The Lions 2013

[Rosco]

Yeah he was decent, he just tries to get involved all the time - he's a nuisance to defend against. Given the injuries and the form of Maitland and Cuthbert it won't be surprising to see him involved next week.

The second row is probably set now with AWJ and POC after today. There's a good chance that'll be the starting front row too - they were all very solid and busy. Needless to say I'm hoping the back row isn't today's one. Heaslip wasn't up to much, Croft apart from the try wasn't great and Sky were at pains to point out Warburton actually was in the game - he did the bare minimum. I'd have O'Brien at 6,7 or 8 over all three of them today.

I think we have to take for granted Warburton will play, and we need one option in the lineout from the backrow - the three possibilities being Croft, Lydiate and Heaslip. I'd have O'Brien at 8 and Lydiate at 6 in that circumstance. But my first choice back row would be Lydiate, Faletau and O'Brien.

Phillips and Sexton are nailed on, Davies and BOD should be in the centre (even before Roberts injury I thought Davies deserved it anyway, Davies was excellent today. Lots of smart play) . North at 11 is a given provided he is fit. Halfpenny has to play, but where ? It might be between Zebo and Kearney for the last jersey, with Kearney not playing much at all I'd be inclined to keep Halfpenny at 15, Zebo at 14.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

15 Leigh Halfpenny – 9, Opened the scoring with a penalty from the halfway line and never looked back. Another 100% record with the boot and if that wasn’t enough added two tries
14 Sean Maitland – 6, out of running for a Test place barring more injuries. Missed tackles proved costly
13 Jonathan Davies – 9, Excellent display. Tackled furiously and made breaks. Lovely pass put Sexton in for his try before scoring his own in second half
12 Jamie Roberts – 8, Looked to be nailed on as a Test starter with O’Driscoll so injury is worrying
11 Simon Zebo – 8, No hint that he’s just joined the squad. Looked to have scored with his first touch of the ball and linked up well with Davies and Halfpenny
10 Jonathan Sexton – 8, Clearly recovered from his knock to score the opening try. Calm and in control throughout
9 Mike Phillips – 7, Saved a try opportunity for the Waratahs. Wasn’t even at his best but still good enough to have the 9 shirt for the first Test
1 Mako Vunipola – 9, Just gets better and better on this tour. Tackled and charged at everything. Secured his Test place
2 Tom Youngs – 8, Good shift by the hooker. Line-outs worked well. Unclear if his substitution was to save him or give Hibbard a final run out before the Tests
3 Adam Jones – 8, Mr Consistant. He never disappoints dominating the scrum and working hard around the pitch
4 Alun-Wyn Jones – 8, Partnership with O’Connell secure. Worked hard around the pitch
5 Paul O’Connell – 9, Immense. After a season on the sideline he is back to his best just at the right time
6 Tom Croft – 9, Dangerous in open field and at the line-out time. Offers the Lions' backrow something different
7 Sam Warburton – 8, Ever present. In tight doing all the work at the breakdown. Will have impressed enough to start against the Wallabies next week.
8 Jamie Heaslip – 7, Started strong and made a lovely break in the second half. Starting with Croft would be a repeat of ’09 Tests but Gatland might favour Faletau alongside Warburton
Lion of the match: Jonathan Davies
Waratah of the match: Will Skelton. Huge presence – literally. He wasn’t even in the Waratahs squad at the start of the year but should be pleased with his performance against a strong Lions pack
Moment of the match: The build up to Tom Croft’s try started by Jonathan Davies interception
Must try harder: This was the Lions best performance so far and shows their potential because they will have to up their game for the Tests. They won’t want to let tries in so easily against the Wallabies though and will be concentrating on that for next week.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

I can't believe that not a single person in the rugby world is even considering Best for a test spot.

They must all be blind to the finer points of the game!

 

[Jürgen4PM]

Roberts looks like he's out of the tour. Barritt and Wade have both been called up.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

Dead certs so far for me:

North
Halfpenny
Phillips
BOD
A Jones
O'Connell
Warburton
Falatau

Vunipola or Corbisiero
Youngs or Hibberd
Gray or A W Jones
Bowe or Cuthbert (Bowe if fully fit)
Tuilagi or Roberts
Sexton or Farrell
Lydiate or O'Brien

North
Halfpenny
Phillips
BOD
A Jones
O'Connell
A W Jones
Warburton
Falatau
Vunipola
Sexton


Youngs or Hibberd
Bowe or Cuthbert (Bowe if fully fit)
Tuilagi or Davies
Lydiate or O'Brien

*If North ruled out then Kearney at 15 with Halfpenny moving to the wing.*

 

[Judge Jules]

Amazing news this morning that Shane Williams is swapping the radio studio for the Lions jersey, at least for one game. Despite his nationality 😉 he's one of my all-time favourite rugby players and I kinda hope he'll stick around in the party, though I don't know how likely that is.

