Lions v Blues
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Brilliant win against a very good lions,there were times I wanted to turn off and go to bed,delighted I stayed up..!,some great impact from the bench..,
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@stargazer your not wrong about the names
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@steven-harris said in Lions v Blues:
Brilliant win against a very good lions,there were times I wanted to turn off and go to bed,delighted I stayed up..!,some great impact from the bench..,
I was worried Ruru had been given the TSF curse when his first three touches were ankles/above the head/intercept but he added impetus after that.
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@rebound said in Lions v Blues:
@crucial
What about his charge down, it was always going to be a charge down. He and Nanai are the most frustrating, always do something crap mixed with the good they doWith Ruru he may have just edged on the right side of the ledger, but only just.
Do you mean Nye-nye?
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@crucial Ruru must have been the most relieved man on the field when that touch down was not given,but great to see the Blues come up on the right side of the ledger,probably the Blues best win against an away team of real quality in a very long time.
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I have never understood why Gatland was so highly rated. The times I've watched him he was distinctly underwhelming.
I know several people who reckon he wasn't even the best at HBHS. But his name was excellent PR for them.
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@rebound said in Lions v Blues:
@crucial
What about his charge down, it was always going to be a charge down. He and Nanai are the most frustrating, always do something crap mixed with the good they doCan't believe you're including Ruru in a sentence that contains the word 'always'. He's just arrived on the scene. Rookies make mistakes.
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Gonna throw this out there,Jerome Kaino has been a great player no question,but I suspect he’s a bit off the pace and looking a shadow of himself given he’s heading off shore,do you invest more in a younger more dynamic loose forward mix..?
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SA Rugby In Shock After TMO Correctly Rules In Favour Of The Away Team
Shockwaves went through SA rugby today, when a TMO (television muppet official) correctly ruled against the home SA team for the first time ever in a televised game. Late on in the match, with the Lions looking to close out the match it looked for all money that the Lions had scored with time almost up to put the game beyond reach. Despite the ball clearly having not been grounded, expected transmission began with the assistant referee running in to let the referee know that the ball had indeed been grounded correctly, and he'd had a clear view.
However things began to unravel shortly after, when the referee decided that it was worth another look, leaving all viewers confused. After looking at 3 angles, of which the clearest had correctly been blocked by a spectators head, the TMO then sent seismic waves through the community by correctly saying the ball hadn't been grounded. The Blues then went on to score a last minute winner, although replays clearly showed there were at least 5 potential reasons for the referee to completely fuck up and call it back.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann when asked about the incident was inconsolable and somewhat confused. "I didn't really see it and haven't had time to review it, as like all good coaches I wasn't looking at the 42 live screens in front of me all showing the replays. This is however a huge shift change for SA refereeing, and I'm wondering if there is any point in even having home advantage anymore. Fans don't turn up, and if the referees are going to police things correctly and without bias, then we may as well just play away".
Team captain Warren Whitely concurred, simply saying "it's not my job to comment on referees decisions, but if the home teaming isn't getting all the 90/10's, let alone the 50/50's, it's going to be tough from here on in"
Blues coach Tana Umaga was delighted with the result, the first time in his tenure that his team actually did anything decent. "It's great to get a win against a well coached and strong Lions team, although I don't have time to talk right now, as I've got to help Sonny Bill get a flight to Port Elizabeth - he's got an old pal or something there he wants to catch up with".
SA referees were approached for comment, but politely declined as they, quite rightly commented that like all controversial decisions their view is firmly to have their heads up their arse.
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Blues did their best to give that game to the Lions. So many soft tries conceded and so many forced passes which went down made it such a frustrating watch. Lucky to win it considering how unbelievably dumb we are.
Perofeta looks all class though and must start next week ahead of Gatland.
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@akan004 The Lions also showed how not to close a game out. It's as if they can only play at a high tempo pace. Great heart shown from the boys despite our obvious flaws.
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@african-monkey Agree, they were equally as dumb, but the Blues had so many chances in the Lions' 22 and turned the ball over with unnecessary offloads. The Lions should have won it at the end but I feel the Blues were only trailing due to their own ineptitude. The Lions were nowhere near their best and the Blues almost stuffed it up imo.
The Lions really need to find a balance between their all out attacking game plan and a more pragmatic one when closing out games. They never should have lost that in the last few minutes.
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@african-monkey said in Lions v Blues:
@akan004 The Lions also showed how not to close a game out. It's as if they can only play at a high tempo pace. Great heart shown from the boys despite our obvious flaws.
Then the French outdid both and gave the ultimate 'not closing' lesson
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@Crucial not many on here are able to watch the games played in the middle of the night.
That's a good effort from the Blues, winning in SA is still pretty tough despite the lack of quality in the SA conference. I took them by 1-8 in the tipping, as I think they are a better side than most give them credit for. The NZ conference is once again brutal as fuck, with most of the NZ derbies evenly matched.
