They're a sneaky lot, those wallabies. What with being descendants of convicts and everything.
The Lions 2013
- Thread starter Rosco
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They're a sneaky lot, those wallabies. What with being descendants of convicts and everything.
Brian Moore was on the radio this morning poo-pooing the idea that it could have been anything other than deliberate.
Apparently if found guilty he'll get at least a fortnight's ban, maybe longer depending on the seriousness with which the panel views the incident.
Apparently if found guilty he'll get at least a fortnight's ban, maybe longer depending on the seriousness with which the panel views the incident.
Team for Tuesday:
R Kearney; S Maitland, M Tuilagi, B Barritt, S Zebo; O Farrell, C Murray; R Grant, R Hibbard, D Cole, R Gray, G Parling (capt), D Lydiate, S O'Brien, T Faletau.
Replacements: R Best, M Vunipola, M Stevens, I Evans, J Tipuric, B Youngs, B Twelvetrees, S Hogg.
R Kearney; S Maitland, M Tuilagi, B Barritt, S Zebo; O Farrell, C Murray; R Grant, R Hibbard, D Cole, R Gray, G Parling (capt), D Lydiate, S O'Brien, T Faletau.
Replacements: R Best, M Vunipola, M Stevens, I Evans, J Tipuric, B Youngs, B Twelvetrees, S Hogg.
Good, thought-provoking piece from Dean Ryan as per. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do at Worcester Warriors next season.
More injury shenanigans from the Lions camp. Corbisiero appaz has a fracture. Tom Court, the Ireland prop who actually lives in Brisbane (??), has been called up as cover in case they can't get Corbisiero fit again, and will be on the bench for Tuesday's game.
1) Alex Corbisiero 7/10. did what he was selected for at scrum time. Busy around the pitch with one strong break and pass to Croft at the end of the 1st half. Will be happy with his Lions test debut
2) Tom Youngs 8/10. Strong around the park. Set piece throwing was a real bonus and played full of heart
3) Adam Jones 7/10. Scrum guru who dominated the set piece
4) Alun Wyn Jones 7/10. Physical, hard working and assertive. Impressive display.
5) Paul O'Connell 7/10. Worked hard around the ruck but not quite as dominant has he has been on tour
6) Tom Croft 7/10. Struggled to get in the game during the first half but better in the 2nd. O'Brien will want a good Tuesday performance
7) Sam Warburton (Capt) 8/10. Won the race to the breakdown which was no mean feat! Lead we'll in pressure game
8) Jamie Heaslip 7/10. Worked hard around breakdown and in defence.
9) Mike Phillips 6/10. Attacked fringes but marked out well by Aussies. Poor box kicks and needed to get ball away quicker. Genia won that battle today
10) Jonathan Sexton 7/10. Found it hard to launch backs because of lack of quick phase ball. Missed crucial tackle for Aussie 2nd try
11) George North 9/10. Sensational try and looked to have a second. Deadly in attack
12) Jonathan Davies 8/10. Strong carriers. Lovely left boot gave lions territory but little space in the backs
13) Brian O'Driscoll 7/10. Clearly frustrated at the early penalties against him. Continually got stuck in and had a lovely offload even if he didn’t sparkle as much as 12 years ago
14) Alex Cuthbert 8/10. Looked nervous, early drop but ran hard. Superb 2nd half finish
15) Leigh Halfpenny -8/10. Only blot to his copy book was his one missed kick
2) Tom Youngs 8/10. Strong around the park. Set piece throwing was a real bonus and played full of heart
3) Adam Jones 7/10. Scrum guru who dominated the set piece
4) Alun Wyn Jones 7/10. Physical, hard working and assertive. Impressive display.
5) Paul O'Connell 7/10. Worked hard around the ruck but not quite as dominant has he has been on tour
6) Tom Croft 7/10. Struggled to get in the game during the first half but better in the 2nd. O'Brien will want a good Tuesday performance
7) Sam Warburton (Capt) 8/10. Won the race to the breakdown which was no mean feat! Lead we'll in pressure game
8) Jamie Heaslip 7/10. Worked hard around breakdown and in defence.
