Warm Up Match 3: Crusaders v British & Irish Lions (Christchurch)

[valley commando]

Can one of the Celtic members tell me how to pronounce Tadgh Furlong's first name? Is it 'tad-ug' or 'taj' or 'torg'?

Tige as in Tiger

 

[valley commando]

Can one of the Celtic members tell me how to pronounce Tadgh Furlong's first name? Is it 'tad-ug' or 'taj' or 'torg'?

Tige as in Tiger

Can't see a win for the Lions, centres won't be able to create anything!

This is the centre partnership I want to see, who would you prefer to see at 12 ? I am pretty sure Fox is going to get the 13 shirt come test time as he has improved game on game the last 2 months, if you haven't seen the semi final and final the Scarlets played in then its worth a look, his attacking and support play in the 1st half of the semi final and the final, this together with his defensive display in the backs to the wall 2nd half of the semi.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Tige as in Tiger

This is the centre partnership I want to see, who would you prefer to see at 12 ? I am pretty sure Fox is going to get the 13 shirt come test time as he has improved game on game the last 2 months, if you haven't seen the semi final and final the Scarlets played in then its worth a look, his attacking and support play in the 1st half of the semi final and the final, this together with his defensive display in the backs to the wall 2nd half of the semi.

Henshaw is a much better rugby player than Te'o, he has the ability to pass and kick, defends better and is a smarter runner if not as explosive. Te'o is a good sub and better at getting through a gap in the defence and offloading but little more than a flat track bully as a starter, I'd rate Henshaw's performance vs the Blues and opposite SBW much better than Te'o running through an amateur defence a few times. At 13 the options are all so different that it really depends what to game plan is, in my opinion the only way the Lions can be in any way effective against NZ is through good defence and a strong kick chase, this puts JJ out of the running imo and Payne as the best fit apart from his lacklustre form. If Davies keeps his form with the Scarlets he's the best performing 13 in the squad, it's more than likely though that he'll return to his Howley form. Huge mistake not bringing Ringrose IMO as he's the only 13 who can work well off crap ball, he showed it throughout his break out season and again in the semi final where he was probably Leinster's only starter to get the better of his opposite number, marginally.

 

[Ospervat]

I'll be watching this one from behind the sofa.

 

[Ospervat]

I'm glad they decided against it.

For me the Haka belongs at test level and the Māori side, nowhere else.

Agreed

 

[Nubiwan]

oh great.

Too many Hakas. Lost its novelty about 10 years ago. There are also more variations of it then A Frankie Goes to Hollywood hit. I always thought the all blacks only did it on tours. Not home games. Thought that was the whole point. Provincial sides doing Hakas waters down the privilege. One team stares while the other pulls tongues. Great indeed.

 

[Nubiwan]

I'll be watching this one from behind the sofa.

With your teddy? Mines been taking a thrashing......

 

[OneBlackEye]

If you think haka should only be performed when you personally find it entertaining then then you should consider that you might be an idiot. It's a tradition thousands of years old yet you think it lost its novelty in the last 10 years? Did you alert the proper authorities? I'm sure they will put a stop to it when they hear your concerns.

Its so deeply entrenched in New Zealand (and other countries) culture you might just have to accept that it happens and if you don't like it you could always do something crazy like not watch it.

 

[daveypnz]

Te'o vs Havili is a big mismatch. Havili great player but awful defender(similar to Hogg). Typically a fullback, now moved into the midfield. He's 88kg and has a 54% tackle rate.

 

[Ospervat]

If you think haka should only be performed when you personally find it entertaining then then you should consider that you might be an idiot. It's a tradition thousands of years old yet you think it lost its novelty in the last 10 years? Did you alert the proper authorities? I'm sure they will put a stop to it when they hear your concerns.

Its so deeply entrenched in New Zealand (and other countries) culture you might just have to accept that it happens and if you don't like it you could always do something crazy like not watch it.

Good idea

 

[Ground We Won]

If you think haka should only be performed when you personally find it entertaining then then you should consider that you might be an idiot. It's a tradition thousands of years old yet you think it lost its novelty in the last 10 years? Did you alert the proper authorities? I'm sure they will put a stop to it when they hear your concerns.

Its so deeply entrenched in New Zealand (and other countries) culture you might just have to accept that it happens and if you don't like it you could always do something crazy like not watch it.

Don't expect cultural tolerance from them. There are always going to be anti-Haka remarks, because that's the way some people are.

