Test Match 3: All Blacks v British & Irish Lions (Auckland)

[TRF_Olyy]

Lions to win 4-3
(Two tries disallowed due to hometown refereeing, but after the conversions have taken place, and nobody's quite sure what to do about them so they just leave them be).

 

[The Jones Boy]

The foreign referees haven't exactly gifted anything to the AB's, and I'm not saying that should change.
It appears they have been as fair as they can be in these torrid , heavy hitting fast paced encounters.
Secondly, you mentioned the refereeing out of the refereeing thread,
You're banned

 

[valley commando]

I'll bite. This "1 years good performance" is a nonsense.

2015 - best RWC performer out of Lions nations. One bad invented refs call away from a RWC semi final while another home nation couldn't get out of the group stage. Glasgow win Pro12.

2016 - credible in 6N with narrow loss in Wales and rising up world rankings. Glasgow Pro12 semifinalists.

2017 - outclass Wales and defeat Ireland winning numerous one on one matchups across the field in both matches against players who are picked for the Lions. Rise to 5th in world rankings (well above Wales) and defeat a near full strength Australia away from home with a completely reserve backline (reserves at club level!).

To my mind the following are all better ball handlers and arguably overall players than some of the Lions selections and their form is evident given the 6N and June test performances.

Hamish Watson
Jonny Gray
Finn Russell (outplayed Dan Carter, signed for Montpellier)
Alex Dunbar
Huw Jones (injured)
Seymour (Top Lions try scorer on this tour but still ignored?)
Hogg (didn't appear to be first choice before he got injured)

It's not whinging. It's just an objective appraisal that the Lions will squander a lot of their chances, like they have done in pretty much every game on this tour, because a bunch of quality Scottish players have been overlooked through a poor selection policy. With more Scots (and a willingness to play those that were on the tour) I'm sure the Lions would still have been heavy underdogs, but they might have mustered a bit more thrust in the opponents 22.

The bottom line is if you pick 16 players from the 7th ranked side in the world and 2 players from the 5th or 6th ranked side you are either:

i) not picking on merit
ii) conceding that the coach of the 5th ranked side can get more out of their players than you can
iii) both

To point that out as many Scots do is only giving a cool appraisal of the available information. We'll leave the whinging to those who have a problem with that!

Sounds like your post is one long whinge.

 

[valley commando]

I'll bite. This "1 years good performance" is a nonsense.

2015 - best RWC performer out of Lions nations. One bad invented refs call away from a RWC semi final while another home nation couldn't get out of the group stage. Glasgow win Pro12.

2016 - credible in 6N with narrow loss in Wales and rising up world rankings. Glasgow Pro12 semifinalists.

2017 - outclass Wales and defeat Ireland winning numerous one on one matchups across the field in both matches against players who are picked for the Lions. Rise to 5th in world rankings (well above Wales) and defeat a near full strength Australia away from home with a completely reserve backline (reserves at club level!).

To my mind the following are all better ball handlers and arguably overall players than some of the Lions selections and their form is evident given the 6N and June test performances.

Hamish Watson
Jonny Gray
Finn Russell (outplayed Dan Carter, signed for Montpellier)
Alex Dunbar
Huw Jones (injured)
Seymour (Top Lions try scorer on this tour but still ignored?)
Hogg (didn't appear to be first choice before he got injured)

It's not whinging. It's just an objective appraisal that the Lions will squander a lot of their chances, like they have done in pretty much every game on this tour, because a bunch of quality Scottish players have been overlooked through a poor selection policy. With more Scots (and a willingness to play those that were on the tour) I'm sure the Lions would still have been heavy underdogs, but they might have mustered a bit more thrust in the opponents 22.

The bottom line is if you pick 16 players from the 7th ranked side in the world and 2 players from the 5th or 6th ranked side you are either:

i) not picking on merit
ii) conceding that the coach of the 5th ranked side can get more out of their players than you can
iii) both

To point that out as many Scots do is only giving a cool appraisal of the available information. We'll leave the whinging to those who have a problem with that!

Sounds like your post is one long whinge.

 

[bushytop]

Just watched Beneath the Black - Fanvan double bill on sky sports... psyched!

 

[The Jones Boy]

Sounds like your post is one long whinge.