9) Mike Phillips 6/10. Attacked fringes but marked out well by Aussies. Poor box kicks and needed to get ball away quicker. Genia won that battle today
10) Jonathan Sexton 7/10. Found it hard to launch backs because of lack of quick phase ball. Missed crucial tackle for Aussie 2nd try
11) George North 9/10. Sensational try and looked to have a second. Deadly in attack
12) Jonathan Davies 8/10. Strong carriers. Lovely left boot gave lions territory but little space in the backs
13) Brian O'Driscoll 7/10. Clearly frustrated at the early penalties against him. Continually got stuck in and had a lovely offload even if he didn’t sparkle as much as 12 years ago
14) Alex Cuthbert 8/10. Looked nervous, early drop but ran hard. Superb 2nd half finish
15) Leigh Halfpenny -8/10. Only blot to his copy book was his one missed kick
We could be in trouble in the scrum if Court gets anywhere near the test side. I'm surprised that Paul James hasn't been called up, he could be there with plenty of time to spare (for a spot on the test replacement bench)
AUSTRALIA
15 Berrick Barnes 3/10 What is it with him and head injuries? Before his latest he made little impression. One loose kick and a missed follow-up tackle helped North to his try. He looked what he is – short of match practice.
14 Israel Folau 8/10 Quieter in second half but difficult to remember him making a mistake and impossible to forget his good moments, which were from another planet – or maybe sport. Two brilliant tries and aerial dominance throughout.
13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 5/10 Has always been a hard worker, physical, aggressive and disruptive. Plenty of that, but not so much in the way of his pumping arms and legs on those charges he so loves. Yet another injured back by the end.
12 Christian Leali'ifano N/A Big tackle right at the start on Jonathan Davies. Too big, because it knocked him clean out. His game lasted 50 seconds. What have Australian backs done to upset the gods so? Freakish list of injuries last season and now this.
11 Digby Ioane 5/10 Couldn't really get going in his first game back from injury. Often on the shoulder, often charging into the heart of the midfield, rarely making any significant headway. Will be better for the run-out.
10 James O'Connor 2/10 Horrible game for him, really. Looked like a fish out of water at fly-half. Missed tackles and kicks, ran up alleys and spilled balls. Get him back out wide, where he is so lethal and where he ended up here.
9 Will Genia 9/10 Rarely can there have been so influential a performance on a losing side. Physical under the high ball and at close quarters, touched with genius when in space. Totally outplayed his opposite number. And everyone else, in fact.
1 Benn Robinson 6/10 A real trundler, this one. He rumbled through gaps, more than a lot of the backs did. Had more trouble holding on to it, though, once stopped. And the scrum was not a great success early on.
2 Stephen Moore 6/10 There at the heart of things when the Australia scrum stared down the demons and won a seemingly match-winning penalty. Carried and tackled relentlessly. One poor pass and one overthrow cost him a mark.
3 Ben Alexander 5/10 He and his prop mate combined well together in the loose on a couple of occasions. He is a great support player. But the Lions had the upper hand in the scrum while he was on, which is his first duty.
4 Kane Douglas 6/10 Very physical at close quarters, he was among the leading tacklers. He won a crucial turn-over in the second half and was authoritative at the restart. Doesn't contribute much at line-out, though.
5 James Horwill capt 6/10 Australia's only ball-winner at the lineout – and some of them required some taking. Otherwise he was as hard-working as any captain should be, but not often punishing. Helped steady scrum after early wobbles.
6 Ben Mowen 7/10 What a shift he put in. He had Mike Phillips in his pocket for long stretches of the game and saw him off. He carried from start to finish. Australia do not want for athletic back-row forwards.
7 Michael Hooper 5/10 Had plenty to do playing in the centre after the injury count piled up and actually became more prominent. Perhaps it's the nature of the position. On the side of the scrum he was quiet, even looked a little slight.
8 Wycliff Palu 5/10 Very quiet in the first half, almost not there at all. He improved markedly in the second, carrying repeatedly, if not damagingly and doing much to stop the Lions' runners round the fringe.
