16th man wrote:The game could really have done with Peyper stepping up and using his cards earlier.
Good performance by the forwards, though there were a few instances throughout the game where undermanned rucks got turned over as players stood and watched.
Yup. He should have been shouting 'roll away' at the MAB's from the start.
and Yup. Despite my continuing fury at butchered go forward.....the pack were pretty good. Furlong is on it.
WaspInWales wrote:Good second half. Could've been great had they put the Maori to the sword properly, but much better all round.
Sexton and Murray were good. 12, 13 - good. Pack very good. Halfpenny kicked very well...solid even, just not world class, certainly no Farrell anyway.
Maori were crap. Expected much better from them, just like the Crusaders.
Will need a lot more to beat the ABs, unless they fall apart too.
Maori and sanders bad? Possibly, but I wonder if this version of the lions match day team is actually ptettygood at shutting teams down.
Still, both oppositions need to learn to catch a bomb. That would have made a huge difference in both games.
The Lions are playing a very limited, one dimensional game plan. That looks bad when you have average players like the midweek team does, it looks good when you have quality players like the weekend side.
WaspInWales wrote:Good second half. Could've been great had they put the Maori to the sword properly, but much better all round.
Sexton and Murray were good. 12, 13 - good. Pack very good. Halfpenny kicked very well...solid even, just not world class, certainly no Farrell anyway.
Maori were crap. Expected much better from them, just like the Crusaders.
Will need a lot more to beat the ABs, unless they fall apart too.
Maori and sanders bad? Possibly, but I wonder if this version of the lions match day team is actually ptettygood at shutting teams down.
Still, both oppositions need to learn to catch a bomb. That would have made a huge difference in both games.
The Lions are playing a very limited, one dimensional game plan. That looks bad when you have average players like the midweek team does, it looks good when you have quality players like the weekend side.
I just feel like, with the quality available, the Lions should be better than they are showing...
I mean, our tight 5 is pretty damn good. Our backrow is quality. We have one of the best 9s... and surely we can scrape a test quality backline out of the home nations?
The frontrow looks like a proper 4's team. The ugly grizzled feck, the 'could be handsome if I dropped a few stone',....and their baby-faced assassin carrying all the puppy fat.
Starting front 5 were excellent, though Itoje needs to rein himself in a smidge. Faletau was good, but Billy is missed. POM was excellent and SOB's good, despite his handling letting him down through over ambition. I'd be reasonably happy with that pack- our best bet is to strangle the AB's at source.
Murray's kicking is very effective, and Sexton was good today. Personally I'd go with these two, Teo at 12. I'm a bit stumped on the rest....JD2 is a good runner and puts some nice kicks in, but handling is weak; JJ doesn't seem to fit the plan. I'd like Watson and Daly in the mix; Halfpenny was solid, but he has definitely lost pace. Maybe Daly, North, Watson?
Not sure Ford is really random as good as he can be. Sadly game breaking random hardly exists today it is coached out of them.
That is with the one notable exception Beudan Barret and we saw some of that immense skill against Samoa but in the north the closest is probably Finn Russell.
So maybe Russell will get a chance off the bench on Tuesday to show he should have been there from the getgo.
Ex prop Ex coach still a Welshman and enjoying retirement
North honestly shouldnt be anywhere near the test team based on performance so far.
I know he got himself carded, but Williams has looked the most attack minded outside of Watson.
As Joseph hasnt been called up for Tuesday, he may well be involved, is he a wing option? Dont know whether he has ever played there so a genuine question.
paddy no 11 wrote:No its true, North is a shadow of the north of 4 years ago, sadly
Saturdays game was one of the worst attacking performance of all time.
Lions pack might better their counterparts but that'll be the end of the good news, will lose conceding 3 or 4 tries be lucky to score 1
Why do people insist on trotting out this sh1te, he was the top try scorer in last years 6 nations ffs.
On saturday he didn't receive the ball in any space, the Lions were playing a more structured back three for defensive purposes which is why Watson did nothing either gut yet no-one seems to be suggesting he shouldn't be anywhere near the squad.
The basic fact of the matter is that North is a World Class player which is why he gets targetted for critcism especially by the opposition as they are wary of him, he also caused Julian Savea a lot of problems last summer before injury so he has form against his opposite number but don't let any facts get in the way of your thinking.
MrK wrote:
As Joseph hasnt been called up for Tuesday, he may well be involved, is he a wing option? Dont know whether he has ever played there so a genuine question.
Joseph has played wing before (for England as well as Bath), but it's not his best position and we'd be better off with a specialist there.
MrK wrote:
As Joseph hasnt been called up for Tuesday, he may well be involved, is he a wing option? Dont know whether he has ever played there so a genuine question.
Joseph has played wing before (for England as well as Bath), but it's not his best position and we'd be better off with a specialist there.
MrK wrote:
As Joseph hasnt been called up for Tuesday, he may well be involved, is he a wing option? Dont know whether he has ever played there so a genuine question.
Joseph has played wing before (for England as well as Bath), but it's not his best position and we'd be better off with a specialist there.
Puja
Like Daly
(and it should be Daly or Williams imo)
One of the journalists out there seems to think if either play well they are in line to start over North. Then the bbc journalist over there said the same and that Daly is 'well placed'.
Actually beeb article says about Daly making the 23. The other article claimed North was not nailed on and a performance from Daly/Williams could take North's place.
