B&I Lions 2017
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@Crucial said in B&I Lions 2017:
This was nowhere near the worst article he wrote this week. You should see the tripe he wrote about how the Lions are always so hard done by with refereeing.
Thanks for the warning, I'll give it a miss.
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Really enjoyed this from the Telegraph staff
Ignore the headline
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Interesting article. Some lingering bitterness there, but "Donners'" parts were great, he sounds like he had a ball!
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@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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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.
Tipping Point: Toll taken by Lions tours is surely not sustainable
Test series against the All Blacks will be great sport but players cannot sustain the pressure
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@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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@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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@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.