REPLACEMENTS
Pat McCabe (Leali'ifano 1) Selfless stint of tackling and carrying. Australia's injury curse continues. 6 Kurtley Beale (Barnes 39) The story was so nearly perfect for him. Australia looked a different proposition when he was on. 7 Liam Gill (McCabe 47); Sekope Kepu (Alexander 58); Rob Simmons (Douglas 69); James Slipper (Robinson 75); Nick Phipps (Ashley-Cooper 77).
LIONS
15 Leigh Halfpenny 7/10 In the end the main point of difference between the two teams was the accuracy of this man, and most of his rating points are for that. He did miss a hard one, and the world gasped, which tells its own tale.
14 Alex Cuthbert 4/10 Looked a bit lost for large parts of this one. His evening was redeemed by his try, but if the referee, Chris Pollock, was unkind to the tourists another might have disallowed that try for blocking.
13 Brian O'Driscoll 6/10 Struggled with the ref's idea of what was what at the breakdown early on, but he looked as classy as ever as the game wore on. Fine hands, little breaks, little chips and tackling. Lots of it.
12 Jonathan Davies 6/10 Had a superb opening half-hour or so. His carry put the first of the Australians off the field, his tough tackling shook them up and he managed to rip the ball off a prop. Quieter after that, though.
11 George North 8/10 Scored one of the great Lions tries, leaving a trail of defenders behind him. Then nearly in again, but foiled by his opposite number, who otherwise had the measure of him. Left trailing for Australia's first try.
10 Jonathan Sexton 7/10 Really grew into it. Seems to enjoy life without the responsibility of goalkicking. He couldn't lay a finger on Folau for his second try, but the variety of his play-making kept Aussie heads turning and the scoreboard ticking.
9 Mike Phillips 4/10 Out-played by his opposite man, but then wasn't everyone? He couldn't get his dynamic game round the fringes going, bar one break from deep in the first half, and his kicking was loose. Penalised in second half, then off.
1 Alex Corbisiero 6/10 Got through a lot of carrying and played his part in the Lions' more successful scrum combination. He looks fresh and mean, but was handed off by Folau for his try and lost ball a couple of times.
2 Tom Youngs 7/10 Excellent game. He burrows away at the heart of a defence with his relentless carrying and surely no hooker tackles more. His throwing at the lineout was clean and another part of the good scrum.
3 Adam Jones 5/10 His first duty is to push in the scrum, and on those occasions he was given a chance to he did so decisively. Otherwise, got among the Australians and made a proper nuisance of himself.
4 Alun Wyn Jones 6/10 Big point of reference. He seems to have the centre of gravity of a much shorter man, which translates into some effective carrying. Took a bit of lineout ball and was boss of the restarts.
5 Paul O'Connell 6/10 That bald head was never far away. He worked hard, and then with the Lions rocking he conceded a penalty. Normally lose a point for that, but this was one of those strategically appropriate ones.
6 Tom Croft 6/10 The Lions' principal target at the lineout and he didn't let them down. He mixed it enough round the fringes, as some seem to fear he won't, and was so often in support, as we all know he will.
7 Sam Warburton 5/10 Still to convince that he is at the front of the most competitive queue in the squad, on form alone. But he captains well and really is a most polite fellow. Not that the ref was particularly nice back.
8 Jamie Heaslip 6/10 Fine game at base of scrum and generally tidying up other people's messes. A night of hard work, rather than the hair-ruffling gallops for which we might know him better. He has class – but his heart is all there, too.
REPLACEMENTS
Mako Vunipola (for Alex Corbisiero 52) Dan Cole (for Adam Jones 52) Ben Youngs (for Mike Phillips 62) Richard Hibbard (for Tom Youngs 65) Geoff Parling (for Alun Wyn Jones 71) Dan Lydiate (for Tom Croft 73)
15 Berrick Barnes 3/10 What is it with him and head injuries? Before his latest he made little impression. One loose kick and a missed follow-up tackle helped North to his try. He looked what he is – short of match practice.
