Warm Up Match 7: Hurricanes v British & Irish Lions (Wellington)

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Great match!
I really have to hand it to the Lions fans, completely out-did us in the crowd and provided an atmosphere that you never really get in NZ.
I thought the Canes looked the more dangerous of the teams, but a few things just didn't go our way... Our weakness was probs our halves, which is hardly surprising considering TTT and Black get bugger all game time in SR and are such a drop off in class from TJ and Beaudy... If we'd had those 2 tonight, we would've won. I thought the pack were good... still not as good as the Lions' pack, but better than I expected. Fifita was probs the best of the bunch. In the backs, Laumape was the best, followed by Jordie who stepped up when we needed him to after being moved into first five, a position that he is not known to play. Laumape is just such a beast, always gets you on the front foot, such an asset. It was a shame the wingers didn't get more opportunities... they weren't bad, but weren't good either. Just quiet.

For the Lions, Henderson was immense. His brain-fart aside, I thought he was clearly the best player on the park. 2nd best was probs Lawes. If neither of those 2 get in the Saturday squad then something is very wrong. IMO both of them should be there, along with Itoje. North was a menace too and I think getting in the midfield was good for him... got him more involved. IMO he is worth starting on Saturday. I was quietly impressed with Biggar too. I hadn't seen much of him prior to this tour and based on this forum there seems to be a general consensus that he isn't that great and was lucky to be picked... but for me he has been the best of the Lions' 10s on this tour. Seems a very tidy player, goes about his work well.

On the ref... I've seen a lot of backlash on social media suggesting he was crap and the Canes were hard done by, and a few of the calls did seem a bit sus to me, but I'll reserve judgement till I watch a replay... can't really get a fair look at his calls at the game, especially where I was sitting.

 

[SelimNiai]

Can we please drop the 2005 thing, please. I fail to see its relevance to this particular game or the tour

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Can we please drop the 2005 thing, please. I fail to see its relevance to this particular game or the tour

I'd be absolutely delighted if it were never mentioned again. With the way some are though, that's not gonna happen.
I'll gladly drop it in this thread, but if people are gonna talk nonsense, I am going to debate it.

 

[MarkyH]

New thread to discuss old grievances please. This is the Canes Match Thread and it shouldn't be in here. Earlier it was bias about the referee, now its back to 2005. It lowers the quality of the forum, esp match threads that get sidetracked...

 

[SelimNiai]

Get this back on the topic of the match or I'll lock the thread

 

[SelimNiai]

Deleted off topic/arguement posts

If you have a genuine greivance PM the mods and we can look at it, dont air it in a public thread. Now, can we get back to discussing the game.

Thanks

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I haven't watched the game, was it actually good and worth seeing or will I be tearing my hair out in frustration?

 

[SelimNiai]

Both

 

[mania]

what an awesome game. frustration and jubilation all in one.
canes normally wouldve run away with this but lions d and forwards just too strong.
canes forwards did half the job. i felt they were out muscled often but not consistently and kept showing fight. i felt we shouldve stuck to the forwards rumbling the ball up thru the forwards, gibbons try showed how irrestible the canes forwards could be when pick n going.
that tip tackle was accidental and only deserved a yellow card.
lions locks were huge. not sure how cLawes can be behind AWJ in pecking order but hope to see lawes and itoje start the next test.
julian imo deserved to be dropped from the ABs but didnt deserve to start this game. he was absent and often when a big kick went back to jordie, julian was no where in support. the run away try lions got from an intercept, where was julian? he shouldve been chasing from the opposite wing.
wouldve preferred jane there as at least he makes plays and inserts himself often.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I don't have enough knowledge of this Canes half back pairing to form a strong opinion, if they are decent then I make the Canes comfortable favourites here. Ricotelli is a solid stand in for Coles. Ardie will be a loss.

For the Lions Henshaw must stand up and show some of the form that got him his move to Leinster and fixed in the national side. If he has a below average game there is almost literally zero threat from 13 and the backline as none of them are reknowned for any real passing ability and as stated above, the Canes defence is usually pretty darn stingy.

Assuming these backup Canes halfbacks are adequate I'm going for:

i) Lions to score less than 17 points.
ii) no tries from the Lions backs.
iii) Julian to have a blinder (I think his form has been good for the past 12 months personally and that he got out of his slump).

24-15 Canes

Horribly wrong on all fronts. My mini-run comes to an ungodly halt. Just about spilt my drink seeing highlights of Laidlaw with a huge line break. I can honestly not recall that in a Scotland shirt.

Looked like cracking entertainment lapped up by the NZ public. Despite my indifference to the existence of the Lions, as a concept it is interesting. As long as the constituent countries play their own tests too (which I hadn't realised) then I'm becoming a convert.

 

[g6mcg]

I'm not sure we can call that a linebreak from Laidlaw!

The geography six situation is farcical. I was largely happy with the logic of calling them up (except Hill over Gray) but not using them has exposed players potentially in the 23 to risk and meant they've played the full 80.

 

[mania]

Without Henderson getting himself sin binned, the game would have been won.

yes and if TeToiroa hadnt been binned canes wouldve won

 

[valley commando]

North has been so much more impressive since moving to centre. If he actually went looking for the ball he would be in the test team but he's just too lazy.

I said a couple of days ago in a post re the test team for next Saturday that I'd put him in the centre with Teo on the bench and was ridiculed by a half wit on here

 

[SelimNiai]

Issue with North at centre is he defends like a wing there, he got caught out of position a few times, once for their try right after HT. Id always prefer a centre who plays there regularly for that knowledge of defensive positioning

 

[smartcooky]

Oh Please! The BOD/Umaga/Mealamu whinging going on in this thread is complete BS. BOD was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If it had been Neville Nobody there at the time, the he would have been upended.

I maintain (and I will always maintain) that neither Mealamu nor Umaga knew that the other was cleaning him out at the same time. The unfortunate result was that he was upended and dropped.

Was what they did a serious act of foul play? Yes, of course it was.

Should they have been carded/cited? Yes, of course they should have.

Was it a premeditated plan to intentionally maim BOD and get him out of the tour. No, it wasn't

This happened 12 years ago. The BOD-obsessed Irish/Lions posters here need to build bloody bridge and get over it, and the Kiwi posters here who insist on defending what Umaga and Mealamu did and saying they did nothing wrong need to wake up and take a long hard look at themselves.

 

[valley commando]

Henderson for test 13
Lawes for test 10

Ain't know way anybody will get the Fox's jersey, ain't know way any sane person would suggest otherwise.

 

[valley commando]

Why, I can guarantee he will be in a suit on Saturday.

I think your wrong he will be in the 23

 

[valley commando]

Pains me to say it but that was very good by Biggar.

He deserves a spot in the 23

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Ain't know way anybody will get the Fox's jersey, ain't know way any sane person would suggest otherwise.

Genuinely can't tell if you're being satirical or are genuinely just that defensive.

 

[valley commando]

Tipuric has really put his hand up for the test side
Should replace Warburton on the bench

I think he should start he has been the form 7 on tour his tackle count is incredible 58 tackle attempts and 58 completed, he is the best ball handling back rower, the quickest back rower and has a proper rugby brain.