All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3
-
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
Jonathan Davies deservedly named Man of the Series for the Lions.
And after the dust has settled and thoughts turn to pre-season training and Autumn Internationals, were the omitted and injured missed?
It was unfortunate that Hogg was injured out of the series, but to be fair he wasn't playing well prior to his departure. Would Brown have offered anything better than Williams? I don't think so.
Would the Gray brothers and Launchbury have made the Test side? Maybe Launchbury.
When the Lions went away from 'Warrenball' to 'Eddieball' I think we would have been better served having the original - Ford - not the imitation - Sexton.
And what we really missed was an out and out speedster like Christian Wade or Johnnie May who could have finished some of the chances we created.
But overall the squad selection seems to have been close to spot on.
I've never been a fan, but Davies was truly excellent all tour and well deserving of the reward - what a turnaround from the Six Nations. Warburton and AWJ both also more than justified their selection. Ahead of the tour I thought Gatland's selection of his favourites regardless of form would come back to bite him, but he made a great job of differentiating those who could raise their game from those who weren't ready for the challenge (Halfpenny, North).
Launchbury was hugely unlucky, but all of the Lions locks on tour played extremely well and with hindsight it's difficult to say any of them shouldn't have been there.
The most interesting non-tourist would have been Billy Vunipola. Faletau was one of the best players on tour - could Billy have pushed him to the bench? Or, like CJ Stander, would he have found he was getting less change than usual from his carries and not have a plan B? I think he's a better carrier than Stander with better footwork in traffic, and his game would translate better against Kiwi defences, but I guess we'll have to wait until 2018 to see.
I think Youngs would have been a huge upgrade on Laidlaw for the midweek side, but probably wouldn't have troubled the selectors for the Tests.
-
@SimonAdd_2 said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
Jonathan Davies deservedly named Man of the Series for the Lions.
And after the dust has settled and thoughts turn to pre-season training and Autumn Internationals, were the omitted and injured missed?
It was unfortunate that Hogg was injured out of the series, but to be fair he wasn't playing well prior to his departure. Would Brown have offered anything better than Williams? I don't think so.
Would the Gray brothers and Launchbury have made the Test side? Maybe Launchbury.
When the Lions went away from 'Warrenball' to 'Eddieball' I think we would have been better served having the original - Ford - not the imitation - Sexton.
And what we really missed was an out and out speedster like Christian Wade or Johnnie May who could have finished some of the chances we created.
But overall the squad selection seems to have been close to spot on.
I've never been a fan, but Davies was truly excellent all tour and well deserving of the reward - what a turnaround from the Six Nations. Warburton and AWJ both also more than justified their selection. Ahead of the tour I thought Gatland's selection of his favourites regardless of form would come back to bite him, but he made a great job of differentiating those who could raise their game from those who weren't ready for the challenge (Halfpenny, North).
Launchbury was hugely unlucky, but all of the Lions locks on tour played extremely well and with hindsight it's difficult to say any of them shouldn't have been there.
The most interesting non-tourist would have been Billy Vunipola. Faletau was one of the best players on tour - could Billy have pushed him to the bench? Or, like CJ Stander, would he have found he was getting less change than usual from his carries and not have a plan B? I think he's a better carrier than Stander with better footwork in traffic, and his game would translate better against Kiwi defences, but I guess we'll have to wait until 2018 to see.
I think Youngs would have been a huge upgrade on Laidlaw for the midweek side, but probably wouldn't have troubled the selectors for the Tests.
Forgot about Billy. His participation would have been very interesting.
-
@antipodean said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
This game really appears to have been one massive cockup by match officials:
Lions star Alun Wyn Jones should not have been allowed back on after HIA, says Matt Stevens
Alun Wyn Jones should not have been allowed back onto the field during the third Test against New Zealand because he had exceeded the time limit allowed for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), says Matt Stevens.
But wasn't he subbed after he passed the HIA by Lawes. So coming back on to replace Warburton when he went off for his HIA is all a non-issue.
3.14 Substituted players rejoining the match
If a player is substituted, that player may only return to play when replacing:
•an injured front row player in accordance with Law 3.5
•a player with a blood injury in accordance with Law 3.11
•a player undertaking a Head Injury Assessment in accordance with Law 3.12
•a player who has been injured as a result of foul play (as verified by the Match Officials). -
Lions HIAs were independently assessed by a independent medical doctor to take the Lions coaching/medical team out of the equation. Eanna Falvey covered this in an interview 2-3 weeks ago. http://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/94442032/lions-doctor-eanna-falvey-gives-insight-into-modern-concussion-protocols
-
@Pot-Hale said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
Lions HIAs were independently assessed by a independent medical doctor to take the Lions coaching/medical team out of the equation. Eanna Falvey covered this in an interview 2-3 weeks ago. http://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/94442032/lions-doctor-eanna-falvey-gives-insight-into-modern-concussion-protocols
That sure is nice but it's a matter of (rugby) law not a matter of medicine.