 

[The Jones Boy]

I love the Haka.
Doesn't matter if it's Maori, Tongan, Samoan or Fijian.
I particularly like it when the aka is performed by both sides like a call and response, thats awesome.
As a 'whitey' , born and bred in NZ, I was truly fortunate to grow up in an environment where we were taught Maori studies in Primary school by Mrs Niania.
She was a proper fearsome woman, She would strap the boys if they were out of line.
She taught the Haka. We learned three of them as well as a variety of other maori songs.
I loved it and never forgot the haka or the songs.
We are bloody lucky to have the Maori culture in NZ.
I love a hangi and I also love the way the Maori will front up to the govt when the govt wants to sell off our foreshore to Japanese investors etc
The Maori form a rallying point and a backbone for the rest of us to rally around to stop that kind of heinous activity.
Historically in recent times, the Afrika Corps, Hitlers monkeys in North Africa, they experienced it and they didn't like it. Maybe bayonet charging machine guns isn't the best form of strategy and the Maori lost a lot of lads but they also put the fear of God into the evil axis they confronted and played a small part in inflicting Hitlers first regional defeat of the second world war.
I put up with a lot of flak that the Haka gets around the world. I don't get riled because I figure it's cultural ignorance on the part of foreigners who don't understand it's role and its place in our culture.
I've taught the Haka to loads of people around the world at weddings and parties and they quite often get into it once they realidse I'm not trying to teach some kind of limp wristed version of the Maccarena.
One group of natives I taught in Lithuania went off to get the ash from a big BBQ they had made the night before and smeared it on their faces and they were screaming and shouting and getting very tribal.
It's always great fun to share cultural differences.
Anyway, I digress, I love the Haka when it's done with meaning and passion.
Otherwise, don't do it at all.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Back to the rugby...
Is there no Englishman or Irishman that can lead the Lions as a captain?
I know Hartley didn't get picked for the Lions (potentially a massive mistake by Gatland)
Hartley's leadership in Aussie last year when England broke the record book was outstanding.
Who normally captains Ireland?
Is it Sexton?
Why does it always have to be a Welsh captain for the Lions.

 

[Ground We Won]

Don't mind the English Jones Boys, they hate everything, including themselves

 

[Big_Grumper]

Back to the rugby...
Is there no Englishman or Irishman that can lead the Lions as a captain?
I know Hartley didn't get picked for the Lions (potentially a massive mistake by Gatland)
Hartley's leadership in Aussie last year when England broke the record book was outstanding.
Who normally captains Ireland?
Is it Sexton?
Why does it always have to be a Welsh captain for the Lions.

Rory Best is usually Ireland's captain.

As for the reason Gatland chooses Welsh captains for the Lions I'd have thought that was obvious?

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I'm all over the place when it comes to the haka. I love that the indigenous cultures are respected in New Zealand, but I'm not a fan of the haka at club level. The Super Rugby clubs don't do it for the Jaguares, Sunwolves or sides from SA or Australia do they? If you are going to do it, be consistent. Should the Japanese and Argentinians consider that they are therefore being insulted by the lack of greeting for them?

It is also a remarkable coincidence that the nations that do these greetings, almost exclusively do greetings that involve squaring up to the opponent, gruff chanting and sustained piercing eye contact. All things that are considered in all cultures on the planet as being anything but welcoming. If the genuine intention of the pacific islander cultures is to offer a welcome, then perhaps some instruction could be provided to these sides to utilise versions of the haka etc that are less open to interpretation as being confrontational?

On the other hand, the criticisim is mainly because New Zealand are successful and therefore anything that is considered as possibly giving them an edge is opposed by some supporters of the sides they are thrashing. Nobody would be mentioning it if was Italy doing a "greeting" before lifting the wooden spoon. So I'd almost suggest that any Kiwis annoyed at criticism of the Haka consider it as a compliment. If nobody is mentioning it, it probably means NZ are no longer top dog.

 

[Bluemoon]

Mixed feelings over the Lion's centres on the board it seems! What we can agree on is it's highly likely to be Te'o or Henshaw (I think Henshaw) with Jonathan Davies at the moment. So we need Davies to bring his Scarlets form. Him and North know each other well, let's hope that they can start making some line breaks.

We need an improved performance against a strong Crusaders team.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Don't know why people hate on the haka's they are great.



I mean FFS it a lions tour a once every 12 years thing for them so comparing it to super rugby is moronic IMO.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Farrell immediately showing to be far better than Sexton and Biggar

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Davies is a plank