Interesting comments from Woody on the Lions last night while covering England-v-the Argies. He would not have Warburton in the Test side at the moment, but would put Tipuric in instead. He also suggested O'Brien for no.8.

 

[Rosco]

Dean Ryan:

I expect Gatland to start with Croft and Faletau, alongside Sam Warburton. I'm not sure Warburton necessarily deserves it on form, but he has a good relationship with Gatland and did enough on Saturday . If the first Test doesn't go well for him, I don't think he'll survive for the second.

Williams is in Japan - that might be the main reason he got the call.

Team for Tuesday, I would take for granted that anyone starting here won't start in the test:

Lions (v ACT Brumbies): R Kearney; C Wade, B Barritt, B Twelvetrees, S Williams; S Hogg, B Youngs; R Grant, R Best (capt), M Stevens, I Evans, R Gray, S O’Brien, J Tipuric, T Faletau. Shane Williams: R Hibbard, A Corbisiero, D Cole, G Parling, D Lydiate, C Murray, O Farrell, S Zebo.

 

[Rosco]

From the Indo:

The captain needed to front-up following Justin Tipuric’s form throughout the tour, and while he played well, he didn’t stand out like his Welsh teammate has done. Showed his ability to engage with the referee, and is likely to lead the Lions out next week.

Talking to the ref now qualifies you to play.

Warburton is the Lions' Lucas.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

Better news:

Bowe, Tuilagi and North all took part in training today.

 

[Dahuge]

Fuck me that performance was utter garbage...

Best's throwing was abysmal and that is being kind, Hibbards was only marginally better when he came on.
Faletau played well as did Kearney but that was it...

 

[Rosco]

Youngs is definitely going to start now. Best ruined his chance.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

From the Telegraph:

If there was a greater intensity to the Lions play from the restart, once again their line-out woes continued, with Best again called for a crooked throw and after squandering a number of attacking positions, Mogg punished their profligacy by slotting his second penalty.

A penalty by Hogg at least gave the Lions a foothold and once Gatland brought on a new front row of Dan Cole, Richard Hibbard and Alex Corbisiero, they instantly began to dominate the scrum.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

Faletau played well as did Kearney but that was it...

Yeah agreed mate.

Probably the only two players that have a chance of starting the 1st test (Especially Kearney with our current injuries).

 

[Dahuge]

Yeah agreed mate.

Probably the only two players that have a chance of starting the 1st test (Especially Kearney with our current injuries).

Agreed, it would have to be Halfpenny on the wing with Kearney FB.

 

[Judge Jules]

Not necessarily (although that's what I'd do). Kearney's played wing in his time and they may want to keep Halfpenny in the position in which he's played so well.

Some of those calls against Best look to have been somewhat iffy incidentally.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

