Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions
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@Billy-Tell said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
@Bovidae said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
@Stargazer Lowe has a much better kicking game so I can understand the decision to use him at fullback and not NMS.
DMac at 10 and Lowe at 15 is how the Chiefs lined up in the 2nd half vs the Canes.
I'm really looking forward to going to this game after seeing the teams named. Hopefully it's an epic clash like in 2005.
This match basically comes down to whether the Lions pack can stop the Maori backs getting enough ball. That Maori pack is a bit underwhelming - a tight five full of journeymen (Hames excepted), no out-and-out 7 (Dixon, really?), and Messam is a few years past his best.
This!
The match is going to be a titanic struggle. What we have seen from the Lions is resolute defence, a great kick and chase game (led by Murray) an excellent lineout (bar one mis-fire against the Blues) and aggressive ruck work.What we know is NZ rugby and the Maori brains trust have had 4 games to diffuse the Lions strengths, if anything NZ rugby can adapt quickly.
My pick is Maori by less than 7
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That Maori backline looks dynamite but it remains to be seen how they go up front. Can't wait regardless.
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Article in the Herald today indicating that the BIL camp is virtually split already into two training/playing groups and that extra players have been called for as training standins to make full teams.
Also some whinging about goal kicks as if the situations only ever occur in NZ.
The one about Dalys kick is a valid point. Gardner should have offered a change from the shot when he moved the mark back (to the correct place). He would have had to stop things and informed the Highlanders of the change but that's fine.
The other was the borderline miss from Farrell against the Crusaders. Some twits in the team calling for the TMO while others say they had a better view from the stands than the ARunder the post. What a load of crap. If the ball doesn't go between the posts clearly and obviously then it isn't successful. TMO would need two synchronised cameras to get the point of ball and post meeting and the AR is able to remove one axis from the equation by looking up the post.
Suffer in ya jocks! -
My only concern with that backline is the lack of combinations. Each very exciting players but I would've preferred DMac and Lowe at the back together where they are so tough to defend because they link so well.
Lions have picked a good side. Physical loose forwards and I reckon DMac will get his fair share of attention from SOB
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@Sapetyvi said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
From that Lions team, who are really in need of a big game to make way into test team? Henderson, Laidlaw, Itoje? POM made captain so seems he can only play himself out now?
If Maori win this, will it be all panic for the Lions?
O'Brien and Sexton
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@pakman said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
@Crucial With Hoefty coaching scrums surely he'll be put right?
All props do shit, of that there is little dispute. I have just always noticed what Hames is doing if he looks to be dominant.
A favourite of his is dipping under the TH and driving up into their chest. It looks spectacular when in works but some THs work him out and time a downward drive just as he dips. Then he gets pinged for collapsing. -
@taniwharugby said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
might have to reclaim the TV back instead of watching on the laptop for this one!
Good luck with that.
Why is it only Thursday? I want to watch this game now.
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Farrell out with injury, Biggar on the bench.
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@MiketheSnow Yes, quad strain apparently. Hopefully not bad enough to keep him out of the first test.
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@Crucial Well for a start he's a short ass, so he's naturally going to be lower than TH. They will apply some downward pressure as a matter of course. If scrum goes down it can be a bit of a lottery who gets penalty. As NTA has observed, sometimes ref's guesses are based on 'look' of past few scrums. But if a TH packs high and goes for the bore-in then it's fair game in my book. Furlong has a tendency to creak upwards against technical LHs so could be interesting.
That said, I'm not really disagreeing! -
@Crucial said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
Article in the Herald today indicating that the BIL camp is virtually split already into two training/playing groups and that extra players have been called for as training standins to make full teams.
Also some whinging about goal kicks as if the situations only ever occur in NZ.
The one about Dalys kick is a valid point. Gardner should have offered a change from the shot when he moved the mark back (to the correct place). He would have had to stop things and informed the Highlanders of the change but that's fine.
The other was the borderline miss from Farrell against the Crusaders. Some twits in the team calling for the TMO while others say they had a better view from the stands than the ARunder the post. What a load of crap. If the ball doesn't go between the posts clearly and obviously then it isn't successful. TMO would need two synchronised cameras to get the point of ball and post meeting and the AR is able to remove one axis from the equation by looking up the post.
Suffer in ya jocks!An inevitable shame if the first bit is true. The thing that can split the camp is if this was perceived to be the situation from the get go. Gatland has been at pains to ensure this is not the case, so let's hope there is no splintering of the tour party.
Re the kicks, you make a good point about Daly's kick. I'd sort of thought that once he'd opted for the kick at goal that was it, but it makes sense for the situation to be re-addressed given the change in circumstances. I don't think it would have changed the decision mind as by all accounts Daly had been banging them over form his own 10m line in the arm up. Farrlel's kick? Meh some will argue yes, some will argue no. It's a redundant argument. The decision was no and that's it. Nothing to whine about there.
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I have run touch in games in Wellington where no matter how you position yourself any kick going close to over the upright is a complete lottery as the fucken post is swaying around like crazy.
All you could do to be fair was rule on the clear and obvious otherwise you'd get some right and some wrong.
Want your kick to be counted? Kick it down the middle. -
@Sapetyvi said in Māori All Blacks vs British and Irish Lions:
From that Lions team, who are really in need of a big game to make way into test team? Henderson, Laidlaw, Itoje? POM made captain so seems he can only play himself out now?
If Maori win this, will it be all panic for the Lions?
Barring injury, Laidlaw is not in the match day squad. Second row is a little more open. I thought Henderson had second string written all over him but he has improved with the tour, though I still feel it will be Kruis, Jones and Itoje in the matchday squad, unless Itoje has a shocker. I assume Lawes is out of the equation through concussion, though I'm not sure he'd be in the selectors' minds anyway. O'Mahoney I think has laid down his marker and will be at 6, if O'Brien has a stormer it will make for a difficult decision for Gatland and selecting a slightly underdone Warburton in SOB's place could have a detrimental effect on squad morale. Sexton really needs to step up as well. I would have had him nailed down for 10 at the start but he's been below his best and Farrell has, IMO, played significantly better with less game time at 10.
I would also say that Davies needs a good game at 13 but I don't think Gatland feels the same. Teo seems to be comfortable but that is more down to lack of anyone else putting their hand up than any brilliant form from Teo - and Gatland likes big munters at 12.
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@Catogrande
Agree about all that, Lawes looked pretty bad, so would expect he isn't training full before next week earliest. Reckon Gatland has some breathing space about 7 as Warburton came out in public saying he isn't guaranteed starting.You and @MiketheSnow haven't answered the second question tho
, how will they cope if they lose tomorrow? -
@Sapetyvi Yeah, studiously avoiding that question, but what the hell, here goes.
Offical line will be, "We're here to win the tests and all the prior games are for preparation. Yeah we would like to win these as well but it is the test series that counts".
In private they will be tearing their hair out.
Personally I taken any defeat as a complete downer, as I do when we put in a piss-poor performance, even if it's a win.
