British & Irish Lions

[duke3016]

[jacklevel06]

Once we got the scrum sorted ,we looked dangerous.Phillips ,Roberts and O"Driscol put in big performances. Still a great game to watch and roll on the 2nd test.

[Mikeyboy9361]

Great commentary Ger. We were mulla"d in the first half.. Mears couldn"t hit his jumpers, the scrum collapsed quicker than a cheap deck chair and the ref..... well the least said.
We got better when they got the English out of the front row!! ODriscoll and Roberts were awesome, causing problems all over and Monye was a handful ( he didn"t drop the ball, it was terrific defence). I like Philips at 9, and even though Jones didn"t have his best game I would stick with him at ten.
Great last 15 mins, but this did happen when the Boks were resting their stars, hope for next week though. Oh and I am English!

[duke3016]

Monye was a handful ( he didn"t drop the ball, it was terrific defence).

Ok but at that level you must score, he"s a strong lad and should have protected the ball - croft did beautifully for his first try

[Mikeyboy9361]

Watched the test again last night and Ger you are correct Monye should have scored! I coach my under 17 team to either hold the ball in two hands, or in the hand away from the tackler. Basic stuff.
So what are your changes for the next test, a few players can play their way in today, but only a few.
I think the front row will start the way it finished, there will be changes in the second row, and possibly in the back row also.
O"Gara for Jones? Lets see how he plays today. Williams for Monye? I would stick with Ugo. Other than that the backs are fine.

[duke3016]

Watched the test again last night and Ger you are correct Monye should have scored! I coach my under 17 team to either hold the ball in two hands, or in the hand away from the tackler. Basic stuff.
So what are your changes for the next test, a few players can play their way in today, but only a few.
I think the front row will start the way it finished, there will be changes in the second row, and possibly in the back row also.
O"Gara for Jones? Lets see how he plays today. Williams for Monye? I would stick with Ugo. Other than that the backs are fine.

The finishing Front row looked solid, Outhalf is a problem I think, lets see how O"Gara gets on. Second row is a little weak with no real backup. Lets see how the match pans out tonight.

[duke3016]

[duke3016]

[Mikeyboy9361]

"Mishandling by EB (ball ust be like a bar of soap)"
Well thats Lifebuoy  
Great review Ger, awful conditions for a decent game of Rugby, we didn"t learn much from this game I"m afraid.I still like Fitzgerald for the bench, williams didn"t show enough, Ellis just confirmed he isn"t as good as Philips. Lets hope for decent weather and a better performance on Saturday.

[Mikeyboy9361]

Okay so here we go -
15 Kearney  still doubts about Byrnes fitness and not much between them any way
14 Bowe  was a certainty
13 O"Driscoll  ditto
12 Roberts  ditto
11 Fitzgerald  I didn"t think Monye would get the chop, but Fitz is a top player, happy with him on the wing
10 Jones   just got the nod O"gara on the bench
9 Phillips  no competition at the moment
8 Heaslip  always playing
7 Wallace  gets the nod over Williams again. Nothing between these two
6 Croft  couldn"t possibly be dropped
5 O" Connell  Will come to the party this week
4 Shaw  In for Jones wii bring massive presence in the loose
3 Jones  Always playing after Vickerys destruction
2 Rees Bigger and stronger than Mears
1 Jenkins Top player

So bring it on, I am confident that we have shored up the set piece, and we can definately beat them in midfield and out wide. Come on!

[sleeves]

With the team picked for Saturday I feel we have a great chance to make it 1 a piece....awesome to see Big Simon shaw in...his presence will be massive on the field should have been there in the first test. Still think Hook would be the best man in at 10

[duke3016]

At work all day tomorrow FML - I have a feeling that this game will be a corker from the first whistle with the pack out to prove that they can keep the pressure on for the whole 80 not the last 35. And given quality ball the backs have the class.

I think we will do it and with the lions at 5/2 I might have a flutter

[Logie66]

Getting ready for this now, house full for the rugby, followed by BBQ, followed by a home game.

Looking like a good Saturday  

[duke3016]

reduced to looking at the BBC text updates while the software upgrade goes ahead. Not the same but it will have to do

[Mikeyboy9361]

Just watched the game on Sky Plus without knowing thw score. What a game!! So disappointed for the guys, what a great performance, but in the end the injuries disrupted us too much. Kearney was awesome, Shaw inspired, Jones immense, but in the end you have got to hand it to the Boks, they know how to win.

Only good thing about today was we won at cricket, we had Brendan Nash sub pro ing for us he scored an un beaten 100 , he only picked up one wicket but bowled really well. And what a really nice guy.