3rd test - Australia v British & Irish Lions

[Ddanno]

Aki, Porter, Ryan, Farrell. Just what.

 

[General Melchett]

Aki, Porter, Ryan, Farrell. Just what.

Aki and Farrell ahead of Tuipulotu is such a travesty. Cummings has been hard done by too but Sione is easily the best 12 in the squad.

 

[AlRums]

Aki and Farrell ahead of Tuipulotu is such a travesty. Cummings has been hard done by too but Sione is easily the best 12 in the squad.

Bloody Aki again

Sione robbed again

 

[TommiG88]

I assume Sione is still injured to some extent.

Farrell Snr obviously liked Genge’s impact, so kept Porter ahead. Ryan did well when he came on last week but I would have had Cummings.

Owen on the bench…. If you’re going for a 6-2 you’d thought Marcus would have been more sensible seeing as you got Earl to cover centre

 

[Reiser99]

Definitely losing interest in the game. Dead rubber, Valentini out and now more uninspired, boring selections. It's clear some players never had a chance of starting the tests and were just there to make up the numbers regardless of how well they played. Doesn't help when the head coach clearly has biases.

 

[Ddanno]

Oh Valentini's crocked as well?

Yeah **** this game into the sun

 

[General Melchett]

I assume Sione is still injured to some extent.

Farrell Snr obviously liked Genge's impact, so kept Porter ahead. Ryan did well when he came on last week but I would have had Cummings.

Owen on the bench…. If you're going for a 6-2 you'd thought Marcus would have been more sensible seeing as you got Earl to cover centre

Hopefully Sione will spill the beans post tour on whether he was fit or not. He was back in training and had two weeks off and so I suspect he was fine.

What I find interesting is that Farrell and Ben White both arrived around the same time (in fact White arrived first). One has played out of his skin and couldn't break into the test 23 and the other will get two test caps on the back of a 25 minute cameo against a poor AUNZ team where everyone looked world beating. He's been steady/ok but nothing more IMO. He is meant to cover ten and has played zero minutes there on tour and is also reportedly said to have an issue that was affecting his goal kicking.

 

[Ddanno]

He's been steady/ok but nothing more IMO. He is meant to cover ten and has played zero minutes there on tour and is also reportedly said to have an issue that was affecting his goal kicking.

Bang average at best and even that's generous, but Daddy's special little guy needed yet more unmerited caps

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Feel pretty bad for VdF. His national head coach basically telling him he rates 3 of his rivals as better players when Josh has been a top 5 player for Farrell's Ireland teams.

Team should win, Ryan is a good pick. Kinghorn might add to the backs play and get Freeman into the game a bit more by bypassing Jones.

 

[Dean Cooperfield-West]

The Lions will lose this match. They’re not playing their strongest 23 and it will come back to haunt them. Australia by 8 (although wouldn’t be surprised at test 3 2013 in reverse)

 

[TommiG88]

I won’t be seeing the game sadly, I shall be on the top of Crinkle Crags with a beer.

Good luck to the guys in the trenches

 

[Reiser99]

The Lions will lose this match. They're not playing their strongest 23 and it will come back to haunt them. Australia by 8 (although wouldn't be surprised at test 3 2013 in reverse)

Don't get my hopes up.

 

[AlRums]

Hopefully Sione will spill the beans post tour on whether he was fit or not. He was back in training and had two weeks off and so I suspect he was fine.

What I find interesting is that Farrell and Ben White both arrived around the same time (in fact White arrived first). One has played out of his skin and couldn't break into the test 23 and the other will get two test caps on the back of a 25 minute cameo against a poor AUNZ team where everyone looked world beating. He's been steady/ok but nothing more IMO. He is meant to cover ten and has played zero minutes there on tour and is also reportedly said to have an issue that was affecting his goal kicking.

Ben White should have got, at least, the bench spot

We already know that when Farrell comes on it's Jones that will be replaced again, not Aki

 

[Ddanno]

I won't be seeing the game sadly, I shall be on the top of Crinkle Crags with a beer.

Good luck to the guys in the trenches

Just one beer I hope

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I won't be seeing the game sadly, I shall be on the top of Crinkle Crags with a beer.

Good luck to the guys in the trenches

Does your Mrs know you call her that online?

 

[Which Tyler]

What has Tuipulotu done to upset Faz?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sione's omission is definitely the standout point to me - however to play devil's advocate he did miss a lot of the season injured, for all we know when they said he's fit to play this round he's still only running at 75% or whatever, so while available in theory is actually further down the pecking order now


I don't like 6:2 benches, especially with Farrell on there
Shame Chessum hasn't gotten the start

Not sure how the game will go, part of me thinks it'll be a Lions blowout (especially with Valetini out), but part of me does wonder if Aus could sneak it

 

[Which Tyler]

Not sure how the game will go, part of me thinks it'll be a Lions blowout (especially with Valetini out), but part of me does wonder if Aus could sneak it

It'll be a matter of who wants it more.
Do the Aussies want revenge, and the Lions just want to be home?
Or do the Lions want a white-wash, and the Aussies just want to be anywhere else?

It's all a bit "3rd place play-off at the RWC"

I'll probably watch it, as I've nothing better to do this weekend, but I won't bother to walk the half-hour in to the club

 

[General Melchett]

Sione's omission is definitely the standout point to me - however to play devil's advocate he did miss a lot of the season injured, for all we know when they said he's fit to play this round he's still only running at 75% or whatever, so while available in theory is actually further down the pecking order now


I don't like 6:2 benches, especially with Farrell on there
Shame Chessum hasn't gotten the start

Not sure how the game will go, part of me thinks it'll be a Lions blowout (especially with Valetini out), but part of me does wonder if Aus could sneak it

Sione tore his pec before the 6N but returned for Glasgow and was playing 80 minutes in the last few games of the season - also bagged a couple of MOTM awards. Hopefully we'll find out more about his fitness after the tour but he looked good in the warm ups and the first 60 of the first test.

 

[General Melchett]

Bracing myself for Aki playing the full 80 and Faz to come on for Russell around 50.