2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching
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@knockonwood said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
Some observations specifically from the 1st test in Christchurch:
- In the first 10 minutes of the match there were enough high tackles, tip tackles, off-the-ball incidents, tackling the player in the air in the lineout and other generally-frowned-upon play that 4 or 5 players would have been in the bin had it been played with today's refereeing emphasis.
A good example is Umaga's tackle on Lewsey about 10 mins before HT. That tip tackle would be an automatic red card today but wasn't even penalised.
I don't think I've ever seen a game with so many wins against the throw in the lineout and chargedowns from kicks than in the 1st test.
The other major difference from the 2005 tour to this years tour will be that neutral refs will be used for all non-test games except the Baabaas game. I remember plenty of bleating from Woodward about the officiating.
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S'funny. That 2005 tour was the only one since God knows when that I wasn't really invested in. There was something very different and not so good about it from the get-go. I'm not sure if it was the make up of the touring party, the aggressive rhetoric emanating from all and sundry or just the inclusion of that wankstain Cambell.
It just didn't have the feel of a real Lions tour.
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@Catogrande said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
It just didn't have the feel of a real Lions tour.
They should make sure they get out on the lash with the Super franchises the night before the game, and have to play hungover with some people throwing up on the sideline. Now that's a real Lions tour right there, with international bonding and plenty of fraternising with the locals. You can stick the professionalism up your arse ... bring back the boat race, court sessions and fat props.
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@nzzp said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
@Catogrande said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
It just didn't have the feel of a real Lions tour.
They should make sure they get out on the lash with the Super franchises the night before the game, and have to play hungover with some people throwing up on the sideline. Now that's a real Lions tour right there, with international bonding and plenty of fraternising with the locals. You can stick the professionalism up your arse ... bring back the boat race, court sessions and fat props.
Can you imagine the meltdown on the squnky media outlets if that did happen?
Horror and outrage.
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@nzzp Ha! Reminds me of a tour one Easter. We had a game against HMS Exeter who were docked at Portsmouth. We got a VIP trip round the ship in the morning, lunch and then a game in the afternoon. All the navy boys were tucking into a large roast lunch and we were encouraged to do the same. Which we did. When we got to the ground a totally different load of Navy boys turned up for the game.
Never trust a matelot.
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@knockonwood said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
- In the first 10 minutes of the match there were enough high tackles, tip tackles, off-the-ball incidents, tackling the player in the air in the lineout and other generally-frowned-upon play that 4 or 5 players would have been in the bin had it been played with today's refereeing emphasis.
Disagree with that. In a high-stakes match they are always going to let things slide less they "ruin" the fixture. Look at the last RWC final, Kepu alone committed more fouls in the first 60 minutes of that fixture than anything in the first 2005 test.
They have gotten more brazen with issuing yellows in general though - starting somewhere around 2009.
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@nzzp said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
@Catogrande said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
It just didn't have the feel of a real Lions tour.
They should make sure they get out on the lash with the Super franchises the night before the game, and have to play hungover with some people throwing up on the sideline. Now that's a real Lions tour right there, with international bonding and plenty of fraternising with the locals. You can stick the professionalism up your arse ... bring back the boat race, court sessions and fat props.
Have a look at the Lions vs Waikato game on the other thread. The prood Scottish tight five all looked to have done all they could to keep the amateur conditioning alive as long as possible.
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@Catogrande yeah, I understand what you are saying. There was just too much of everything apart from rugby. Too much media management, too many players, too much talk of things like spies - it was classic leave no stone unturned sort of stuff, and it just didn't really work in my view.
Turn up, spend some time at clubs, schools, get the locals onside, get a feel for the community, and spend time in the watering holes, the tourist traps and just get out there and have fun and enjoy yourself. Yes, professionalism is now a big part of it, but nobody is saying get pissed every night. A couple of beers and a bbq at a a local rugby club / school will do amazing things for the team and the communities visited.
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@taniwharugby said in 2005 Lions Tour Re-Watching:
if you dont have sky but are a member here, they have all the tests availble
Are those videos downloadable? (I should check pirate bay...)
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An interesting long-read on the 2005 Lions tour based on interviews with several of the Lions players: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2017/jun/04/2005-lions-tour-hell-new-zealand-alastair-campbell-clive-woodward