-
@MiketheSnow Davies was immense on attack and defence and played every minute of the series. So glad he was names man of series ahead of the wankstain that is Itoje.
Don't get the love for him in the NH press and amongst Lions fans. He reminds me of Frank Bruno. Superb physical athlete just a shame he doesn't know how to play the game. I'm undoubtedly over-reacting but he strikes me as a bit meh and would add nothing to the AB's. Gladly have Davies in midfield though.
-
There is some onus on players too, there was a super rugby a few weeks back, think it was Sam Cane and one of the Chiefs props asked ot be taken for HIA.
IIRC Cane passed the protocols but he said he didnt feel right so stayed off.
-
@barbarian Nothing wrong with your analysis honestly, but you have made one massive glaring omission.
Poite blew the whistle stopping play, when the AB's were in a strong attacking position - I'm not convinced like others that ALB was through, as the tackle on him was half hearted, but you cannot deny that we had awesome attacking go-forward ball, against a broken defensive line, with defense back tracking & offence charging forwards.
He blew that whistle, as I'm sure he thought at that point that Black would want the penalty. So he stifled the great attacking chance for the penalty. And then he took that penalty away because he didn't have the nuts (anybody can say what they want, but he changed his mind because he didn't have the balls to make the decision that was in front of him).
It was a shambles, a shafting, and honestly nothing but a complete fuckin debacle. It's a shame, as up until that point, he'd had a great game.
They say the greats come to the fore when it matters, when the pressure is on. Poite proved beyond any doubt that he doesn't have what it takes.
-
@MajorRage I don't know if I have a poor memory, but you don't often gripe about refs or ABs getting the shaft, so that's rather telling for me.
-
@dogmeat said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@MiketheSnow Davies was immense on attack and defence and played every minute of the series. So glad he was names man of series ahead of the wankstain that is Itoje.
Don't get the love for him in the NH press and amongst Lions fans. He reminds me of Frank Bruno. Superb physical athlete just a shame he doesn't know how to play the game. I'm undoubtedly over-reacting but he strikes me as a bit meh and would add nothing to the AB's. Gladly have Davies in midfield though.
He's getting incredible hype in the NH. Just the other day there was silly talk about him being the first million pound player in the world. Why would someone say that other than to purposely hype him up?! Knowing the media its probably another case of reverse racism. Not Itoje's fault.
I thought Henderson should have gotten a game at least as a sub.
-
@profitius said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@dogmeat said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@MiketheSnow Davies was immense on attack and defence and played every minute of the series. So glad he was names man of series ahead of the wankstain that is Itoje.
Don't get the love for him in the NH press and amongst Lions fans. He reminds me of Frank Bruno. Superb physical athlete just a shame he doesn't know how to play the game. I'm undoubtedly over-reacting but he strikes me as a bit meh and would add nothing to the AB's. Gladly have Davies in midfield though.
He's getting incredible hype in the NH. Just the other day there was silly talk about him being the first million pound player in the world. Why would someone say that other than to purposely hype him up?! Knowing the media its probably another case of reverse racism. Not Itoje's fault.
I thought Henderson should have gotten a game at least as a sub.
Someone will surely pay big bucks for his cloaking device. How else could he be that far offside so many times and not be pinged?
-
The evolution of Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen is a better man to deal with now he is head All Blacks coach.
-
@MajorRage said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
he didn't have the nuts (anybody can say what they want, but he changed his mind because he didn't have the balls to make the decision that was in front of him).
beyond any doubt that he doesn't have what it takes.I agree with everything else you said 100% but I think it took massive balls to change his call.
He had already made the call, his TMO had reconfirmed and he had video evidence of Owens giving a sworn affidavit that he was offside and knew it. Plus it was against the home crowd.
To go against that takes massive stones.
Now the failure of the IRB, Potite and Garces to come out an explain/apologize/take accountability speaks to their lack of integrity rather than balls.
-
Do they record the chat between Ref and the ARs, given the alleged call to change was made in FRench from Garces to Poite, surely that in itself needs dealing with, because it is essentially removing the other AR and the TMO from the process.
-
@MajorRage Yeah, I think most of us are angry at the fact that he backtracked on the decision, something that has never ever happened before except for when foul play is involved. So he broke protocol and that should have serious consequences....but knowing how gutless World Rugby is, no punishment will be dished out.
If his original call was for an accidental offside, I don't think too many of us would have had an issue with it.
-
We will never know, but I wonder whether he would have made the same call if the situation was in reverse and it was an AB who played at the ball with the Lions on attack? A hell of a lot of power is held by the Lions unions and being human, the possible fallout may have crossed his mind. Fcuk, I'm sounding like a South African!
