[Closed] summer rugby

And more abuse from aa hole and duckface

My Views Explained by the fact he seemed to be singularly responsible for several early mistakes, capped by kicking off straight into touch just before I posted.

Hogg having a poor start doesn't mean Scots shouldn't be picked for the Lions though does it?

Much as I am biased towards our Ulster captain today. He's having a shocker at line out time

Hogg having a poor start doesn't mean Scots shouldn't be picked for the Lions though does it?

No... It was a bit of humour, akin to aa hole saying in his op that there weren't enough welsh picked in the squad.

I must have missed the smiley!!

Best continues to throw like Its dark. Youngs service is very poor to Hogg in his defence

Hogg Can't be blamed for playing 10 with centres he only met yesterday, and being played Out of Position Again, when there's injuries in the "test" back 3. Deserves a propper chance, not being forced to cover the coach's selection holes and being made a scapegoat for poor squad balance .
He couldn't be blamed even if he thought "f unk it, whatever I do I'm not getting looked at for getting picked ."
Likewise for Rory and a couple of the others, TBH.
Don't know what the squad morale is like, you don't really hear 'til afterwards.
But Gatland's selection's would be giving a few players good excuse to think it's "them and us". Bollox is there no midweek team.

edit 🙂 😉 🙂

Poor service and playing with centres and wingers he has perhaps trained with once, in a position he has played only once recently i think maybe a little allowance can be given.

EDIT: Beaten to the point, i agree with loum

I must have missed the smiley!!

Sorry, thought most people would be bright enough to see a comment like that was obviously tongue in cheek.

Clearly not...

Ok guys, this isn't a Wendy thread. Lets play nicely.

I thought people were trying to play themselves into contention not out of it? Makeshift team = makeshift performance. Hopefully they can pull it out in 2H but line out is awful and backs not cohesive or threatening enough at the moment.

I thought people were trying to play themselves into contention not out of it?

That's what I would have thought. Most seem to be doing the opposite, as loum suggests.

Interesting point on morale: won the easy matches easily, struggled against the stronger Reds, and pretty much in disarray here.

I was not a Grey fan before, but he has impressed me on tour so far. Looks like the only leader on the pitch right now. Still think POC and AWJ to start but grey as first reserve. Don't think Gatts likes Parling. We just need someone who can throw the ball in properly now.

Started and ended the warm up games with a Baa-baas match.

We just need someone who can throw the ball in properly now.

I'm convinced we've got the best throwing hookers in the world.
This a squad ploy to draw the Ozzies into kicking for touch and lineouts rather than infield for Cuthbert to try to catch.
Proof is in the fact that they're "throwing badly" too well. they just can't help it. They haven't missed an oppo all tour.
Except Youngs, who doesn't speak Welsh.

There's been a lot of references to the fact that they're not using the "test" line out strategy as yet. Could be that the hookers little minds 😀 Can't handle the confusion of the two sets of calls etc.

I beleive the calls they have been using are simply shouting the targets name and then missing them, is there an element of genius in that? 😀

I don't think the calls would give rise to the crooked throws. Although the last few have been a wee bit better. This is depressing

And now we bring on the test team...

How are the wings fairing?

Sorry, thought most people would be bright enough to see a comment like that was [b]obviously[/b] tongue in cheek.

Thing is Zokes,with your posting history you are well aware that it is unlikely to be taken as tongue in cheek,maybe you should add the smiley,as suggested. Unless you are trolling?

So alluded to above by THM, how did Grey play? Well enough to make the bench till PoC comes off for a rest after 50mins?

 

Thing is Zokes,with your posting history you are well aware that it is unlikely to be taken as tongue in cheek,maybe you should add the smiley,as suggested. Unless you are trolling?

Pot. Kettle. Etc.

Quiet children...

Bugger.

So alluded to above by THM, how did Grey play? Well enough to make the bench till PoC comes off for a rest after 50mins?

