All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2
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After the Hurricanes match Gatland has, possibly for the first time in his career, a genuine dilemma (more so than the spelling of dilemma).
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He has the right cattle to execute his one and only game plan.
Minor tweaks to the pack with Itoje starting with Kruis, AWJ on the bench.
Warburton to start with O'Mahoney on the bench2
He needs to bolster his cattle to execute his one and only game plan.
Genuine selection conundrum for hooker - George, Owens, Best
Does Sinckler start?
Genuine selection conundrum at lock - Itoje and Lawes to start with Henderson on the bench? Kruis and AWJ dropping out altogether?
Genuine selection conundrum in the backrow - Warburton to start? Stander on the bench?
Keep the same 10 backs? Lose Halfpenny for Biggar or North or Seymour or Nowell?3
Surprise us all and throw players like Tipuric into the mix to play a different game plan?I would like to see
Vunipola, Best, Sinckler
Itoje, Lawes
O'Brien, Tipuric, FaletauWebb, Farrell
Daly, Te'o, Davies, Watson
WilliamsGeorge, McGrath, Furlong
Henderson
Stander
Murray, Sexton
Halfpenny -
@taniwharugby said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
@Margin_Walker well if Faletau hadn't pushed him he would have avoided Murray leg given the direction of the push was toward Murray
Or got it better
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Would be good to see Tipuric and Itoje get a start. Would definitely help the linespeed close to the ruck. Former got through 80 minutes and 20 tackles today, so hard to see him being in the frame unfortunately.
Would worry about Sinckler's scrummaging, especially combined with Lawes who isn't the strongest scrummaging lock, by all accounts. May be worth rolling the dice though.
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@MiketheSnow So you did
I like your squad too, although I'd swap North for Halfpenny. We have cover for fullback (Watson) and centre (Daly) and it won't be because of a missed penalty kick that we lose the game.
It would be a brave call to leave Warburton out of the 23 altogether but I really would like to see Tipuric in the mix. Won't happen though.
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@MiketheSnow interesting lineup. Tips and O'Brien starting together will up the pace and support play. Will provide a tough battle at the breakdown for sure.
I like it, but it would be a massive call to drop Warburton.
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@Catogrande said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
@MiketheSnow So you did
I like your squad too, although I'd swap North for Halfpenny. We have cover for fullback (Watson) and centre (Daly) and it won't be because of a missed penalty kick that we lose the game.
It would be a brave call to leave Warburton out of the 23 altogether but I really would like to see Tipuric in the mix. Won't happen though.
Maybe for the 3rd Test (rolling eyes)
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Haven't read the match thread, but didn't get the impression Barrett played his way in. His defence at fullback is worryingly horrible at times - loves headbutting the turf. What the hell was he doing for the first try? Laidlaw is covered so he decides to dive across the back and take himself out of play.
He's only young so I'm not really bagging him for that, decision making is a learned thing, but I fear he might get shown up badly another level up.
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@Bones said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Haven't read the match thread, but didn't get the impression Barrett played his way in. His defence at fullback is worryingly horrible at times - loves headbutting the turf. What the hell was he doing for the first try? Laidlaw is covered so he decides to dive across the back and take himself out of play.
He's only young so I'm not really bagging him for that, decision making is a learned thing, but I fear he might get shown up badly another level up.
Kid has some talent alright but it isn't so outrageous that he gets to be thrown in the deep end like Rieko.
There is often this fear of DMac playing because he is too small defensively but JB (like his bro before him) is no brick wall to get past either.
I'm guessing that with brothers that can evade tackles the whole defensive thing was hard to practice in the back paddock. -
Has anyone worked out if Gatland is having a whinge because:
a) he is just having a cry and knows the NH media will be sympathetic to his cause.
b) calculated ploy to try and make referees overly judicious for tests 2 & 3 in regards to the offside line and charging down box kicks - making a major (only?) part of the Lions attack easier to execute.I want to believe b) but Gats track record makes that difficult.
It's obviously not because he cares for players safety otherwise he wouldn't have selected Warburton to skipper.
