Blues v BI Lions
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@Tim said in Blues v BI Lions:
@Bones Ioane and SBW are in cracking form. You let me have this.
Will be interesting looking for Rob Thompson in the squad tomorrow. Maybe he'll be one of those listed as not considered because of injury?
He'll have to settle for playing for the Maori. I think?
He'd be an AB, but it's written in SBW's contract that he MUST be selected, so he has to miss out.
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@Tim said in Blues v BI Lions:
Ioane is now clear favourite for left wing. Savea can't get by on rep forever.
Yeah, I was not convinced, but am now. He has the goods.
Tbh I was pumping for Duffey, but it wasn't his night.
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@Bones Ireland went 1-1 with the All Blacks in two tough games and beat Australia. England beat Aus, SA and Argentina.
So yes.
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Not impressed with Itoje. I was expecting a lot more.
I think the Lions will have a great chance against the Saders. Saders game plan will help the Lions.
Decent 9 will make huge difference to the Lions. -
@MiketheSnow said in Blues v BI Lions:
Thoroughly deserved from the Blues. Stuck to the task and clinically and brutally exploited the Lions lack of pace and spatial awareness.
With a bit more precision and YCs being shown it could easily have been 5 tries to 1.
5 mins either side of halftime killed the Lions.
Luatua, Williams and Ioane played themselves into contention.
As mentioned earlier Owens, Tipuric, Webb, Halfpenny in the box seats for test match 23.
Big competition for prop.
Itoje will be in test 23, Lawes won't.
Stander had a good match but not good enough to oust Faletau.
Biggar shithouse. Sexton not much better. Gatland's decision to select Farrell as an outside half borne out.
Centres never got a chance and you still have to fancy Te'o, Joseph and Davies to be vying for the test spots
Daley is class
Nowell played himself out of contention
Liam Williams will have to do something remarkable to even get a look inStill a bit early with some guys yet to play a fun game or play at all in some instances, however those guys haven't done themselves any harm. I wouldn't rule out Daly making a case for the 13 shirt, certainly a good bench option. Nowell straight to the dirt trackers sadly. Best's line out frailties in a Lions jersey have come back to haunt him, so likely a scrap between Owens and George - happy to see Owens start and George make an impact. Likely to be Itoje, Kruis and AWJ in the test 23 with AWJ lucky on form. Back row will be interesting, we have yet to see anything much of SOB and I think it is between him and Stander to break up an all Welsh back row. Prop is looking to be a real fight.
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@SimonAdd_2 said in Blues v BI Lions:
@Bones Ireland went 1-1 with the All Blacks in two tough games and beat Australia. England beat Aus, SA and Argentina.
So yes.
Well shit, get the rest of the Ireland team out there to add to the outstanding efforts of Best/Sexton/etc
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Well done Blues.
I'm going to stick with my first half men - Luatua, Rieko and SBW as the stars of that game, but also give an honorable mention to to the much maligned Collins. I thought he was pretty good.
Lions weren't quite as good in the second half, until the Blues reserves came on and then their forwards smashed the reserve props. One thing is certain - the Lions forwards and Blues backs would have put paid to the Blues forwards and Lions backs.
Actually, the Lions were better than I expected given it was this lot's first run together. I thought a lack of cohesion would see them get beaten quite convincingly, but in the end it was just a few silly mistakes and weak links that stopped them winning.
I thought Lawes and Itoje were good - and Stander. The front rows (starters and reserves) got the better of their opposites. Webb went well, but those outside him were pretty anonymous and occasionally got monstered (Nowell). Halfpenny was pretty good.
Gats will be pissed. Even the one point win would have bought him some breathing space, but now his week has been fucked.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Blues v BI Lions:
Great to see Collins back. Really missed his play on the weekend.
Picked it.....
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Good from teh Blues, overcame their limitations and found a way to use their strengths. Their broken play attack was good, and their offloads really fucked the Lions rush defense. Their best spoken about a lot already. Was Moala playing? Shit Patty T would have been handy, what a dumb fuck. Lot of big games from a lot of Blues players.
For the Lions, good up front when using power and pressure, and keeping the ball. But no play beyond catch and crash. It can still work, but they won't just over power teams. Their lineout was prime, but their scrum only got on top at certain times, for the most the Blues were good.
Webb was good, but both 10s and the midfields did fuck all to use the ball they were given. Halfpenny was really good though, goalkicking, cleaning up, and sniping on attack.
