Warm Up Match 1: New Zealand Barbarians v British & Irish Lions (Whangarei)

[GoTheNaki]

What the **** was everyone expecting? 2 days in New Zealand with a scratch side playing a young team of Professionals in wet conditions, was everyone expecting a Cricket score? This is the 3rd Lions Tour of New Zealand I have followed and that game was about what I expected.

Don't forget these games are simply preparation for the Test matches. The Lions could lose every single game from now apart from 2 of the test matches and the tour will still be a success.

There were players in that Baabaas team that play for Whanganui.......... Those players on that team are borderline professionals. Lachlan Boshier is one of very few of those guys to have ever played for a super rugby team....

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Greenwood and McGeechan waxing lyrical about basic 10 play now. Whats wrong with saying they were ****, had a lot going against them but they should have done better!

 

[Jockstap]

Greenwood and McGeechan waxing lyrical about basic 10 play now. Whats wrong with saying they were ****, had a lot going against them but they should have done better!

Will Greenwood just said Farrell was a force of nature when he came on.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

What the **** was everyone expecting? 2 days in New Zealand with a scratch side playing a young team of Professionals in wet conditions, was everyone expecting a Cricket score? This is the 3rd Lions Tour of New Zealand I have followed and that game was about what I expected.

Don't forget these games are simply preparation for the Test matches. The Lions could lose every single game from now apart from 2 of the test matches and the tour will still be a success.

I was looking for the basics to done well at least or a platform for the next Lions team to improve upon. Even finish the game well. The level/standard set was very low, the jump up to perform v the Blues will have to be considerable to even compete. It's going to be a long 3 and half weeks before that 1st test.

 

[Reiser99]

Pundits are going to try and put a positive spin on it, that's their job. I think the main point is that teamwork you expect to develop, but there were a lot of basic mistakes that you don't have time to develop. Those players who struggled, if they have another game where they struggle then that will be it.

 

[McTallshort]

I was looking for the basics to done well at least or a platform for the next Lions team to improve upon. Even finish the game well. The level/standard set was very low, the jump up to perform v the Blues will have to be considerable to even compete. It's going to be a long 3 and half weeks before that 1st test.

It was always going to be a long 3 and half weeks. This is New Zealand FFS,

 

[ratsapprentice]

Will Greenwood just said Farrell was a force of nature when he came on.

Will Greenwood also believes Alex Goode is the best rugby player in England. He's not to be trusted.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Ok, gonna give a go at some player ratings... gonna be rough
1. Joe Marler - 5/10. Didn't notice him at all in the loose but he was part of a very dominant first half scrum, just about our only redeeming quality in that first half.
2. Rory Best - 5/10. Was my choice to start at hooker before this game. But now... was solid as you'd expect at the breakdown but this was cancelled out by his dodgy lineouts.
3. Kyle Sinckler - 8/10. Carried very well and despite being seen as not being a scrummaging prop he did well there today. Think he may have nailed down that 18 shirt. Genuine contender for 3 IMO.
4 & 5. Alun Wyn Jones & Iain Henderson - 4/10. Both were just poor. Offered nothing around the pitch in attack and missed a few tackles between them. Looking like all 3 English locks could be making up the test 23.
6. Ross Moriarty - 7/10. Solid performance, carried hard and made good metres. Not a test match contender IMO but a solid squad player nonetheless.
7. Sam Warburton - 6/10 - Meh, did nothing special but made no glaring errors. Tipuric's performance was better IMO.
8. Taulupe Faletau - 8/10 - What a tackle. Has nailed down the 8 shirt, carried hard, tackled well and was a nuisance at the breakdown. One of the few players who can be proud about that game.
9. Greig Laidlaw - 3/10. Genuine question, is Gatland allowed to send players home for bad performances? Because after that I think flying in Davies or Care has to be considered. When you've only got 3 9s on tour you can't afford for one of them to be dog s**t.
10. Jonathan Sexton - 4/10. Uncharacteristically poor performance, inaccurate passes and out-on-the-full kicks. Farrell has the 10 shirt nailed down after that IMO.
11. Tommy Seymour - 4/10. Although he didn't necessarily do anything wrong, the NZ right winger was causing chaos all game, Seymour completely failed to contain him. If he can't contain a semi-pro Baabaa, what's he gonna do against the likes of Naholo and Dagg?
12. Ben Te'o - 8/10. Consistently made breaks and was solid in defence. If other players could be bothered to support him he'd have been the supplier of 3-4 tries today.
13. Jonathan Joseph - 6/10. Did nothing in attack, although his first half "Held up" should've been checked, I reckon he scored that. Defence was nothing special but he made good reads and did well with the ball he was given.
14. Anthony Watson - 6/10. Similar to JJ, did well with what he was given. Scored a try which he did well for and would've been in for another if Hogg could pass.
15. Stuart Hogg - 4/10. It's been speculated that Gats will give the 15 shirt to 1/2p for the tests instead of the 2 time 6 Nations player of the Tournament winner. Up until this game I thought that must've been bull but now... Very poor performance from Hogg. 2 knock ons fielding opposition kicks simply isn't good enough from an international fullback.