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@rotated said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Has anyone worked out if Gatland is having a whinge because:
a) he is just having a cry and knows the NH media will be sympathetic to his cause.
b) calculated ploy to try and make referees overly judicious for tests 2 & 3 in regards to the offside line and charging down box kicks - making a major (only?) part of the Lions attack easier to execute.I want to believe b) but Gats track record makes that difficult.
It's obviously not because he cares for players safety otherwise he wouldn't have selected Warburton to skipper.
If he's successful with b) then a) will take care of itself. So I would say b).
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@jegga said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Look at his twitter feed, he's been called on the cropping but doubles down on his bullshit . Apparently he's some sort of journo in Ireland .
Wot, journos throwing dirt in our eyes with a classic case of indignant Fake News Double-Down? I wouldn't expect anything less.
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Can sbw & alb play 80 and reiko cover midfield if needed ?
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Mark Reason may be the worst rugby writer of this century:
Gatland listened to the people. He listened to the Oxfordshire Two and all the other rugby fans from around the world. Healey said that Gatland "needed the courage to see his initial decision through." Stuart Barnes called the retraction "a sign of serious weakness."
Not a bit of it. Gatland's decision was a sign of enormous strength. If only the World War I generals had had the courage to change their mind and not send their men over the top to certain slaughter. But sometimes backing down is the hardest thing of all. Sorry, I got that wrong.
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@dogmeat said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
@Tim following on from his Dad who would be a contender for the 20th century although to be fair Reason Snr wasn't so much bad as simply bitter and twisted when it came to all things AB.
Brian Moore talked about Reason sr on pr once and said amongst the rugby community in England he was thought of as a shill for a couple of his cronies in the rfu and did more harm than good over the years. Not sure how true that is but it's interesting.
His son looks completely blazed in his profile photo on stuff which would explain a number of things.
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@Tim said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Mark Reason may be the worst rugby writer of this century:
Gatland listened to the people. He listened to the Oxfordshire Two and all the other rugby fans from around the world. Healey said that Gatland "needed the courage to see his initial decision through." Stuart Barnes called the retraction "a sign of serious weakness."
Not a bit of it. Gatland's decision was a sign of enormous strength. If only the World War I generals had had the courage to change their mind and not send their men over the top to certain slaughter. But sometimes backing down is the hardest thing of all. Sorry, I got that wrong.
Gareth Davies is hardly a wet behind the ears Tommy going over the top. He scored the try to beat England in the WC, and toured & played against NZ with Wales last Summer.
Thomas Fancis toured & played against NZ with Wales last Summer.
Reason is a dickhead.
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Reason is a dickhead.
You'll find no argument on here about that.
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@jegga said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
@Margin_Walker said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #2:
Nah, not really. Aware Faletau's not in this shot, but there was very little contact with him and Kaino is never going to reach the ball. No big deal, but it's on Kaino for me. Each to their own though.
That video is absolutely hilarious. Instead of tweeting a gif of the footage, he's filmed his Laptop with his phone, upright, to cut out half the screen and avoid showing Faletau putting a block on Kaino. Superb stuff.
Look at his twitter feed, he's been called on the cropping but doubles down on his bullshit . Apparently he's some sort of journo in Ireland .
Only just caught up with this. Quite funny and the other bloke (Alex Shaw) supporting him is a twat as well. I happened on a comment by him during the U21s and commented back among a bit of a twitter 'debate'. He then told everyone they were ignorant about rugby and should stop.
I asked him what his credentials are to make that call and he said 'it's my profession'.
So now if you write a blog and get the odd article published on a slow news day you can lord your opinion over everyone else.
Writing absolute bullshit about rugby is a profession for Jones/ Reason/ Ratpoo and many others that actually get regular space, now two-bit bloggers want to claim the high ground as well? -
ABs staying at the intercontinental in Wgtn near my work and saw a few of them about. Nice to see most of the tight 5 head off to Fritz's Weiners for some food! Saw Crotty as well, didn't seem to be limping about so maybe hammy not as bad as thought!