Come on Valley, thats not very nice.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

NEW ZEALAND
Welcome to a new world of
Gods

and Monsters

 

[valley commando]

Perhaps a mod can tell me why I just got a ban

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I wonder why.......................................

 

[TopTen2003]

How's the weather boys?

 

[Reiser99]

I wonder why.......................................

It will forever be one of the great mysteries of our time. Add it to the list of conspiracies like the moon landing or the ***anic.

 

[munstermuffin]

Perhaps a mod can tell me why I just got a ban

To give us all a break

 

[The Jones Boy]

Perhaps a mod can tell me why I just got a ban

Perhaps a mod can tell me why I just got a ban

How can you receive a ban and still be posting?

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Purely playing Devils Advocate here, but as crap and accurate as all that might appear, Scotland still beat Ireland and Wales, and have beaten the Australians, with half their team, in Australia, in 2017. How does that reflect on those three nations they beat, and the players who made the lions party?

This Lions team has clearly not been picked on form for some positions. The Lions test team has looked decidedly Welsh at times. 5 Welshmen start this weekend who will have all lost to Scotland, and finished a miserable 5th in the 6N. Then there are the Irish starters who suffered a similar fate at the hands of the Scots. So, to make points about players and their head on head performance can swing more ways than one. Jonny Gray or AWJ? Might have preferred to see a younger contender given a shot against the worlds best. Seen Finn Russell perhaps a couple of times, and the lad plays like a flanker in a 10 shirt. A compliment on his aggression.

Not a defence of Scotland, and not an attack on any other nation. Just a post to offer a different point of view.

Yes, I haven't said Scotland didn't deserve more, largely at the expense of some Welsh players, I've said the problem with Scotland is 1 year where they up their performance simply isn't enough to push ahead of others. Using the A beat B argument, Ireland should dominate the Lions as they beat both England and the ABs. The reality is you look at current form as well as form over a longer period of time, you want to know your players are consistent. The Australian wins have been impressive, the loss to Fiji wasn't. That's what I mean about consistency, you can't have players being as up and down as the Scots still are. The 6N are again proof of that, beating Wales and Ireland but then falling to pieces against England. Glasgow doing well in Pro 12, falling to pieces against Sarries. Scots have not shown an ability to continue putting in good performances, they switch too readily between good and absolutely ****. Do you really want players that prone to flip flopping against NZ? When Scotland can string together a series of wins then maybe they will get a look in. On only 2 occasions in the entire history of the 6N have Scotland managed to win 3 games. 2 times!

So basically, the Scots have a long long history of being poor at rugby and quite frankly don't deserve to simply be handed respect and places on a platter, they have a lot of earning to do and that will only come through winning. If they continue to win then credit to them, respect will come. However they can't keep losing more than they win and still demand they be respected, it just doesn't work that way. Look at what England have had to do to earn the respect of other nations, it's taken a hell of a lot of work for us to not be deemed a bit of a joke side by the Irish and Welsh and that was with England actually winning more games than either of them in total each year. Scotland will also have to work hard and earn it and right now it seems many Scottish players aren't willing to accept that fact. I've also found a fair few of the Scottish players are loathe to give respect whilst demanding they receive it. Their attitude towards England in particular is frankly embarrassing.

 

[KeyboardWorrier]

Okay, all bullshit aside, this is gunna be a ripper of a game.

Let's just hope that;

-It's close
-There's good Try's from both sides (don't want a boring penalty-fest)
-That the ref is consistent and doesn't decide the match with a poor call
-That there's no Red Cards...

 

[TopTen2003]

Time for some sleep again here in Britain!

Same as above- let's hope we have a top class Test Match, and a closely fought game.

Hope the Lions can edge it but concerned about an All Blacks backlash and a ruthlessly efficient display if any of the Lions front 8 don't step up.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

8-7 Lions, NZ choke like the RWC 2011 Final, Poite isn't their star player a la Joubert.

*Watches chaos take over forum*

 

[Penne Rara]

21 pages and the match has still not begun!

 

[munstermuffin]

Ok bed time. Will watch tomorrow unattached. For a lot I want Lions to do it but equally am quite happy if New Zealand rip Lions a new 1 just to show a few up

 

[KeyboardWorrier]

Last match for Cruden and Faumuina.