Really glad to have got the win today. Hopefully Lydiate and Hook will be fit enough for the Fiji match and that it is not too serious, wouldn't have expected either of them to play against Namibia anyway. One thing which really disappointed me today was Andy Powell. I have always been an admirer of Powell and had high hopes for him when he came on but he looked really out of his depth today. He made very little ground, his handling was awful and his defence was nowhere near the level of Lydiate's. I still think with a few games he could get back to his Lions form which i personally thought was fantastic so he's got to play against Namibia to rediscover that, but i think it will be tough. He was my only massive disappointment today and i hope for his sake that he can have some positive impact in the later stages. Overall I think it was good to see Jenkins today, probably have him start against Namibia and give Lee Byrne some game time but Halfpenny was awesome when he came on. I think that if we play like we did against SA we can take Ireland but a lackluster performance like today will see us going home massively disappointed.
Pah, Powell is rubbish and doesn't deserve to be in this squad imo. He's a decent ball carrier when he catches the ball and can avoid a couple of tacklers, but other than that he offers very little. His workrate at the ruck is extremely poor, his defense is suspect, he offers nothing in the lineout, and he gives away penalties (although he didn't in this game). I'd even prefer JT than Powell, because at least JT gives 100% and is a decent lineout jumper + a versatile player who can cover the entire backrow and second row. Not saying I want JT called up, despite him improved form for the O's in the last couple of matches, because he doesn't suit the game we are trying to play. I think it's obvious that we need cover for flanker in the squad with Ryan Jones injured. Our options are Martyn Williams (specialist openside only, and probably not enough graft for what we need), Justin Tipuric (again, possibly not enough graft, and zero experience) and Josh Turnbull (the one I'd call up, due to his versatility and doggedness at the breakdown).
Just read on BBC, that Ryan Jones could be fit for Namibia in the end.
It'll be nice to have an easy game next week (no disrespect to Namibia, but it should be a stroll, even if the score doesn't end up being massive), especially for the players I'm sure. I'f rest most of the players if I were Gatland, maybe keep Shane so he can bolster his try count before retiring
. I'd go for a team like: 01 Gethin Jenkins (needs gametime), 02 Lloyd Burns/Ken Owens, 03 Craig Mitchell, 04 Bradley Davies, 05 Cherteris (haven't got another lock), 06 Ryan Jones (if fit), 07 Dan Lydiate (if fit, if not we need somebody else, Warburton needs a rest!), 08 Andy Powell (is good enough for this match), 09 Tavis Knoyle, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Shane Williams, 12 Scott Williams, 13 Jon Davies, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 15 Lee Byrne.