Couple of steals in the lineout to show he can take ball if it's there to be caught. Not bad around the park from what I saw on a dodgy connection. No worse than anyone else, including the other locks.
But, played 80 mins. You never know when injuries will hit, so have to allow for needing to throw your sup on after 5mins - Suggesting to me that Gatland was protecting either Parling or Evans. Madness IMO 'cos Grey's been top3 so far.

Feel a bit sorry for him tbh. Same with tips and faletau. They're the three that, imo, are test squad capable that have had to do 80 today. Really unlucky if they are left out, but looks that way now 😥

Kearney's a bit different. Showed some real class today, high balls like the best. Pick of the backs. But he needed 80 mins a bit like Warbs did last week. Shame it's come so late, but he's put his hand up to be involved from test match 2 onwards.

Depends on the game Gatland wants to play. If he wants to rattle up the middle and force his pace on the Aussies then AWJ and PoC to start. I am suprised if Parling gets the call as he is much more limited than Gray,pretty much everywhere. Gray is a 6"10" 20ish stone Croft, so unlikely, although not impossible for both to start on the same team. Although it would focus the thoughts of the Aussie back 3 😆

Parling was good when he came on and seemed to help stabilise line out. Ok, I may be biased as an Englishman but cannot understand why Parling isn't obvious choice for test. We need jumpers that even Hibbard and Younges can hit under extremis. Historically I have been a POC fan but do not feel that he is automatic. Perhaps Parling, AWJ and Croft at the back. Or POC at front, Parling in the middle and Croft rear gunner? But that seems harsh on Grey.

But who can play #2???? Kearney back as stand in15 rather than Hogg and OF as stand in for Sexton now?

Sad that Gatts was either forced (more likely?) or chose to protect most of his contenders because that was a very poor effort for the Lions shirts IMO.

Still trolling zokes?

The front 3 were desperately poor this morning. I spent a while watching Matt Stephens and he did nothing. Absolutely zippo. He trotted from breakdown to breakdown, arriving slightly too late to make any useful contribution if he even got to the right place. Grant was marginally better but I'd have to ask why either was taken on the tour on the basis of this performance.

Faletau's performance was interesting (in fact the whole back row..). Once they could start doing their own job instead of covering holes for the fat boys then the game plan got back on track.

Barritt was missing for most of the game, maybe with the same excuse as Hogg - poor ball from the forwards. Wade looked massively out of his depth.

Shane looked like a class player who hasn't played at this level for a while. A few nice touches but not really fit enough to play with any continuity.

The back row did their best. Kearney played well. Twelvetrees did his best but was up against a very good oppo. And that's about it.

The real problems with this team were selection issues. Hogg should never have been put in this position. A decent, experienced 10 could maybe have coped and even have put points on the scoreboard but he fell apart. The blame should be put on the front 5, especially the front 3.

A decent 10 like Hook or any other would have wanted a decent crack at claiming a test spot which would have compromised the build up for the two main players. Same applies to Stevens, here is not good enough and never has been but is happy to tour and be a dirt tracker. Had others been picked they would have wanted to be given a fair crack but when they hadn't been it would be bad for squad moral. Not sure its worked though.

Meh I am done with this thread, to much idiot bickering. FFS stop being such a bunch of cock jockeys

Lions to win series 2-1

Its been fun for the most.

was it me saying Hook was a decent 10 that tipped you over the edge? 😆

😆

The blame should be put on the front 5, especially the front 3.

The difference when the replacements came on was quite astounding. But, too late to save the game, and quite disappointing that the reserves couldn't make a better effort at least looking like scoring a try, no matter how disjointed they were. The Brumbies deserved it, if we'd got our ducks in a row for Farrell to drop the final three points on that last attack I doubt the result would make much difference. Winning by a drop goal or penalty wouldn't gloss over the poor performance.

Aaaaaaarrrggghhhh I can't stop myself

Winning by a drop goal or penalty wouldn't gloss over the poor performance.

You didnt say that when it won you a World Cup 😉

Thats it I am out of here, catch you in the Autumn.

Considering the injuries, was this one warm up match too many?
Sounds like an exercise in avoiding injuries rather than a game to win.

I spent a while watching Matt Stephens and he did nothing. Absolutely zippo.

