NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017)
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Thought the Baabaas struggled a bit when Stratton went off, his passing was very good.
Baabaas pack went well too, even when the lions subed on a new front row that the Irish guys next to me reckoned is the best one.
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@taniwharugby I couldn't understand why their set piece didn't monster the barbarians.
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@Stockcar86 said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
Credit where it is due, well done to the Lions for getting the win of their tour out of the way in the first match
Winza win, tour's not a TOTAL failure.
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Legitimately worried the Lions won't win another game on tour if they play like that.
The Baabaas deserve credit, but that was several levels below either European Cup or Super Rugby.
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No excuses, just a pretty shithouse performance. The Lions need to get a lot better and quickly.
Not too many plusses from that game for us. Maybe Sinckler putting his hand up is one. Struggling thereafter.
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@Catogrande Faletau's performance was the biggest positive I though, especially with Billy out.
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@Catogrande said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
No excuses, just a pretty shithouse performance. The Lions need to get a lot better and quickly.
Not too many plusses from that game for us. Maybe Sinckler putting his hand up is one. Struggling thereafter.
Yeah that quick tap was a beautiful example of heads up play 😊
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@Bones said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
@Catogrande said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
No excuses, just a pretty shithouse performance. The Lions need to get a lot better and quickly.
Not too many plusses from that game for us. Maybe Sinckler putting his hand up is one. Struggling thereafter.
Yeah that quick tap was a beautiful example of heads up play 😊
Actually I thought he did the right thing, just got no support. Funnily enough Sir Ian McGeechan agreed with me.
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@SimonAdd_2 said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
@Catogrande Faletau's performance was the biggest positive I though, especially with Billy out.
I get what you're saying but to my mind we have come to expect a lot from Faletau and though he played above most of his team mates I'm not sure (that tackle aside) that he shone as much as he might have.
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@Catogrande I'm not too convinced...a quick tap with your back to the opposition without even looking? By a prop? Dubious at best.
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@Bones said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
Sinckler. Doesn't even look, takes the tap, turns it over. About sums it up eh. Muppet.
Yes, dumb, if only he'd popped to Faletau on his left shoulder could have maybe threatened. In fairness that was the only mark I had against Sinckler all night. Thought he played very well, and maybe this tour will be the making of him. But definitely a few other Lions need to take a long hard look at themselves, mostly that was woeful. Stirring stuff from the NZ baabaas though.
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@Catogrande said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
No excuses, just a pretty shithouse performance. The Lions need to get a lot better and quickly.
Not too many plusses from that game for us. Maybe Sinckler putting his hand up is one. Struggling thereafter.
Shaking the rust off. First game up for a newly cobbled-together team after a long trip... this was always going to be rough. Not unexpected. It's a win, put it behind them & forget about it, it won't mean a thing about the next game or the test matches.
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It's going to be a very long 6 weeks.
Been listening to politicians talking hot air for weeks, don't need it from Sky TV presenters and analysts.
A scratch Lions team containing a lot of the cream of NH rugby got beaten everywhere but on the scoreboard by a scratch NZ provincial team - read players not good enough to play Super Rugby - with all the invention, flair and creativity coming from the Kiwis.
At least we know early that a number of the Lions are just not up to the task and Sexton won't last.
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@MiketheSnow Well put. I find it odd the lack of shock from uk pundits on the result, these guys are literally no-names. Jetlag is bad and all but the baabaas aren't even a real team. It might be a very long tour indeed.
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Why do people keep mentioning jetlag? I've travelled the same distance and played three days later. I also scored as many tries as the Lions did.
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@Rembrandt said in NZ Provincial Barbarians v B&I Lions (Whangarei, 3 June 2017):
@MiketheSnow Well put. I find it odd the lack of shock from uk pundits on the result, these guys are literally no-names. Jetlag is bad and all but the baabaas aren't even a real team. It might be a very long tour indeed.
The lack of shock?
Lions limp past NZ Barbarians is but one of a number of headlines to stories that don't pull any punches on the shit performance. Jet lag, etc is balanced with acknowledgment that the Baa Bas opposition were made up butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers and how impressive they were as a scratch team.
No one is hiding from what is a shit result and performance. Gatland as coach doesn't get to have the freedom to say that in public. I reckon Sexton and Henderson already know they've pretty much blown their chances of test starting places. Best had a better debut than his last Lions tour which isn't saying much.
According to Gatland, he's planning a new starting XV for next week's match against the Blues so presumably it might look something like this:
McGrath, Owens, Cole, Itoje, Lawes, Stander, O'B'rien/Tipuric, Haskell
Murray, Biggar, Williams, Henshaw, Davies, North, Halfpenny
Reps: George, Marler, Furlong, Kruis, O'Mahony, Webb, Sexton, Payne/Nowell