By Will Greenwood
11:00PM BST 18 Jun 2013



1. Mako Vunipola
May have come as third choice but injuries have propelled him forward and he has grabbed opportunity. Feeling heat from Corbisiero but his carries and tackles give him edge.
2. Tom Youngs
I had Hibbard before the tour and it is still very tight. Also, if you want impact off bench you may prefer to start Hibbard. But for his huge carries and set-piece work, it is Youngs.
3. Adam Jones
Dan Cole is right on his heels, and while the Englishman had a huge impact off the bench against the Reds, Jones holds him off. Lions very strong at No 3.
4. Alun Wyn Jones
I have loved selecting this team, because there are so many tight calls. Gatland will love the options, too. Jones v Waratahs was exceptional and set the bar for other second rows.
5. Paul O’Connell
Since returning from injury for Munster in April his name has been inked in. His athleticism has risen through roof post injury. Man to have in changing room five minutes pre-kick-off.
6. Tom Croft
The hardest person Gatland will find to leave out is Dan Lydiate. Lydiate is his henchman but Croft’s pace, line-out skills, and breakdown work means he cannot ignore him.
7. Sam Warburton
Now looks ready to unleash. Knows the responsibility he has, knows the question marks, the chatter in the Aussie press. Did enough v New South Wales and will keep getting better.
8. Toby Faletau
Tremendous battle with Heaslip and the Irishman has been wonderful on this tour, running free, winning line-outs. I just think Faletau is of the highest calibre.
9. Mike Phillips
Powerful statement in Hong Kong. A man who struts. By no means a racing certainty to start all three Tests but he is a big athletic runner who likes the template the Lions are playing.
10. Jonathan Sexton
Class footballer. Injury means we have not seem him at his best just yet, but big rest post Waratahs game and is now ready to pull the strings again.
11. George North
Absolute monster of a player. Goes looking for the ball. Does damage on the flanks but causes carnage in the midfield and in and around a breakdown.
12. Jamie Roberts/Jonathan Davies
Roberts is a big game player and only his hamstring can deny him. If missing, then fellow Welshman Jonathan Davies has to slot in.
13. Brian O’Driscoll
Weirdly, this was my hardest selection because Jonathan Davies has been so strong and consistent. But BOD is a man who wins Test matches. He is a player of destiny.
14. Simon Zebo
Plays as second receiver, high ball guru, great left peg that no one else in back line has. Defensively very clever. Harsh on Cuthbert. Have just picked naturally gifted footy player.
15. Leigh Halfpenny
In the form of his life. Kicking goals for fun, hitting his lines and making tackles. The Wales full-back is an awesome player who could be the man to win the series.

 

[Ryan]

"He is a player of destiny."

Jesus.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

North fit to play in first test.

Tuilagi a doubt for the rest of the tour.

 

[Ryan]

Dan Roan ‏@danroan

1h​

Lions XV: Halfpenny Cuthbert O'Driscoll Davies North Sexton Phillips Corbisiero T Youngs A Jones Wyn Jones O'Connell Croft Warburton Heaslip

 

[Jürgen4PM]

The bench: Parling, B Youngs, Farrell, Maitland, Lydiate, Hibbard, Vunipola and Cole.

No real cover for 8 or 15.

 

[Jürgen4PM]

I suppose that Corbisiero is the only proper surprise.

I'm not so confident for our chances after seeing the team named. I suppose the backs selections have been determined by injuries to a large degree, but not selecting Faletua and O'Brien at 8 and 6 is a mistake imo ( why is neither one of them on the bench?).

 

[Judge Jules]

That surprised me as well.

I just hope selecting Warburton doesn't turn out to be the real mistake.

 

[Dahuge]

I would have had O'Brien on the bench.

 

[Rosco]

I suppose that Corbisiero is the only proper surprise.

I'm not so confident for our chances after seeing the team named. I suppose the backs selections have been determined by injuries to a large degree, but not selecting Faletua and O'Brien at 8 and 6 is a mistake imo ( why is neither one of them on the bench?).

I don't think Corbisiero is much of a surprise - Gatland had his team largely picked before he went on tour - so instead of just taking the best in each position he picked his preferences for the first team (healy and jenkins) and players who would have an impact off the bench. Corbisiero isn't an impact player, but he's a better prop than Vunipola at this point.

 

[RedZeppelin III]

so who is going to win ?

 

[Rosco]

What is James O'Connor like at 10 ?

 

[Judge Jules]

If the scrum is properly refereed, the Lions will win. That's always a big "if" in Australia though.

 

[LarryHagman]

What is James O'Connor like at 10 ?

He kicks it or passes it to 12 to do something with. Methodical but uninspiring.
O'Connor isn't a 10, Barnes isn't a 15 and Folau isn't a 14. They're all good players but I don't know about the balance.
The Aussies have been buoyed since the Brumbies game, the Lions should have avoided that. The Aussies think they're shit now and there to be got at. That beefs their case and they'll be better on Saturday because of it.

 

[StevieM]

Scored a ticket for the Melbourne Test - knew there was a reason a put Hahn Super Dry on tap - it certainly wasn't for taste.

Have Shane Williams & Gareth Delve coming in next week.

Had 3 old wallabies in today at lunch, on the piss - in their late 50's. Saw them again staggering about at 8pm asking where they could find dancing ladies because they fancied a "muff burger".

 

[StevieM]

What is James O'Connor like at 10 ?

Sheepish if it's 10 in the morning.

Chasing fanny if it's 10 at night.