s a shame that Tomos Williams injured his hamstring during the 6 Nations, because going by the way he played against Argentina I’d love to see him and Marcus Smith play together.
Also if they could get Henson into the side 😉
One way or another, top quality players are going to miss out.
Yup - back 3 players are very much in that category as are back rows
Centres is more a case of least shite 🙂 / who can gel together
Henshaw / daly might well do so in this game. NO one else has really stuck their hand up. Daly needs a blunder free performance tho
another decent performance from Price and he is in the test side having been the outsider when the squad was selected.
It’s a shame that Tomos Williams injured his hamstring during the 6 Nations
Yep, he is potentially the best 9 in the British Isles. Miles better than Davies.
Anyone surprised by how well Price is playing? I got roundly mocked IIRC for saying he could force his way into the test side when the squad was announced.
Anyone surprised by how well Price is playing?
Not really, he's decent, the other two are shite!
the other two are shite!
The other two are currently not playing their best rugby? Shite seems harsh.
its AA - of course its harsh 🙂
The other two are currently not playing their best rugby? Shite seems harsh.
Ok it is harsh Murray was once very good, Davies has always been a bit shite at the basics.
Time to call up Rhys Webb 😉😂
Nah - call for Frodo! ( Laidlaw) he is playing in Japan under the name Mr Greeeeeeg
Time to call up Rhys Webb
Er.....no
Toms Williams would be a better option though, I'd even be tempted to go with Hardy over Davies
Conspiracy theory time.
Gatland is too happy about yesterdays loss. Was all the kicking / Farrell a ruse? I mean, thats how England played and lost the Final, and remains Englands style. And why the constant battering at the line when they could have taken a weak scrum?
Somethings up, I'm thinking they played in a style not to be seen in the tests, at least a little bit. Rassie might be thinking;
a) I'd expect England players to kick & chase
b) I'd expect Welsh players to be battering rams
Is Gats holding an Ace up his sleeve?
Is Gats holding an Ace up his sleeve?
Marcus smith? 🙂
I think actually its a little bit of this - you don't show your best set piece moves and lay out all your tactics in a warm up - but neither do you sandbag to the point you lose the game.
So a little bit of keeping the powder dry, a little bit of disrupted team with late calloffs and a little bit of key players playing badly and poor leadership
Spiced with a little bit of bluff and double bluff
Hogg's press conference shows one thing.
He's been self isolating in the sun. Hope they're playing in the shade or that poor laddie will self combust.
I thought Farrell was carp as well yet Ronan o Gara still fancies him . I would like to bow to his vastly superior knowledge but I still thought he was carp…
RoG who, in the 2nd test 2009, managed to give SA the final penalty so that they could win the game and series. Iirc, it was injury time and they were drawing - at least allowing a drawn series - and he kicked the ball away needlessly, then took the Springbok out in the air. Absolute lunacy.
Marcus Smith looks like he’s been playing for the Lions for several years.
smith could do with being given a few more decent passes to work with. Looks frantic ( especially in the first few minutes)but I guess that how he plays? Certainly does not look like a 3 cap rookie.
Not sure we are learning much new about the players here that we didn't know ( apart from Smith maybe?)
LCD has caught my eye
Lovely touch from Smith there to create the space for the try.
Smith is not a player I have seen much of before. Settled down nicely in the second half and played some nice rugby
Really don't think we have learnt much more from this game. No one really played their way in or out
If Smith was 10 years older he'd be my new man crush!!
if he was ten years older yo would still be cradle snatching 😉
I have to say i was impressed in the second half.
AA; he has been the best 10 in Europe by a mile this year. 2 years ago he said he wanted to be the best 10 in the world and folk laughed at him. Give him another 2 years at his current trajectory and he may well be there. He can do horrible slippery running 10 and switch to "away and have a lineout in your own 22." almost between plays. Mind you, playing outside the form 9 in the Premier helps....who isn't on tour.
It’s easy to look good when you haven’t got a Springbok flanker chasing you down. Smith had an easy time tonight from a pretty poor Stormers side and he still made loads of mistakes. Do that in a test and he’ll lose it for the Lions.
And even with a running 10 like Smith the wings barely got any decent ball.
idlejohn - the problem is that Bigger is limited and turned an ankle, finn is broken and shoulder boy is limited and miles out of form and obviously not suited to the way Gatland wants this team to play
Who else plays10? Hogg?
IdleJon
Full Member
It’s easy to look good when you haven’t got a Springbok flanker chasing you down.
If only the teams in the prem/ hiney cup had thought of trying that...he gets emptied every week, just bounces up and still plays right on the gain line.
With AWJ back, does that mean Murray is less likely to start? Price had a good game yesterday.
With AWJ back, does that mean Murray is less likely to start? Price had a good game yesterday.
I would say so. I also found it interesting that Hogg was on field captain yesterday
Price has been so much better than the other 9s that its really hard to see him being left out.
With a team like the lions so chock full of very experienced internationals then is the on field captain that important that you would want to play a lessor player to get your preferred captain on the pitch?
ONe thing I would have liked to see from smith yesterday is the wee dink over the top to keep a biltz defense honest and to keep them guessing. I could see smith starting given how well he settled in in the second half.