All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3
-
I realise my post above might seem a bit churlish to Lions supporters.
Full credit it was a game of two halves (and we should have won both of them!
)
Seriously though everything has already been said. the lions team definitely atoned for their embarrassments on and off the field in 2005 and while I think they were a little lucky to draw the series they were very effective in every aspect of their play and deserve everyone's admiration. The fact that I got over the "loss" pretty quicky whereas I normally can't even drink after the AB's goes down says a lot.Meanwhile their fans were as always magnificent
-
Quelle surprise; Sinckler arrested in Auckland. Seems to be an angry young man.
-
Quelle surprise; Sinckler arrested in Auckland. Seems to be an angry young man.
@antipodean at least he wasn't 'mugged'
-
The highest rated rugby game on Fox Sports Australia this season was All Blacks vs Lions test 3 - over 200,000 viewers
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
The highest rated rugby game on Fox Sports Australia this season was All Blacks vs Lions test 3 - over 200,000 viewers
I wonder how many of those are Australian born? Probably not many
-
The other thing I forgot to mention on Poite - how many fucking times do you hear him coaching the lions? "Back, back" was on repeat throughout the match, heard an extraordinary amount of times with no follow up action - apart from the odd couple of times where he actually physically coached them (e.g. the one where he had to run into the ruck and make the lions player bind so he wasn't offside while Murray kicked).
-
The other thing I forgot to mention on Poite - how many fucking times do you hear him coaching the lions? "Back, back" was on repeat throughout the match, heard an extraordinary amount of times with no follow up action - apart from the odd couple of times where he actually physically coached them (e.g. the one where he had to run into the ruck and make the lions player bind so he wasn't offside while Murray kicked).
@Bones Strange turnaround given he was uninterested in coaching England:
"I'm the referee, not the coach, you have to find a solution," after flanker James Haskell asked for clarification.
-
This game really appears to have been one massive cockup by match officials:
http://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/16057/10943668/officials-wrong-to-allow-lions-star-alun-wyn-jones-back-on-after-hia -
Jonathan Davies deservedly named Man of the Series for the Lions.
And after the dust has settled and thoughts turn to pre-season training and Autumn Internationals, were the omitted and injured missed?
It was unfortunate that Hogg was injured out of the series, but to be fair he wasn't playing well prior to his departure. Would Brown have offered anything better than Williams? I don't think so.
Would the Gray brothers and Launchbury have made the Test side? Maybe Launchbury.
When the Lions went away from 'Warrenball' to 'Eddieball' I think we would have been better served having the original - Ford - not the imitation - Sexton.
And what we really missed was an out and out speedster like Christian Wade or Johnnie May who could have finished some of the chances we created.
But overall the squad selection seems to have been close to spot on.
-
This game really appears to have been one massive cockup by match officials:
http://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/16057/10943668/officials-wrong-to-allow-lions-star-alun-wyn-jones-back-on-after-hia@antipodean said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
This game really appears to have been one massive cockup by match officials:
http://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/16057/10943668/officials-wrong-to-allow-lions-star-alun-wyn-jones-back-on-after-hiaWas really uncomfortable with AWJ coming back on. Kind of Lonergan shuffle uncomfortable.
Add that to the two head knocks Lawes suffered and the Lions gave the impression (this may be unfair) that they were somewhat old skool with regard to concussion.
-
@antipodean said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
This game really appears to have been one massive cockup by match officials:
http://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/16057/10943668/officials-wrong-to-allow-lions-star-alun-wyn-jones-back-on-after-hiaWas really uncomfortable with AWJ coming back on. Kind of Lonergan shuffle uncomfortable.
Add that to the two head knocks Lawes suffered and the Lions gave the impression (this may be unfair) that they were somewhat old skool with regard to concussion.
@booboo said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@antipodean said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
This game really appears to have been one massive cockup by match officials:
http://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/16057/10943668/officials-wrong-to-allow-lions-star-alun-wyn-jones-back-on-after-hiaWas really uncomfortable with AWJ coming back on. Kind of Lonergan shuffle uncomfortable.
Add that to the two head knocks Lawes suffered and the Lions gave the impression (this may be unfair) that they were somewhat old skool with regard to concussion.
What about Read? Took a knock to the head that required attention but didn't leave the field.
Are there on field assessments now?
At the elite level do we need to go down the boxing / MMA route where the Commission where the event is taking place employs an independent medical team (well independent from the competitors) which is responsible for all things medical and has the final say?
World rugby is responsible for officiating. Time to be responsible for medicall too?
-
the other one that concerned me was test 1... kaino subbed off, no mention of HIA.... sam cane goes down injured shortly after... then it turns out kaino is off for a HIA? seemed a bit dubious to me at the time, though could have been perfectly innocent.
don't want to see it used as a tactical tool. -
the other one that concerned me was test 1... kaino subbed off, no mention of HIA.... sam cane goes down injured shortly after... then it turns out kaino is off for a HIA? seemed a bit dubious to me at the time, though could have been perfectly innocent.
don't want to see it used as a tactical tool.@reprobate well it appeared when Poite had had enough of Sexton being tended to (for what appeared an ankle injury) he told them to take him off a for a HIA....
@MiketheSnow yeah I wondered the same with Read, although was not as bad as AWJ knock.
TBH, I am surprised more hasnt been made of the Kaino-AWJ incident
-
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
TBH, I am surprised more hasnt been made of the Kaino-AWJ incident
That's because of the SOB-Naholo incident. We were worse off because Kaino got carded and SOB didn't.