16. Jamie George - 7/10
17. Mako Vunipola - 6/10
18. Tadhg Furlong - 6/10
19. George Kruis - 6/10
20. Justin Tipuric - 7/10
21. Rhys Webb - 6/10
22. Owen Farrell - 7/10
23. Elliot Daly - N/A

 

[Ground We Won]

All I can say is, maybe Gats is a pulling a Steven Hansen RWC 2015. Where the All Blacks practiced certain things and different situation against the bad teams in the pool.

No use playing all your cards vs a BaaBaa's team.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Performance? They have barely been together, were you expecting them to play like an International side? No one will be use to the calls or playing together, there will be a lack of clarity that these players are normally quite used to. Thats what makes Lions tours so difficult.

This is quite normal when touring New Zealand. I expect the Lions to lose at least 2 of the build up games before the test series.

He's right folks, give them a chance to gel. There is a lot more to come from this squad.

 

[Ground We Won]

Tallshort is right. Patience is required here. The final 3 tests are really what matters.

 

[The Jones Boy]

You poms always get so OTT fired up bout a singular result.
This is a long drawn out war of attrition the Lions are facing and the first shot across the bow is not to be read into seriously.
Some [players looked a little rusty and there were issues with combinations, however, there is a lot of rugby to come and this Lions squad carries a lot of talent, far more than the Lions squad of 2005.
If the Lions only manage two more wins from the tour, and those wins are tests, it won't matter a jot.
S gents, relax and chill out.
A first hit out and the weakest of the Super 12 franchises coming up next, my beloved and sadly under performing Blues.

 

[Every Time Ref]

I made my peace long ago with the fact that the Lions would be playing Warrenball but is it too much to ask that they do it competently?

Muses the first half but from what I watched that was basically as bad as everyone says. Don't think I can bring myself to watch the first half on record

 

[Scotty]

With a 10 playing like that we are always going to struggle. Passes were at the player or behind them rather than to hand, faz did speed up the game but we couldnt get flowing rugby going.

The fwds....how many break downs was nobody there for or 5m scrum with the fwds not getting up quick enough and they turn us over. Sinks and falatau played well throughout. Mako and kruis did well when they came on. Was just poor back looked dangerous but its the old saying fwds win matches backs decide by how much. If the forwards got us better quicker ball and laidlaw didny slow it down maybe we could have had the score we should have against a team like thid who had a week to prepare.

 

[ianw16]

A first hit out and the weakest of the Super 12 franchises coming up next, my beloved and sadly under performing Blues.

For whom Bryn Gatland is/ was the 3rd choice 1st 5!

 

[big ginger 8]

Greenwood and McGeechan waxing lyrical about basic 10 play now. Whats wrong with saying they were ****, had a lot going against them but they should have done better!

What is hype may never die.

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Watched this game in a pub with a bunch of Lions supporters... Fair to say I enjoyed it more than they did!

I'll just say that if they play anything like that for the rest of the tour then they're in for one hell of a shite time... to struggle like that against a bunch of semi-pros who've never played together isn't really acceptable for a Lions side... regardless of the circumstances.

I'm still confident they'll bounce back though.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

It was always going to be a long 3 and half weeks. This is New Zealand FFS,

Yeah and don't we know that now. This was supposed to be the easiest game of the tour - v semi pros.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah and don't we know that now. This was supposed to be the easiest game of the tour - v semi pros.

And it was always going to be the easiest game for the hosts to play as well.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Ugh this forum sometimes...

Yes it was always going to be tough, difficult to acclimatise and we were never going to put a cricket score on them. I don't think anyone here thought otherwise.
That doesn't take away from the fact that there were some worryingly poor individual performances from players who we will depend upon if we're to get any sort of chance from this tour - e.g Sexton and Farrell - some poor basic skills such as PASSING and some questionable decision making. I'm not talking about team cohesion which was obviously and understandably nowhere in evidence, but about individuals. If you think Gatland will be happy with any aspect of the performance you're crazy.

Of course we'll be better on Wednesday, I've no doubt whatsoever. Doesn't make today less disappointing.