There's a very good reason he does this. It's because he's shit 😀

You didnt say that when it won you a World Cup

That was the last match in the tournament! But where were Wales at that stage? Oh.... 😆

I'm sure we could both agree however that if it is 1-1 in the tests and Farrell seals it with a drop goal in the 78th minute of the third test we'd all be pretty happy.

Sounds like an exercise in avoiding injuries rather than a game to win.

Having watched it, it certainly seemed like there was an objective other than winning!

The real problems with this team were selection issues. Hogg should never have been put in this position. A decent, experienced 10 could maybe have coped and even have put points on the scoreboard but he fell apart. The blame should be put on the front 5, especially the front 3.

Agree with the tight forward comments too. Massive contrast with the likes of POC, AWJ, Mako and Youngs on Saturday. They all put in a shift that looked like it meant something to them. Some of today's played like they had nothing to play for.
But I blame Gatland for that too 😉

Winning by a drop goal or penalty wouldn't gloss over the poor performance.

You didnt say that when it won you a World Cup

1. Quality of the performance only matters as a barometer for the test side. Everyone agrees that this side has little or no relevance to the test side so the quality of performance doesn't matter. Being seen to nick one and stick two fingers up at the felons in canary yellow would be great for squad morale though.

2. Finals (and series) are always about the results. end of.

Biggar was in the same place as Williams so could have come in on the same flight.

I suspect Biggar and Hook might well have told them to **** off. Burns might have been a good option but it would have meant Gatland admitting he was wrong and he's not known as cementhead for no reason.

he's not known as cementhead for no reason.

the c, n and t are all there.
You're missing a "u" ?

If we win this series, and we can with our players, it will be in spite of rather than because of him.

What else has he done wrong then? You do come across quite bitter. I'm no massive fan but he's not done too much wrong imo.

Ah, we've got what we've got. Our job is just to support them and hope they do well. No shame in losing a series to Aus anyway, they are a very good team and I think they've been seriously underestimated by our media.

Everyone agrees that this side has little or no relevance to the test side so the quality of performance doesn't matter.

Not quite. These tours are very attritional (as we have seen) and the likelihood is that at least some of the starters in todays game will feature in a test at some point.

Sounds like an exercise in avoiding injuries rather than a game to win.

Nah, why does Stevens need to stay injury free? 😈

What scares me about the weekend is that we were going to demolish their pack,on provincial evidence it hasn't happened. The sum of the Aussie parts are making me a wee bit uneasy. There has been enough individual performances against us to suggest Australia will be a very difficult side to beat.

We'd probably have won with a proper fly-half on from the start.

Poor performance all round, notably by the front 5, Tipuric, Youngs (who's a petulant **** when thing's aren't going his way) and Barritt.

Kearney played well.

Felt sorry for Twelvetrees who's a decent player but generally got man and ball in hopeless situations.

The subs should've all gone on at half time then at least Farrell would've kicked us to victory. Would have been good for moral leading up to the first test, if nothing else. 🙁

You do come across quite bitter.

My comments were critical but light hearted enough. But like the Murphy's...

They were not personal, directed at you, or about you.

Yet weren't you the one whining about personal insults earlier in the thread?

They were not personal, directed at you, or about you.

I know I was trying to find out why you dislike cementhead so much. I wasn't in the least bit bothered. You are very critical of him to the point that something must be driving you.

Seriously, can you all just pack it in? I've never met (?) such a bunch of dainty flowers.

Australia are [i]always[/i] difficult to beat, especially at home.

A series win would be quite something, and by no means easy. I do predict all the players involved to take it up a notch for the first test

Loum, what are hunky-dorys and why do we not have them here?
I've just discovered their advertising campaign and I likes it!

[img] [/img]

dainty flowers

😆

They are crisps and we had them in Ireland last time I was there, similarly tasteful ads as well

Ace Haka by the baby blacks!

Wales beat the Boks too

anyone know when the team is announced?

Sheeeeesh this junior rugby is FAST!

How you watching it?