Every time the sort of sorted themselves out and got the game on their terms, they looked great, but there was no points coming out of it, and really that's the whole point of the game. This loss isn't the end, they were definitely better in a lot of areas, but they need to look where the points are going to come from, and just having the ball isn't going to get it. What is with their ordinary kicking game?
Great game, great occassion, plenty of feeling (on the field and on line) and the tour is really hot now!
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Stander was trying to play the Billy V role but without much success. Plenty of carries but for little gain and no threat off the offload etc. Blues 8 comfortably outplayed him.
Toby, please don't get injured.
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@Catogrande said in Blues v BI Lions:
@MiketheSnow said in Blues v BI Lions:
Thoroughly deserved from the Blues. Stuck to the task and clinically and brutally exploited the Lions lack of pace and spatial awareness.
With a bit more precision and YCs being shown it could easily have been 5 tries to 1.
5 mins either side of halftime killed the Lions.
Luatua, Williams and Ioane played themselves into contention.
As mentioned earlier Owens, Tipuric, Webb, Halfpenny in the box seats for test match 23.
Big competition for prop.
Itoje will be in test 23, Lawes won't.
Stander had a good match but not good enough to oust Faletau.
Biggar shithouse. Sexton not much better. Gatland's decision to select Farrell as an outside half borne out.
Centres never got a chance and you still have to fancy Te'o, Joseph and Davies to be vying for the test spots
Daley is class
Nowell played himself out of contention
Liam Williams will have to do something remarkable to even get a look inStill a bit early with some guys yet to play a fun game or play at all in some instances, however those guys haven't done themselves any harm. I wouldn't rule out Daly making a case for the 13 shirt, certainly a good bench option. Nowell straight to the dirt trackers sadly. Best's line out frailties in a Lions jersey have come back to haunt him, so likely a scrap between Owens and George - happy to see Owens start and George make an impact. Likely to be Itoje, Kruis and AWJ in the test 23 with AWJ lucky on form. Back row will be interesting, we have yet to see anything much of SOB and I think it is between him and Stander to break up an all Welsh back row. Prop is looking to be a real fight.
True. All guesswork at this stage.
But 😁
Owens to start, George to finish as you said
Props a lottery at the moment
Itoje and Kruis, with AWJ to replace Kruis. Or AWJ and Kruis, with Itoje to replace Kruis.
Warburton, O'Brien, Faletau, Tipuric, MoriartyAs it stands todayWebb, Farrell, Watson, Te'o, Davies, North, Halfpenny
Murray, Sexton, Daley on anywhere back threeIf direct isn't working, Sexton to 10 and Farrell to 12
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From two days ago http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/40161042```
But Gatland says his side will play expansive rugby in New Zealand, and that critics of his methods have been jealous of his past success.
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Just really plodding and dumb/slow rugby for the Lions. It was really obvious in the first half when they were dominating possession in the blues half, how easy it was for the Blues to just tackle and regather while they waited for the next phase of....one off runner.
Most players not even looking test level and really lacking any cohesion.
Surely there must be a high level of foxing going on here, they just really can't be that bad?
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At 16-15 I thought the Lions would close it out and would take some much needed confidence moving forward. They were a lot better tonight, the Blues would slap the NZB side every day, but that try from West was not just a killer in this match, but the tour in general. Gatland has a pretty big task ahead of him keeping the group together and focussing on the positives now, as they'll be copping it from all sides.
A tour like this always reinforces how important the team aspect of rugby is, it's a hell of a task pulling together a team on short notice, and I always expected the Lions to start slow and build into the tour. They're doing that, but losing this match is a set back.
As for the Blues, that was a pretty standard performance from them. Up and down all game, some incredibly frustrating stuff mixed in with some genuine quality. The performance will be remembered for the West try, and so it should that was fucking magic, but the three players that got them over the line were Luatua, SBW and Ioane. They were a class above everyone else on the park.
I'm very keen to see 11. Ioane and 12. SBW for the first test. And I'm a Savea fluffer from way back, but Rieko's class is undeniable now. SBW is a douche but I want that douche at 12 if he's gonna play like that.
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Really enjoyed that. Lions much better than I expected. SBW, Reiko & Luatua playing themselves into an AB jersey, Moala & Patty T the opposite. From this game I can see the Lions getting better. I see Crusaders are clear favourites now, I missed out on Blues 13+ but did collect on the crazy $3.35 odds on a blues win. Will be unlikely to see any more good odds.
