The Silver Fern

@Bovidae said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Surely they will want a few more Aussies in the AUNZ team.

If they had enough, there wouldn't be an AUNZ team.

@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Mr-Fish said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@antipodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.

What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.

Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.

That's probably exactly why steel is required. Don't think the Super warm-ups will be of much concern to Andy Farrell. The Tests (and probably the ANZAC game) will be much tougher and Farrell might be worried his men are going in with too low expectations of their opposition.

exactly this, if everyone is too nice then where is the pressure in training, where is the Paul O'Connell forcing people to go harder? the warm up games these days are a joke and its a real shame, but its a fact of life. The tests will be a whole other level of intensity.

TBH I think the competition in training will be harder - players know everyone's looking good beating up SR teams devoid of their stars. Everyone of them will be wanting to stake a claim to make the Test side.

@Mr-Fish said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@antipodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.

What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.

Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.

That's probably exactly why steel is required. Don't think the Super warm-ups will be of much concern to Andy Farrell. The Tests (and probably the ANZAC game) will be much tougher and Farrell might be worried his men are going in with too low expectations of their opposition.

There's plenty of players who went to South Africa as Lions. Plenty of them have enough experience playing Tests. They'll be professional enough to know that they're beating up on SR squad players in a country with limited depth.

Heads of State

I enjoyed this ridiculous romp of the American President and English Prime Minster much more than I thought I would

3.5 action heroes out of five serves of fish and chips.

@Dodge said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Saw a tweet yesterday that suggested that this Lions squad have been very happy clappy, very friendly etc and that Farrell brought some steel. I started to think about it and I couldn't think of a single player on tour who fits the Martin Johnson / Alan Wyn Jones mould. There might just be something in it.

What steel is required? They've given out two absolute canings with no discernible reason this weekend against the Tahs will be any different.

Farrell brings nothing but an astonishing ability to not be held to account for his bullshit tackling technique. A technique that would've ended his career if other players were permitted to do the same to him with impunity.

@NTA said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

Gotta love league pundits. Right at the start of the NRLW season and they're still playing Rugby-is-shit dominoes.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16jQGSxMDt

I think Liam's take here is on the money.

They're the most insecure sporting fans I've ever seen.

They'll have to redesign the jersey so it's predominately black at this stage.

As expected, that's about the best 23 they can put on the park at the moment.

Will be interesting to see what patterns Schmidt & Co. have discerned from the Lions already they'll be looking to practise against the Fijians.

@MiketheSnow said in Waratahs v British Lions:

Pollock, Van der Flier, Earl

Farrell making the same mistake as Razor - trying to squeeze players onto the field as his first concern rather than where they best fit and complement each other.

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2025:

@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2025:

@kiwiinmelb said in All Blacks 2025:

@SouthernMann said in All Blacks 2025:

Checking the lineup on teletext. Hearing Keith Quinn call the game. Buying an $8 jug of Speights.

Fortunately there is the option to choose. If all you want to know is that Fabian Holland is 2.04m tall and 124kg, is affiliated to the Dunedin Sharks, Otago and the Highlanders. You can block out everything else.

The fun thing about this forum is it is clear some people don't like change. Super Rounds, hate em. Understanding personalities and history, hate it. Boots that aren't black, hate it.

Like, provincial rugby, paper programmes, you know the good old days.

We should be able to go to test matches carrying in your own chilli bin full of beer .

My old man used to be a cop back in the day (80s/90s) and he was working a shift at one of the test matches at the Basin. He had a group of lads who buried a keg of beer in the ground the night before so they were definitely getting on it.

Dad thought it was bloody hilarious so he let the boys have their fun as long as they didn't make too much of a scene.

Those were the days though but it definitely wouldn't fly in 2025. Now we have to fork out our hard earned for overpriced shit piss.

I’m early 60s but as a kid I remember the days when people did carry in their own beer , in big bottles, pretty funny now

One group brought in a bathtub full of ice and beer. IIRC sometime between lunch and tea it slid down the hill and crashed halfway through the boundary fence. The commentators discussed whether it would be a four or a six if the ball hit or landed in the bathtub.

Yes, fucking shit

Eddie Jones is coaching Japan.

And Wales haven't been gutted for Lions selection so you should be fine.

@brodean said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@ACT-Crusader

Morgan's a top player but I think Farrell will opt for what he knows best which is Jvdf.

That would be a mistake given their respective games on tour thus far.

Beirne looks like a liability; penalised off the park.

Curry was practically invisible.

@pakman said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

@Jet said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

@Windows97 said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

Happy for Holland, hope his game is as good as his hype, pleased to see Savea at 7, surprised to see Vaa'i at 6 and Lio-Willie at 8. Seems like a very green loose-forward trio. The balance is better, the cattle seem mixed.
Surised to see Barrett at 10, the golden sun continues to shine out of his *ss. Looking forward to 20m touch finders and pointless chip kicks.
Pleased Rieko is on the wing and that Protcor has been given a chance, we need a natual mid-field playing centre with better touch and distribution.
Surprised Reece is starting ahead of Clarke...
Bench is solid, really hope that Tupaea gets some good minutes, would love to see a Tupaea/Proctor combo to see how they go.

Been plenty of chat on fora such as this over the last few years looking for Rieko to go back to the wing and for Ardie to go to 7.

A damning indictment on the last two coaching tickets that the "bar stoolers" were right all along.

Good for them, but what are we going to complain about now?

I think we'll find something.

@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

@mariner4life said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

@1kiwi said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

So who leads the Haka this year? Rieko? maybe Codie or Ardie?

oh now we are touching on the burning issues

Gotta find something to post about until kick off and everyone waits for that first error by the player we don’t like so we tee off (or for some get their shining armour out…)

Prepping already

@Nepia said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Jet said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Dan54 said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Bones said in 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia:

@Jet we are when it knocks you on your arse for 3 days. It's a right fluffybunny.

Yep and only someone who is a bit moronic goes to public stuff and spreads it around. Same with flu keep your bugs at home. We have had 3-4 the old fellas at Golf club just got over covid ,knocked the shit out of them for first 4-5 days. Real crook.

I disagree but probably best not to derail the thread.

We are all entrenched in our positions after the last few years.

You're the one who derailed by ranting at NTA.

Yelling at hypochondriacs is good for them. This is actual medical advice.

Perhaps with the lock-6 situation they want as much height as possible on the field? The opposition aren't a short team.

@Canes4life said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

@antipodean said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

@Canes4life said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

Official All Blacks 23 vs France:

So the lock cover is Vaa'i moving and Finau coming off the bench. Can't say I like that logic.

Neither do I but happy to be proven wrong if Va'ai goes gang busters at 6.

I hope he does, but IMO they then need to find lock cover for the bench.

@Canes4life said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

Official All Blacks 23 vs France:

So the lock cover is Vaa'i moving and Finau coming off the bench. Can't say I like that logic.

@MN5 said in All Blacks Vs France, Test One, Dunedin:

Have they got the wings round the right way ?

My second impression too. Seems very odd.

First impression was @george33 was correct on some of his calls.