14 Israel Folau 8/10 Quieter in second half but difficult to remember him making a mistake and impossible to forget his good moments, which were from another planet – or maybe sport. Two brilliant tries and aerial dominance throughout.
13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 5/10 Has always been a hard worker, physical, aggressive and disruptive. Plenty of that, but not so much in the way of his pumping arms and legs on those charges he so loves. Yet another injured back by the end.
12 Christian Leali'ifano N/A Big tackle right at the start on Jonathan Davies. Too big, because it knocked him clean out. His game lasted 50 seconds. What have Australian backs done to upset the gods so? Freakish list of injuries last season and now this.
11 Digby Ioane 5/10 Couldn't really get going in his first game back from injury. Often on the shoulder, often charging into the heart of the midfield, rarely making any significant headway. Will be better for the run-out.
10 James O'Connor 2/10 Horrible game for him, really. Looked like a fish out of water at fly-half. Missed tackles and kicks, ran up alleys and spilled balls. Get him back out wide, where he is so lethal and where he ended up here.
9 Will Genia 9/10 Rarely can there have been so influential a performance on a losing side. Physical under the high ball and at close quarters, touched with genius when in space. Totally outplayed his opposite number. And everyone else, in fact.
1 Benn Robinson 6/10 A real trundler, this one. He rumbled through gaps, more than a lot of the backs did. Had more trouble holding on to it, though, once stopped. And the scrum was not a great success early on.
2 Stephen Moore 6/10 There at the heart of things when the Australia scrum stared down the demons and won a seemingly match-winning penalty. Carried and tackled relentlessly. One poor pass and one overthrow cost him a mark.
3 Ben Alexander 5/10 He and his prop mate combined well together in the loose on a couple of occasions. He is a great support player. But the Lions had the upper hand in the scrum while he was on, which is his first duty.
4 Kane Douglas 6/10 Very physical at close quarters, he was among the leading tacklers. He won a crucial turn-over in the second half and was authoritative at the restart. Doesn't contribute much at line-out, though.
5 James Horwill capt 6/10 Australia's only ball-winner at the lineout – and some of them required some taking. Otherwise he was as hard-working as any captain should be, but not often punishing. Helped steady scrum after early wobbles.
6 Ben Mowen 7/10 What a shift he put in. He had Mike Phillips in his pocket for long stretches of the game and saw him off. He carried from start to finish. Australia do not want for athletic back-row forwards.
7 Michael Hooper 5/10 Had plenty to do playing in the centre after the injury count piled up and actually became more prominent. Perhaps it's the nature of the position. On the side of the scrum he was quiet, even looked a little slight.
8 Wycliff Palu 5/10 Very quiet in the first half, almost not there at all. He improved markedly in the second, carrying repeatedly, if not damagingly and doing much to stop the Lions' runners round the fringe.
REPLACEMENTS
Pat McCabe (Leali'ifano 1) Selfless stint of tackling and carrying. Australia's injury curse continues. 6 Kurtley Beale (Barnes 39) The story was so nearly perfect for him. Australia looked a different proposition when he was on. 7 Liam Gill (McCabe 47); Sekope Kepu (Alexander 58); Rob Simmons (Douglas 69); James Slipper (Robinson 75); Nick Phipps (Ashley-Cooper 77).
LIONS
15 Leigh Halfpenny 7/10 In the end the main point of difference between the two teams was the accuracy of this man, and most of his rating points are for that. He did miss a hard one, and the world gasped, which tells its own tale.
14 Alex Cuthbert 4/10 Looked a bit lost for large parts of this one. His evening was redeemed by his try, but if the referee, Chris Pollock, was unkind to the tourists another might have disallowed that try for blocking.
13 Brian O'Driscoll 6/10 Struggled with the ref's idea of what was what at the breakdown early on, but he looked as classy as ever as the game wore on. Fine hands, little breaks, little chips and tackling. Lots of it.
12 Jonathan Davies 6/10 Had a superb opening half-hour or so. His carry put the first of the Australians off the field, his tough tackling shook them up and he managed to rip the ball off a prop. Quieter after that, though.
