All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2
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Problem for Gatland was that his squad doesn't contain any real answers for where the Lions were beaten - the close pitched gainline battle. There aren't mad dog loosies, locks or hookers on tour. No Teagues, no Johnstons, no Woods/Moores. That's what he needed to answer the ABs close quarters, quick recycle ruck game.
Instead he's reacted with what he's got: Warburton and Itoje, with Lawes and Stander on the bench. Not sure it will do the trick. And it probably nullifies the one real advantage the lions had in the 1st test: the lineout.
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https://www.facebook.com/radiosportnz/videos/1725170554166016/
this should brighten up peoples day.@Wreck-Diver said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
https://www.facebook.com/radiosportnz/videos/1725170554166016/
this should brighten up peoples day.Comedy Gold
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Problem for Gatland was that his squad doesn't contain any real answers for where the Lions were beaten - the close pitched gainline battle. There aren't mad dog loosies, locks or hookers on tour. No Teagues, no Johnstons, no Woods/Moores. That's what he needed to answer the ABs close quarters, quick recycle ruck game.
Instead he's reacted with what he's got: Warburton and Itoje, with Lawes and Stander on the bench. Not sure it will do the trick. And it probably nullifies the one real advantage the lions had in the 1st test: the lineout.
@Smuts said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Problem for Gatland was that his squad doesn't contain any real answers for where the Lions were beaten - the close pitched gainline battle. There aren't mad dog loosies, locks or hookers on tour. No Teagues, no Johnstons, no Woods/Moores. That's what he needed to answer the ABs close quarters, quick recycle ruck game.
Instead he's reacted with what he's got: Warburton and Itoje, with Lawes and Stander on the bench. Not sure it will do the trick. And it probably nullifies the one real advantage the lions had in the 1st test: the lineout.
Agreed.
But he could have come a whole lot closer by selecting Owens and Tipuric to start.
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Looking at the form of the 10s on tour, would Gatland have been better served pairing Biggar with Farrell?
I believe so.
Biggar plays flat, has good hands, a varied kicking game and can tackle.
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I just don't get where Farrell's value is at 12 anyway.
Yes, you could equate him to a player like Crotty but we play Crotty with a creative 10, which is also arguably what Eddie Jones does with Ford/Farrell.
What the Lions have shown is that they can cause problems off loose counterattack and if they get behind the defence and cause a scramble. The best chance of the latter was still Teo.
It's like they are in a tangle. They want farrell there to kick because they can't drop Williams for Halfpenny.
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On a lighter note, Scott Quinnell is enjoying himself
[link text](Take a look at @ScottQuinnell's Tweet: https://twitter.com/ScottQuinnell/status/880314498069938176?s=09)
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Looking at the form of the 10s on tour, would Gatland have been better served pairing Biggar with Farrell?
I believe so.
Biggar plays flat, has good hands, a varied kicking game and can tackle.
@MiketheSnow I reckon Russell would have been the go, but probably plays a style contradictory to what the lions are aiming for. He strikes me as the most creative and off the cuff 10 and would definitely be unexpected for the ABs. Reminds me of an in form Donald, not exactly huge praise but Beaver can turn it on.
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Quick comment on the music thing, specifically the complaint about it being played while Biggar was taking a penalty.
I did notice that but Biggar took it so quickly, like one of those conversions from in front that they only take from 10m out, they didn't have the chance to stop it.
But let's not get bogged down with context if it feeds the narrative.
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Have no problem with the music myself. NZ crowds are utterly hopeless at singing - my experience of AB tests is a deathly silent crowd, with the odd "ABs, ABs" chant. We are not remotely like the singing NH crowds, who don't need piped in music to generate some sound.
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could well be wrong , but im guessing gats may have waited to see the ab team before confirming his starting side ,
once he saw the relatively inexperienced (combination wise )back 3 named , he leaned towards this 10 12 combo to pepper them with kicks.
if they started with bb and dagg in the back 3 he may have started teo .......just a hunch
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Have no problem with the music myself. NZ crowds are utterly hopeless at singing - my experience of AB tests is a deathly silent crowd, with the odd "ABs, ABs" chant. We are not remotely like the singing NH crowds, who don't need piped in music to generate some sound.
@Billy-Tell so its AB's clap clap clap vs LIONS, LIONS LIONS
neither likely to win 'NZ or Britains Got Talent' -
Looking at the form of the 10s on tour, would Gatland have been better served pairing Biggar with Farrell?
I believe so.
Biggar plays flat, has good hands, a varied kicking game and can tackle.
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Looking at the form of the 10s on tour, would Gatland have been better served pairing Biggar with Farrell?
I believe so.
Biggar plays flat, has good hands, a varied kicking game and can tackle.
Yeah, none of them have been crash hot, but I have to say that Biggar to me seems just a little bit ordinary. I would still prefer Farrell over any of the other choices (maybe a bit of Saes bias there mind). He hasn't had any glaring errors and although he's not set the world on fire he has shown some ambition and creativity - just not enough as yet.
I worry about the NZ power runners coming into that 10/12 channel and without a monster tackler in the back row we could see a hard arvo for Sexton and Farrell. Still the flip side argument is that the blokes that looked like they could cause some damage were the back three and now we might actually get the ball to them.
