NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017)
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Long range forecast for Whangarei...
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For Oz based ferners, they are showing this match live on Fosxsports
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wait, is that this weekend? Jesus
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@mariner4life yep, she is upon us already!
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@mariner4life said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
wait, is that this weekend? Jesus
Aren't you excited?
Now you won't need to keep bumping that dreadful aerial ping pong thread any longer.Or the state house rugby thread either, for that matter.
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@mariner4life Yeah - Saturday rugby viewing needs quite a bit of planning.
Crusaders-Highlanders is a mid afternoon game and Chiefs-Waratahs 5 pm NZ time.
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Pitch is looking mint!
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@taniwharugby aren't the NRU meant to be preparing some potholes so a talisman like player can break their ankle in the first game?
Obviously haven't been reading the history of the Lions in NZ according to the Walrus. Deliberate skulduggery is what we do. -
Can't wait for it to start!
Even though they'll most likely get hammered - be interesting to see how Jonah Lowe, Jack Stratton, Lachlan Boshier and Luteru Laulala go.
Also can't wait to see what kind of team the Lions will select. As the NH premiership and European Cup have just finished - some will be match fit, but some Welsh/Scottish players haven't played for a while...and wierdly the 2 English clubs involved in the Premiership final didn't have a lot of Lions players..
Wish it was bloody Saturday.. -
@Crash said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
Can't wait for it to start!
Even though they'll most likely get hammered - be interesting to see how Jonah Lowe, Jack Stratton, Lachlan Boshier and Luteru Laulala go.
Also can't wait to see what kind of team the Lions will select. As the NH premiership and European Cup have just finished - some will be match fit, but some Welsh/Scottish players haven't played for a while...and wierdly the 2 English clubs involved in the Premiership final didn't have a lot of Lions players..
Wish it was bloody Saturday..It will certainly be interesting. Gatland will be torn between getting his combos going early and targeting the Blues game.
That article posted about 2005 showed how, internally things started to slide as soon as the squad had a loss (Maori). There will be a desire to ensure a clean sheet (which I can't see happening) while also making sure key combos are tested and get exposed to a high level. -
@Crucial said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
It will certainly be interesting. Gatland will be torn between getting his combos going early and targeting the Blues game.
That article posted about 2005 showed how, internally things started to slide as soon as the squad had a loss (Maori). There will be a desire to ensure a clean sheet (which I can't see happening) while also making sure key combos are tested and get exposed to a high level.Yeah - will they select a huge pack that will just rip into their work all night, provide some competition within the squad - or will they take it easy, work on combos shake out the jet lag and ease into the Blues match
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I think it's a fair assumption that players involved in PRO12 and Premiership finals last weekend will not play on Saturday.
So that knocks out Davies, Murray, Stander, O'Mahony, Nowell, Daly, Haskell, Halfpenny, North, L Williams.
I reckon Warburton will lead out the side since it's his first game back and he needs game time. Ditto for Ken Owens. Plus players who haven't played since regular season end on 6 May - including Best, Hogg, Payne, Seymour, Biggar, Te'o, Laidlaw, Marler, Cole, Sinckler, Henderson, Wyn Jones, Moriarty.
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Moriarty and Laidlaw played the week after in the Challenge Cup, but should still be good to go.
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Fair enough - forgot the Challenge Cup. Ignoring trying of combos, the principle of using players with longest rest time first, and to ensure all 41 are used by Match 3 or 4, this would be a good way to go. He wants 90% of the first test side playing against the Maori.
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Certainly makes sense. Squad for the first game more or less picks itself (would expect Warburton to captain). Everyone should have started a game by the third match and be pretty much at a starting test team for Maori, as you say.
Short, sharp tour, so some that aren't obviously inked in as test starters will only have perhaps a game and a sub appearance to press their case
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Ok - so going on that premise, and recognising that he'll have to use some of the semi-finalists at least on the bench, my take on possible Lions side for Saturday might look like the below from this squad:
Back-three: Hogg, Halfpenny, Watson, Williams, Daly, North, Seymour, Nowell
Midfield: Payne, Joseph, Davies, Henshaw, Te'o
Out-halves: Sexton, Farrell, Biggar
Scrum-halves: Murray, Webb, Laidlaw
LH: McGrath, Marler, Vunipola
TH: Furlong, Cole, Sinckler
Hookers: Best, Owens, George
Locks: Itoje, Henderson, Kruis, Jones, Lawes
Backrowers: Haskell, Moriarty, Stander, O'Mahony, Faletau, Warburton, Tipuric, O'BrienLions v Provincial Barbarians XV
15 Hogg 14. Watson 13 Joseph 12 Te'o 11 Seymour 10 Biggar 9 Laidlaw
1.Marler 2 Best 3 Sinckler 4 Henderson 5 Jones 6 Tipuric 7 Warburton 8 Faletau
Reps: 16 Owens 17 Vunipola, 18 Cole 19 Kruis 20 Moriarty 21 Webb 22 Farrell 23 Payne