11 George North 8/10 Scored one of the great Lions tries, leaving a trail of defenders behind him. Then nearly in again, but foiled by his opposite number, who otherwise had the measure of him. Left trailing for Australia's first try.
10 Jonathan Sexton 7/10 Really grew into it. Seems to enjoy life without the responsibility of goalkicking. He couldn't lay a finger on Folau for his second try, but the variety of his play-making kept Aussie heads turning and the scoreboard ticking.
9 Mike Phillips 4/10 Out-played by his opposite man, but then wasn't everyone? He couldn't get his dynamic game round the fringes going, bar one break from deep in the first half, and his kicking was loose. Penalised in second half, then off.
1 Alex Corbisiero 6/10 Got through a lot of carrying and played his part in the Lions' more successful scrum combination. He looks fresh and mean, but was handed off by Folau for his try and lost ball a couple of times.
2 Tom Youngs 7/10 Excellent game. He burrows away at the heart of a defence with his relentless carrying and surely no hooker tackles more. His throwing at the lineout was clean and another part of the good scrum.
3 Adam Jones 5/10 His first duty is to push in the scrum, and on those occasions he was given a chance to he did so decisively. Otherwise, got among the Australians and made a proper nuisance of himself.
4 Alun Wyn Jones 6/10 Big point of reference. He seems to have the centre of gravity of a much shorter man, which translates into some effective carrying. Took a bit of lineout ball and was boss of the restarts.
5 Paul O'Connell 6/10 That bald head was never far away. He worked hard, and then with the Lions rocking he conceded a penalty. Normally lose a point for that, but this was one of those strategically appropriate ones.
6 Tom Croft 6/10 The Lions' principal target at the lineout and he didn't let them down. He mixed it enough round the fringes, as some seem to fear he won't, and was so often in support, as we all know he will.
7 Sam Warburton 5/10 Still to convince that he is at the front of the most competitive queue in the squad, on form alone. But he captains well and really is a most polite fellow. Not that the ref was particularly nice back.
8 Jamie Heaslip 6/10 Fine game at base of scrum and generally tidying up other people's messes. A night of hard work, rather than the hair-ruffling gallops for which we might know him better. He has class – but his heart is all there, too.
REPLACEMENTS
Mako Vunipola (for Alex Corbisiero 52) Dan Cole (for Adam Jones 52) Ben Youngs (for Mike Phillips 62) Richard Hibbard (for Tom Youngs 65) Geoff Parling (for Alun Wyn Jones 71) Dan Lydiate (for Tom Croft 73)
Of course it was intentional. He's got away with it big-time.
defo deliberate - it's the sudden movement of the leg which says it all, if he had lost balance, as he says, the movement would have been more gradual.
That's as fucking intentional as it gets but it's that fucking bad, he missed him!
That was deliberate, he should have been banned. But he's fairly rubbish anyway, so it's no biggy.
Aussies would have won if Quade Cooper had played.
Lions backs no great shakes. Winger (not North) and stand off aren't up to much. Neither is O'Driscoll either these days.
Deans is staring down the barrel.
Aussies would have won if Quade Cooper had played.
Lions backs no great shakes. Winger (not North) and stand off aren't up to much. Neither is O'Driscoll either these days.
Deans is staring down the barrel.
O'Sh!t. No news yet on whether they'll call for a replacement?
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the Wallabies winger Digby Ioane after he failed to appear in a Melbourne court on an assault charge.
Ioane, 27, is facing a charge of unlawful assault after he allegedly attacked a man in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran on 9 March.
A warrant was issued when Ioane did not appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.
Ioane plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition and was part of the Australia team that narrowly lost the first Test to the British and Irish Lions on Saturday night.
Ioane, 27, is facing a charge of unlawful assault after he allegedly attacked a man in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran on 9 March.
A warrant was issued when Ioane did not appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.
Ioane plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition and was part of the Australia team that narrowly lost the first Test to the British and Irish Lions on Saturday night.
That won't help them. Pity it wasn't Folau though.
Apparently George Smith is one of the additions to the squad this week.
Apparently George Smith is one of the additions to the squad this week.
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