All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3
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Well if we do lose the 3rd test, at least the Saders are still on top of Super rugby
The key thing for me this week is how will our attack draw in more numbers. Lions were very effective in fanning out quickly and realigning the defensive line that there were very few gaps. When there were some opportunities, the Lions scrambled well but did give away penalties.
I know some are particularly beholden to the "must take the 3", but there was at least two occasions that I had hoped we kicked to the corner and maul from 5m out to create a try. That's not a criticism of taking kicks (Barrett exceeding my expectations on that front), but I am not averse to them trying what might seem risky but has been a pretty fruitful play for us.
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Good to see Aura made her way into this article!
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Aaron Smith:
"They wanted to make it a struggle at the ruck, and we weren't able to be assertive with our carries. But we didn't help ourselves and we didn't attack where they weren't, and that's something we're going to fix this week. There was a lot more space than we thought. We've learned a lot from this game. There were opportunities there. Those opportunities will present themselves again this Saturday and we've got to be good enough to see them, and take them."
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I noticed Smith hardly ever box kicked after the rogue penalty on Retallick as a a pillar.
Went the traditional route with pass back to the 10 for clearing kicks.
I like that they were adaptable.
But I don't like clearing via the 10. Get so much more distance from the 9 usually. Would prefer better pillars.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel he does raise some legitimate issues however
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@MiketheSnow said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@Billy-Tell said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
The Lions have basically been unaffected by injury, they will have a core test team who will be well up for this.
This has been key in the incremental development of the Lions squad, Test 23 and game plan.
Don't get me wrong, I thought we'd blown it last Saturday and was left relieved but underwhelmed by the margin of victory.
But going into the decider we have a largely unchanged 23 who are peaking fitness wise, are more comfortable with the game plan, who trust each other, and who have a greater sense of how they're running off the ball and combining
Our losses have been gradual , so probably less fuss has been made of them . But if a few months ago we knew we would be going into a decider without , Coles , b smith , sbw and crotty , we might be getting a little nervous .
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@Rancid-Schnitzel he does raise some legitimate issues however
Most of it was knee-jerk hysteria though. Like I said, it reminds me of the RWC.
Of course the abs have deficiencies and are always beatable on a given day, but you could just as easily write a 50,000 word essay lamenting why the Lions very nearly lost to 14 men.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
Of course the abs have deficiencies and are always beatable on a given day, but you could just as easily write a 50,000 word essay lamenting why the Lions very nearly lost to 14 men.
I keep thinking of the counterfactual - how much damage would we do to the sport if we were able to beat the cream of the NH with 14 men. FFS, that's ridiculous - we shouldn't have been within 20 points of them. It's like we're playing on easy mode some days ... to lead with 5 to go was remarkable.
It's going to be huge this weekend. Like the first two test matches, if the ABs play to their potential, they win. We crushed them up front in Test 1 - being up by 30-8 with a couple of minutes to go is dominance. It's going to take a lot to beat this AB side, and some of that groundwork is already laid:
- Smith, Coles, SBW goooone
- French ref
- Wet weather
- Virtually an away game with visiting support
stuff it, I'll get our excuses in early. If we don't lose by less than 10 it's a victory, right?
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There really are some incredibly negative people in the AB fan base.
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@Rocky-Rockbottom said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
@Baron-Silas-Greenback said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
There really are some incredibly negative people in the AB fan base.
We're born in blood and pain and we die alone.
And apparently are miserable for all the years in between......
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@Bovidae said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
As has been mentioned in the media over the last few days, I am expecting the ABs to bounce back like they did in Dublin last year after the loss in Chicago. That doesn't mean it will be easy but BBBR's comments yesterday reiterate that the players themselves know what is required to give themselves the best chance to win.
These bounce-back scenarios are pretty fascinating. For me it's about the balance between confidence vs fear of losing and how that changes between matches.
Going into Match1 you sensed the All Blacks were a bit more fearful with a relatively unknown opponent while the Lions were pretty confident on the basis of good wins against Maori and Crusaders, who they wrongly perceived as being pretty close to the All Blacks level.
The Lions then went into Match 2 with the balance heavily towards fear of losing and the All Blacks, although they'll deny it forever, were carrying too much confidence from their previous effort. For Match 3 the All Blacks will be back in the fear zone in a big way and if they can channel that into focus and not jitters, they'll win.
Amateurish pop psychology aside, I hope they select a Fekitoa - Lienert Brown midfield and leave the rest unchanged.
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@Marty said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
The Lions then went into Match 2 with the balance heavily towards fear of losing and the All Blacks, although they'll deny it forever, were carrying too much confidence from their previous effort. For Match 3 the All Blacks will be back in the fear zone in a big way and if they can channel that into focus and not jitters, they'll win.
Couldn't disagree more.
Match 2 I reckon we were playing our full 80 game. We don't often tear into things at the front end, so that we can finish over the top of teams in the last quarter. Until the Red Card on Saturday night, I had no fear that we would lose if we played close to our potential. On the other hand, I could see the intensity from the Lions being hard to maintain through the game.
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@Baron-Silas-Greenback I aren't seeing anyone being incredibly negative. I do see people expressing concerns over the possible outcome and AB shortcomings. Is that not allowed?
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@Crazy-Horse no
we don't have shortcomings, just cheating dirty opposition and incompetent refs, sheesh, where the hell you been all these years?@Marty yeah will be interesting, with it all on the line will the Lions go to a more conservative game plan and try and shut us down up front?
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If there is a comforting thing , returning to Eden Park for a decider , gives us a feeling of , been there done that , its business as usual
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@booboo said in All Blacks v BI Lions Test #3:
I still think Warren G is a massive dick and hope he loses.
Is there the option for the Lions to win but Gatland to lose?
Maybe a French-style RWC2011 revolt when they ignored the lunatic Livremont?There are many things this tour that Gatland has done this tour that have annoyed me - his digs in the press conferences, not trying the Sexton-Farell partnership earlier in the tour, his drafting in of the "plastic Lions", in the last midweek game making 7 of the pack play 80 minutes to the point of exhaustion and demoralise them about not then having no hope of getting into the test team.
That said, he has seemed to create a good atmosphere among the players and has supported the early trips to schools etc. On a rugby front he has been willing to abandon his preferred approach of bulky-12 smashing the ball up for a 1m gain and somehow the team have become at times quite fluid.
If I had the choice I'd have Hansen as a coach - he has been more respectful of the opposition and the officials, he has set the tone for a good culture within the team and good results/style on the pitch. He has a good mix of analysis, pragmatism, proportion, humility and humour in what he says in the press conferences.
I hope that when/if the ABs lose on Saturday, Hansen is not the scapegoat.
The ABs have had significant disruption in both tests - it is normally the touring team who are running out of first-line players by the third test. Maybe the good fortune of the Lions with injuries has had more of an impact than has been suggested so far? -
@kiwiinmelb Last time Eden Park was a decider was 2015 Bledisloe, in that ABs team were Carter, McCaw, Nonu, Conrad, Coles, Woodcock, Ben Smith, Nehe Milner Skudder.
Just slightly different to the team that will run out on Saturday!
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@KiwiMurph but also followed a loss the week prior....