I got sky sports for the month. Seemed worth £30 for all of the internationals, lions etc.

anagallis_arvensis - Member
Wales beat the Boks too

Oh good, I'll watch it when I get home from work. I've enjoyed the matches I've seen.

What a game!
England vs Wales final........
😐 not sure I can take it again.

England vs Wales final........
not sure I can take it again.

No, we'll have to put up with aa hole being bitter again for one thing 😕

Interesting to see him getting personal at other posters whilst I've been asleep.

WOW!!! Just turned the news on this morning over here, and it seems the locals like rugby after all. That's genuinely the first mention I've caught of the Lions being here on Australian media 😆

Lets hope the Wales under 20's are as frail as the snrs in the lions.

Yes Kryton lets hope lots of players get injured. FFS.

Zokes, it is intereresting how the media in England has been reacting.

1) Zero mention of the england tour to argentina, where we did very nicely, but loads of lions chatter.
2) Bigging up the lions, they are going for a series win, best side ever, etc, etc.

And these are so called england centric newspapers, always portraying england as the assumed winners..

And these are so called england centric newspapers, always portraying england as the assumed winners..

You mean to say certain provincial perceptions about press being England obsessed might not actually reflect reality? Whodathunkit?

And arrogant..
The press portrayal of the Lions shows them as arrogant. I do not think for one minute they are, but all the trigger points are there..

And arrogant..

Well, given the large Welsh contingent in the Lions squad, might it then also be perceived that Welsh rugby players are arrogant? How can that be? 😆

I have no idea what you are driving at.

I have no idea what you are driving at.

It's the criticism thrown at most English teams, especially by certain posters on here who are supporters of the other home nations. This usually happens whilst swearing blind that their own 'confidence' can in no way be perceived as arrogance.

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Good news, North fit for first test, bowe should be good for second.

North fit for first test

This thread is becoming a real chore 🙁

Phew!

+many!

Zokes! I was being ironic (well failing obviously)

Anyone else actually stopped listening to the hype about Rugby Union and actually realise it's a very, very boring sport to watch?

[s]Yeah, good point well made there jonny. Pillock.[/s]

Argh, why did I view this damn thread!?!

It's slow, dull, the rules stop flowing rugby, expensive, no big hits because of the threat of penalties so players deliberatly fall ino tackles, too many penalties, too many kicks, too much reward for kicks in comparison to tries, too much reward for drop goals, the players don't know the rules, it's that non contact that it needs players with fake blood to get blood bins, Stuart Barnes is a tool, Even David Campese sent his kid to play league, Jonathan Davies, Gareth Thomas and many other players say league is better and wish they'd played it sooner.

In a nutshell, it's almost comical to watch your pathetic game trying to be important, we play a game in the pub where everyone puts a pound in and we all guess what will be happening when we turn it on.
No on EVER says the ball will be in play, you know, with rugby happening.

The team with the most penalties wins, 31 pens to 28 pens.

DULL!!!!

a very, very boring sport to watch

Great. Thanks for coming.

It's slow, dull

Much like the behaviour of a troll then?

Tom B - Member

This thread is becoming a real chore

Well I suppose that reading constant sniping between zokes, toys19 and a_a is becoming a chore. Perhaps if we can get them banned then the rest of us, plus others who are bored silly by them and don't post because of them, might be able to talk about rugby?

Thanks for that jonny, so dull you felt compelled to write about it?

You're clearly a bitter league fan, thanks for posting and enlightening us.

tinybits - Member

You're clearly a bitter league fan, thanks for posting and enlightening us.

Yep, his profile photo is of him wearing his RL shirt, proud boy.

But I think the post below sums up how intelligent RL fans are. I've never needed to post on STW asking questions like this:

jonnytheleyther - Member

It's my daughters nursery sports day today, will there be a dads race?

The team with the most penalties wins, 31 pens to 28 pens.

DULL!!!!

With a scoreline of 93 vs 84, that's some game you watched in your fictional world.

I've been in for an operation and didn't think for a second i'd have a chance to run in it, so I didn't ask. I'm feeling fine so I think if there is one, i'll give it a go.
That's okay isn't it, or are you going to get even more personal and question my intellect again?