Wallabies v Lions I
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@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought
You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.
Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.
Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.
Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!
I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.
The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.
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@antipodean said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:
Oh and no Porecki so assume his head knock issues are worse than first thought
You'd think so. He's clearly first choice hooker if available.
Missing Skelton will hurt, but not as much as Valetini who wouldn't be astray in a World XV - massive loss.
Tupou is still too unfit and lazy on the field. His absence isn't a loss.
Huge opportunity for Nick Champion de Crespigny - not much better ways to make a debut!
I'm not surprised about Potter - he's had a stellar season.
The thing going for the Wallabies is speed in abundance. Wright in career best form if he doesn't hungus and the platform laid for Sua'ali'i to show why he's worth the premium.
That could well be the point of difference. The BILs have picked probably their slowest options at 6, 7 & 8 and have no real cover if a winger goes down. We are second row heavy and back row light.
I am concerned.
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- Genge - England
- Sheehan - Ireland
- Furlong - Ireland
- Itoje - England (c)
- McCartney - Ireland
- Beirne - Ireland
- Curry - England
- Conan - Ireland
- Gibson-Park - Ireland
- Russell - Scotland
- Lowe - Ireland
- Tuipulotu - Scotland
- Jones - Scotland
- Freeman - England
- Kennan - Ireland
- Kelleher - Ireland
- Porter - Ireland
- Stuart - England
- Chessum - England
- Earl - England
- Mitchell - England
- M. Smith - England
- Aki - Ireland
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Why would you start Harry Potter (normally a right winger) on the left wing and Jorgenson (normally a left winger) on the right? Pollard, Bell and McDermott should be starting all day long and the obvious loss of Valetini is massive.
Lions by plenty.
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Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i is probably the only Aussie noticeably better than his opposite. Superstar in the making.
Gutted for DVDM and Kinghorn.
@MiketheSnow hope you can support them despite no Welshmen in there.
Lions by about 30 I reckon.
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@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
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@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.
Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.
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@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@KiwiMurph said in Wallabies v Lions I:
@Canes4life said in Wallabies v Lions I:
McDermott should be starting all day long
Yeah no. His kicking game ain't good enough. Best suited to the bench
Disagree, he's been the best halfback in Aus by some distance this year IMO, I thought his kicking improved quite a lot this year compared to previous seasons. Him starting alongside Lynagh who is a rookie in such a big test would have been the better way to go. Gordon is very hit and miss.
Overall, I think the Wallabies look very disjointed. Pollard and Bell should be starting, and I'd argue Skelton's size in the pack would have helped them muscle up. I just can't see them winning but hopefully I'm proven wrong.
They probably want Gordon to control the game with his boot like Roigard did in the first half last week.
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Friends who went said it was a great evening with a tremendous atmosphere
Farrell totally vindicated with his selections of Beirne and Curry in the back row
Beirne got MOTM but I would have given it to Curry
Excellent, dominant first half from the Lions and should have kicked on to give the Wallabies a real pasting in the second half
But personnel changes gave the Aussies a sniff and they were like 50 year olds at the Oasis reunion gigs, didn’t need a second invitation to have a go
There is no way on God’s Green Earth that Earl had arms in that tackle
Should have been Penalty (possibly Penalty Try) and YC
12-24 with Earl in the bin from the 60th - 70th minutes is a very different game
Lowe, Keenan, and Freeman the only realistic changes for the second test
With possibly Morgan or Pollock on the bench instead of Earl
If Schmidt has his thinking cap on this week and the Italian ref wants to penalise the Lions offsides and repeated killing of the ball in their own 22 it could be a very interesting second match
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I was really surprised how soft the Wallabies looked, they were getting dominated for the first 50mins. Only some awesome work in the air from their winger keeping the score close.
Lions did fade pretty badly though, and O'Thief was up to his usual standard with just bizarre calls. The no arms tackle being an obvious one. But the crap he let go at the ruck slowed the game down, so much.
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@MiketheSnow said in Wallabies v Lions I:
There is no way on God’s Green Earth that Earl had arms in that tackle
Yeah, a guy moving forward brushing up against the arm after hitting the shoulder doesn't mean it was legal. That was the definition of grass cutter and should have been YC at the very least. Aus player was very lucky not to get Tupaeaed.
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Absolute moral victory for the wallabies. 3 tries each, only lose by 8 despite being dominated all over the park.