Might.
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Reckon Te'o is bloody hard done by. He was an excellent foil for SBW and not only contained him but gave him plenty of headaches.
As mentioned, I'll be very pissed off if the ABs lose this. Not because I'm horribly arrogant but because I think this is a weaker team.
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Firstly. I despise music at the stadiums. It's an atmosphere killer, that is now so ingrained and the dead atmosphere is pretty much institutionalised at NZ grounds now that half don't know or remember the slightly better atmospheres that existed 20 years ago.
But I am actually pro 'Tutira Mai'. It's an easily joined in song with some chantable lines. It something that 'could' catch on and could even see it be enacted naturally without PA enducement at some time in the future, if the DJ was to ever step back from the mike.
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Looking at the form of the 10s on tour, would Gatland have been better served pairing Biggar with Farrell?
I believe so.
Biggar plays flat, has good hands, a varied kicking game and can tackle.
Yeah, none of them have been crash hot, but I have to say that Biggar to me seems just a little bit ordinary. I would still prefer Farrell over any of the other choices (maybe a bit of Saes bias there mind). He hasn't had any glaring errors and although he's not set the world on fire he has shown some ambition and creativity - just not enough as yet.
I worry about the NZ power runners coming into that 10/12 channel and without a monster tackler in the back row we could see a hard arvo for Sexton and Farrell. Still the flip side argument is that the blokes that looked like they could cause some damage were the back three and now we might actually get the ball to them.
Might.
@Catogrande said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Looking at the form of the 10s on tour, would Gatland have been better served pairing Biggar with Farrell?
I believe so.
Biggar plays flat, has good hands, a varied kicking game and can tackle.
Yeah, none of them have been crash hot, but I have to say that Biggar to me seems just a little bit ordinary. I would still prefer Farrell over any of the other choices (maybe a bit of Saes bias there mind). He hasn't had any glaring errors and although he's not set the world on fire he has shown some ambition and creativity - just not enough as yet.
I worry about the NZ power runners coming into that 10/12 channel and without a monster tackler in the back row we could see a hard arvo for Sexton and Farrell. Still the flip side argument is that the blokes that looked like they could cause some damage were the back three and now we might actually get the ball to them.
Might.
Agree that Farrell is our best 10, but when he's selected at 12 I think he and Biggar are a better combo.
But he's started with Sexton, so the subs bench should be the best backs. To that end Biggar and Joseph should have been ahead of Nowell.
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On the artificial chants in general.
The Hurricanes.
Back in 1996, new team .... they came up with jingle. Was a radio ad for few months leading up to the inaugural comp.
That's fine. But they play it over PA as a fan chant. I'm no musical composer, but it is technically a terrible chant.
Hurricaaaaaaaanes (getting higher).
Hurricaaaaaaaanes (getting lower).
That's fine for a professional singer, That's fine over the PA, people will join in as long as they're not the loudest.The reason this doesn't work, the part you sing/shout the loudest the "caaaaaaaanes" part, actually takes some singing ability. Is techincally reasonable difficult.
If in 1996 the fans had been left to their own devices. Undoubtedly the "Weeeeeeeelllllington" chant would have been adopted as "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuricaaaanes". A tried and true, organic, easy to sing chant requiring no prompting from Happy FM.
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could well be wrong , but im guessing gats may have waited to see the ab team before confirming his starting side ,
once he saw the relatively inexperienced (combination wise )back 3 named , he leaned towards this 10 12 combo to pepper them with kicks.
if they started with bb and dagg in the back 3 he may have started teo .......just a hunch
@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
could well be wrong , but im guessing gats may have waited to see the ab team before confirming his starting side ,
once he saw the relatively inexperienced (combination wise )back 3 named , he leaned towards this 10 12 combo to pepper them with kicks.
if they started with bb and dagg in the back 3 he may have started teo .......just a hunch
If we do that we're
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On the artificial chants in general.
The Hurricanes.
Back in 1996, new team .... they came up with jingle. Was a radio ad for few months leading up to the inaugural comp.
That's fine. But they play it over PA as a fan chant. I'm no musical composer, but it is technically a terrible chant.
Hurricaaaaaaaanes (getting higher).
Hurricaaaaaaaanes (getting lower).
That's fine for a professional singer, That's fine over the PA, people will join in as long as they're not the loudest.The reason this doesn't work, the part you sing/shout the loudest the "caaaaaaaanes" part, actually takes some singing ability. Is techincally reasonable difficult.
If in 1996 the fans had been left to their own devices. Undoubtedly the "Weeeeeeeelllllington" chant would have been adopted as "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuricaaaanes". A tried and true, organic, easy to sing chant requiring no prompting from Happy FM.
@Rapido ooh-aah-Umaga
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I saw Hanson at their peak. I'd like to believe they sucked hard but I was dragged to the show against my will and got obliterated pre-show and don't remember a thing. Anyway we all love Dave Dobbin and the Finns but the only music that should be played at international rugby test matches is hard metal and then only before the match, after the match, maybe during halftime break, but NEVER during the actual game itself.
Die With Your Boots On
Overkill
And that's-that. Done.