And lets be honest, the refs call at the end completely stole the limelight. -
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
TBH, I am surprised more hasnt been made of the Kaino-AWJ incident
That's because of the SOB-Naholo incident. We were worse off because Kaino got carded and SOB didn't.
And lets be honest, the refs call at the end completely stole the limelight.@mimic said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
TBH, I am surprised more hasnt been made of the Kaino-AWJ incident
That's because of the SOB-Naholo incident. We were worse off because Kaino got carded and SOB didn't.
Yeah I know thats why, just surprised thier media didnt jump on it and make out it was worse given some of the thuggery we get accused of...woulda received a week or 2 off at Super rugby I reckon.
-
@MN5 You have got to be kidding. Bourbon and Coke. Sorry about that - I realise that means less Bourbon for you Huttites but I just can't shake it.
-
@Bones Bourbon? Well that's a mystery solved - I had wondered who was leaving all the empty biscuit wrappers in Dunorlan Park
@Disgusted-of-TW Yup that's me - I only eat the biscuit part though, so can offer you my leftover cream if you like?
-
I find this one strange as well. I think we as fans ( including Mex) are fully within our rights to blast the ref and say he cost us the series. I think the players and coaches should look at themselves and figure out how to take the ref out the game and that's exactly what they are doing. Not like the ABs were terrible, Poite and SBW hurt them bad. I thought by 3rd test they figured out how to beat rush defense but execution was poor but easily fixable. The result is what is but I think things like blaming Hansen for substituting Half back which the ABs have done for at least 13years is just silly.
@DMX said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
I find this one strange as well. I think we as fans ( including Mex) are fully within our rights to blast the ref and say he cost us the series. I think the players and coaches should look at themselves and figure out how to take the ref out the game and that's exactly what they are doing. Not like the ABs were terrible, Poite and SBW hurt them bad. I thought by 3rd test they figured out how to beat rush defense but execution was poor but easily fixable. The result is what is but I think things like blaming Hansen for substituting Half back which the ABs have done for at least 13years is just silly.
On the halfback substitution, sometimes it is better to leave the guy out there who is playing well especially when the pressure is on. The Ireland test a few years ago when Hansen left Aaron Smith on for all 83 minutes, his accuracy and speed was a huge reason why we created space and were able to make metres like we did.
-
the other one that concerned me was test 1... kaino subbed off, no mention of HIA.... sam cane goes down injured shortly after... then it turns out kaino is off for a HIA? seemed a bit dubious to me at the time, though could have been perfectly innocent.
don't want to see it used as a tactical tool.@reprobate said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
the other one that concerned me was test 1... kaino subbed off, no mention of HIA.... sam cane goes down injured shortly after... then it turns out kaino is off for a HIA? seemed a bit dubious to me at the time, though could have been perfectly innocent.
don't want to see it used as a tactical tool.Yeah - during that 3rd game, I seem to recall getting a little suspicious about some of the players going off for HIA (/rest).
I'm sure I was just being paranoid (and just nervous as all fuck, imagining all sorts of cloak-and-dagger shit)... but it would be an ideal foil against the ABs strength of keeping a game up-tempo... you get to slow the overall game down, plus a player gets a bit of a rest. -
Jonathan Davies deservedly named Man of the Series for the Lions.
And after the dust has settled and thoughts turn to pre-season training and Autumn Internationals, were the omitted and injured missed?
It was unfortunate that Hogg was injured out of the series, but to be fair he wasn't playing well prior to his departure. Would Brown have offered anything better than Williams? I don't think so.
Would the Gray brothers and Launchbury have made the Test side? Maybe Launchbury.
When the Lions went away from 'Warrenball' to 'Eddieball' I think we would have been better served having the original - Ford - not the imitation - Sexton.
And what we really missed was an out and out speedster like Christian Wade or Johnnie May who could have finished some of the chances we created.
But overall the squad selection seems to have been close to spot on.
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
Jonathan Davies deservedly named Man of the Series for the Lions.
And after the dust has settled and thoughts turn to pre-season training and Autumn Internationals, were the omitted and injured missed?
It was unfortunate that Hogg was injured out of the series, but to be fair he wasn't playing well prior to his departure. Would Brown have offered anything better than Williams? I don't think so.
Would the Gray brothers and Launchbury have made the Test side? Maybe Launchbury.
When the Lions went away from 'Warrenball' to 'Eddieball' I think we would have been better served having the original - Ford - not the imitation - Sexton.
And what we really missed was an out and out speedster like Christian Wade or Johnnie May who could have finished some of the chances we created.
But overall the squad selection seems to have been close to spot on.
I've never been a fan, but Davies was truly excellent all tour and well deserving of the reward - what a turnaround from the Six Nations. Warburton and AWJ both also more than justified their selection. Ahead of the tour I thought Gatland's selection of his favourites regardless of form would come back to bite him, but he made a great job of differentiating those who could raise their game from those who weren't ready for the challenge (Halfpenny, North).
Launchbury was hugely unlucky, but all of the Lions locks on tour played extremely well and with hindsight it's difficult to say any of them shouldn't have been there.
The most interesting non-tourist would have been Billy Vunipola. Faletau was one of the best players on tour - could Billy have pushed him to the bench? Or, like CJ Stander, would he have found he was getting less change than usual from his carries and not have a plan B? I think he's a better carrier than Stander with better footwork in traffic, and his game would translate better against Kiwi defences, but I guess we'll have to wait until 2018 to see.
I think Youngs would have been a huge upgrade on Laidlaw for the midweek side, but probably wouldn't have troubled the selectors for the Tests.
