B&I Lions 2017
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Really enjoyed this from the Telegraph staff
Ignore the headline :rolling_eyes:
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@Frye quite like the word black wash , sums up what happened to them quite nicely . The photo of Woodward looking despondent is the icing on the cake. Shame Marshall was the only ab to contribute, his thoughts were quite interesting though.
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Interesting article. Some lingering bitterness there, but "Donners'" parts were great, he sounds like he had a ball!
@mariner4life yeah the comments around BOD were bitter alright...did think the comment about a lady in a shop refusing to sell laces odd...but I guess there is no reason to make it up.
Certainly a lot of division in the squad, no surprise they struggled on the park.
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@Crucial said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Unco said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Bovidae said in B&I Lions 2017:
@nzzp said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Unco said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Bovidae said in B&I Lions 2017:
To change the subject slightly, has anyone who got their test tickets via the ballot received them yet? I know tickets for the non-test games have been sent but I wasn't sure about the test tickets. There is still a month to go though.
What tickets have gone out? I haven't gotten any yet.
Physical tickets to Maori and Barbarians have landed already.
We've got our tickets for both the Maori and Chiefs games.
We haven't received the Chiefs tickets yet. Really annoying.
Another thing where NZ is falling into the worldwide 'process'. Lots of tickets for gigs, games etc now aren't sent out until the week before in the UK.
I guess it is an attempt to cut reselling down as you are less likely to put another link in the chain of waiting for it and trusting it will arrive. The likes of Viagogo have had to start setting up collection booths for sellers to drop tickets off last minute for pickups.But if Bovidae's already received his tickets, I'm not sure that's the case here.
@Bovidae Cheers, I'll give it to Wednesday and if I still haven't received anything, I guess I'll call Ticketek.
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@Unco Any luck yet?
My tickets from Ticketbastard for the 3rd test arrived today so all sorted now.
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Well that's great for you, you fucking assholes. Have fun!
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Now that it's here, I'm only realising how inhuman this tour is for the tourists. A number of them played league finals on Saturday, joined up with the Lions squad on Sunday, flew out yesterday, and arrived..when? Have they even arrived yet? Then there's a game on Saturday and another game on Tuesday! et, etc. They'll need every one of the 40 odd players plus more in reserve.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/tipping-point-toll-taken-by-lions-tours-is-surely-not-sustainable-1.3099245 -
Now that it's here, I'm only realising how inhuman this tour is for the tourists. A number of them played league finals on Saturday, joined up with the Lions squad on Sunday, flew out yesterday, and arrived..when? Have they even arrived yet? Then there's a game on Saturday and another game on Tuesday! et, etc. They'll need every one of the 40 odd players plus more in reserve.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/tipping-point-toll-taken-by-lions-tours-is-surely-not-sustainable-1.3099245@wowrp1 depends what time yesterday they left if they have arrived yet...
First up game likely to be physical, but unlikely to test the team greatly, so a good one to blow out the cobwebs.
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and game 1 won't involve players who played club finals.
I don't think the itinerary is too big a deal actually.
It just an extra 2 weeks of warm up games, and a 41 man squad to handle that. They'll be fine.
Remember in 05 the midweek team brought up a ton v Manawatu. Tour games can't be v the provinces anymore.
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and game 1 won't involve players who played club finals.
I don't think the itinerary is too big a deal actually.
It just an extra 2 weeks of warm up games, and a 41 man squad to handle that. They'll be fine.
Remember in 05 the midweek team brought up a ton v Manawatu. Tour games can't be v the provinces anymore.
@Rapido although Manawatu were in the old 2nd Division at the time...still, Josh Bradnock gave another stellar performance by a kiwi 7 against the Lions on that tour.
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and game 1 won't involve players who played club finals.
I don't think the itinerary is too big a deal actually.
It just an extra 2 weeks of warm up games, and a 41 man squad to handle that. They'll be fine.
Remember in 05 the midweek team brought up a ton v Manawatu. Tour games can't be v the provinces anymore.
@Rapido There is a view that the itinerary is a big deal though, regardless of who plays on Sat. I don't know how far S&C has advanced to help them deal with it, but a number of the players look off the pace already. Just taking the 10's for example, Sexton basically played his way off the test side with his shocker in a league semi-final last week. Bigger has been in poor form and his team were pretty much obliterated in the final games of the league. That leaves Farrell, which is not a good place to be IMO.
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Yes Manawatu will be much better than 2005. But every other first division province is way weaker than 12 years ago.
2005 was a bit of an NPC watershed year, the 'end'.
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@Rapido There is a view that the itinerary is a big deal though, regardless of who plays on Sat. I don't know how far S&C has advanced to help them deal with it, but a number of the players look off the pace already. Just taking the 10's for example, Sexton basically played his way off the test side with his shocker in a league semi-final last week. Bigger has been in poor form and his team were pretty much obliterated in the final games of the league. That leaves Farrell, which is not a good place to be IMO.
@wowrp1 said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Rapido There is a view that the itinerary is a big deal though, regardless of who plays on Sat. I don't know how far S&C has advanced to help them deal with it, but a number of the players look off the pace already. Just taking the 10's for example, Sexton basically played his way off the test side with his shocker in a league semi-final last week. Bigger has been in poor form and his team were pretty much obliterated in the final games of the league. That leaves Farrell, which is not a good place to be IMO.
So they all had a week off?
This Saturday will be a breeze. The tour proper starts on Wednesday. And I think it could go either way. The Lions could totally ace this, or they could wobble at their first hard game due to lack of cohesion, and then the pressure could pile up.
It's going to be fascinating, I reckon they have 1 hard game too many (the first midweek match). Other than that 'the itinerary' thing is a bit overblown.
Maybe, not sure, ask me in a month .... I reckon this Lions team will be good.
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Thinking about how the loss of Dallaglio in 2005 took out a guy that was key to the touring group (and, of course the near death of BOD) made me wonder who, if any, the equivalent players are this time.
@taniwharugby made a comment that they don't have any talismanic players this time and he is probably right.
Billy V has gone already but he was more a big part of the team plan than a 'leader' or guy the others will look to.
Farrell? I don't know how respected he is among the non England teams and I also think he provides a quandary for Gatland in that he is either the 10 or a reserve as he doesn't play Warrenball and may not be able to play the same 12 role he does for England where he controls a game from further away. -
Guys, your own coach has had same misgivings about the schedule:
NEW ZEALAND COACH Steve Hansen is the latest detractor of the Lions’ scheduling of their tour down under.
The All Blacks coach does not believe the Lions have afforded themselves enough time to acclimatise before the first of 10 games against the Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei on Saturday.
Many critics of the Lions’ plans believe they are playing too many warm-up matches – Warren Gatland’s men play six times before meeting the All Blacks in Auckland on June 24.
The Lions departed London on Monday and will arrive on Wednesday, New Zealand time. Hansen believes they could be undercooked for their first contest as a result.
“You’d want to be there a week at the minimum [ahead of the first game],” he told The Times.
“It’s nicer to be longer than that. When we tour we have total control over when we leave the country.
“If most of them are not playing, what’s stopping them getting on a plane now with most of the squad, for example?
“The option you’ve got is for the sake of the team. We’ll get over there and we’ll see [the rest of] you when you get here.
“What they are asking them to do is pretty difficult, get here Wednesday, play Saturday.”
While the physical challenge goes without saying on the tour, much focus has been placed on the kicking battle. -
Fair point. Could have had most of the squad in NZ this weekend just gone.
Guess they had important things to do together like a photo shoot of everyone about to get on the plane.
@Frye said in B&I Lions 2017:
Fair point. Could have had most of the squad in NZ this weekend just gone.
Guess they had important things to do together like a photo shoot of everyone about to get on the plane.
..which is dictated by the marketing team that is the Lions organisation, not the choice of the players or the coaches.
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Another take on 2005
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/40069682
Woodward pissed on his own parade and he obviously learned a lot from Alistair Campbell because he's not man enough to admit his failings.
