Lions Tour 2009 - 27/06/09
South Africa 28, British & Irish Lions 25
A month on tour seems a long time, but this week coming may feel like an eternity. The dreams of a Lions series revival are over, giving insult to injuries left, right and centre in a touring camp ripped apart over a weekend. Adam Jones out. Gethin Jenkins out. Brian O’Driscoll out. The list goes on.
The life of the tour has dissipated with everything else. Elation in contrast for the Boks, albeit a few hiccups with bans to Bakkies Botha at lock and Schalke Burger at blindside denting preparations for the Tri-Nations competition. But, what may be deemed brutal disregard for their opponents health, may be the one thing that beat the Lions overall.
Only an eight-week ban for Burger after the eye-gouging incident on Luke Fitzgerald, the Lions are in uproar that it is not longer. You cannot console with someone who has blatantly attempted to blind an opponent, but if we were to look at it as brutality that comes on the field of play, you would have to say the Boks had the edge all along.
A lack of talent on the Lions bench and Drico and co. flying into everything at one hundred miles an hour to do some damage themselves, it turned out in hindsight that the only damage caused was self inflicted.
The Lions played with the right game plan, the right mentality, and were far better in front of goal than our good friend Piennar. But in a frantic, high-tempered test, the best moments were from the skill of Jones’ back hand pass, Kearney’s elegance taking every high ball under the sun, and the powerful scrummaging of our all-welsh front row.
Instead, patches of over zealous tackling turned what were fantastic moments to watch in the game, into unnecessary set backs in the long haul. Injuries killed the Lions and the boot of Steyn buried them.
Monday 29 June 2009
Tuesday 16 June 2009
Cometh the man, cometh the Lions
Lions Tour 2009 - 16/06/09
Southern Kings 8, British & Irish Lions 20
The head scratching begins as the spaces to the right of a Lions test positions numbered one to twenty-two will be carefully inked. The selection process that’s been eagerly awaited and severely scrutinised over the previous months will be finally made, but before that can happen Ian McGeechan and his coaching team will be looking at a sleepless night ahead of them.
Put the kettle on as this may be a long one. The team put up against the bruising Southern Kings Tuesday may shed some light on the selection thoughts McGeechan is swaying towards. With some names possibly being rested in anticipation of Saturday’s test in Durban, it is not however the case that players picked for the mid-week team are not still in contention.
Yes, two players already picked may feature on rows five and thirteen – with Captain Paul O’Connell and grand slam winning captain Brian O’Driscoll marking their territory not only in the last few weeks, but in the season before the tour’s flight south of the equator.
However, the inbetweeners are not yet set in stone. Everyone from management staff down to the opinionated pub-goers will want to state their claims, and players that were involved in Port Elizabeth will be seeking a quick turnaround in hope of a test position this Saturday.
I’ve never been one to jump on the bandwagon, knowing full well opinions are only left to debate and will have no input on final test selection. An individual’s satisfaction placing himself in the same acclaim as Geech the Almighty is good for massaging the ego. But, shouldn’t it be easier to leave the job to the professionals and kick back and watch events unfold stress free?
That’s not what a Lions tour is about however. The excitement of the fan as well as the team selector is what makes the tour so worthwhile. So why not? Let’s have bash and produce something more substantial. What’s there to lose? Only the light awakening that you’re not quite the rugby manager you initially thought. But let’s forget about that.
Where to start? Front row? Let’s politely leave that aside for the moment, as too the back row with the absence of injured Springbok Schalk Burger shaking things up.
Alun Wyn Jones at lock is a favourite alongside O’Connell which will hopefully make him a likely starter. Half backs should be kept simple but creative. Michael Phillips is strong and unyielding as a scrum half decision maker, and Stephen Jones is unreserved with his positive running style.
Jamie Roberts sits between Jones and O’Driscoll looking to find the gap with his rampaging charges, which would normally narrow play in favour of a strong Springbok pack, but is instead aided by the supporting O’Driscoll, who is handed the space he loves and that Roberts always seems to serve.
Ugo Monye keeps on scoring on the left and right, as does the team’s X-factor in the shape of Tommy Bowe who has been the most deceptive for pace and power thus far. An Anglo-Irish wing combination will need a Welsh influence at full-back. Enter Lee Byrne and a new type of running style, hitting the line hard and deep, instead of following the sidesteps of Wales and Lions great JPR Williams.
Now, the back row is the one that may leave Geech and co. at sixs and sevens. But one that shouldn’t be resolved by playing good players out of position. Look at the game plan. Keep away from the breakdown as much as possible. Lions have struggled in this area thus far, so preparing a back row with strong runners in Jamie Heaslip and David Wallace combined with the illusive running of Tom Croft, the Lions can look to play a wider game plan keeping the ball in hand rather than its, so far, vulnerable situation on the floor.
Lee Mears is guaranteed a test spot with his precision line-out throwing, as too I feel has Gethin Jenkins with his composure to roam the field with a low penalty count. Tighthead is now a big question mark though. Euan Murray would be my man at three, but whether his injury sustained in the Southern Kings contest is long-lasting, it is hard to say who would replace him.
Shuffle Jenkins across and place Shez in at the loose? Or make a straight swap with controversial favourite Phil Vickery in the tight? If crutches-bound Murray is unfit, I would be more inclined to play Adam Jones as the strong man at the defending breakdown than settle for a predominantly English front row.
The balance of the bench will be vital too. Ross Ford and Phil Vickery as front row replacements bring strength and composure. Andrew Sheridan falls short by mere millimetres since his powerful but narrow style of play shouldn’t be the direction of the Lions. Martyn Williams and Nathan Hines make versatile second and third rowers with good ball handling.
Harry Ellis links the forwards and the backs purely on a lack of competition for the bench. Rob Kearney is another versatile addition to the back three. And here’s hoping James Hook is fit as his kicking abilities make him a perfect impact player at either ten or twelve if required.
British and Irish Lions: 15 Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales), 14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys/Ireland), 13 Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland), 12 Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 11 Ugo Monye (Harlequins/England), 10 Stephen Jones (Scarlets/Wales), 9 Michael Phillips (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland), 7 David Wallace (Munster/Ireland), 6 Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England), 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales), 4 Paul O’Connell (Munster/Ireland), 3 Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales), 2 Lee Mears (Bath/England), 1 Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales).
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland), 17 Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England), 18 Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 19 Nathan Hines (Perpignan/Scotland), 20 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers/England), 21 James Hook (Ospreys/Wales), 22 Rob Kearney (Leinster/Ireland).
Southern Kings 8, British & Irish Lions 20
The head scratching begins as the spaces to the right of a Lions test positions numbered one to twenty-two will be carefully inked. The selection process that’s been eagerly awaited and severely scrutinised over the previous months will be finally made, but before that can happen Ian McGeechan and his coaching team will be looking at a sleepless night ahead of them.
Put the kettle on as this may be a long one. The team put up against the bruising Southern Kings Tuesday may shed some light on the selection thoughts McGeechan is swaying towards. With some names possibly being rested in anticipation of Saturday’s test in Durban, it is not however the case that players picked for the mid-week team are not still in contention.
Yes, two players already picked may feature on rows five and thirteen – with Captain Paul O’Connell and grand slam winning captain Brian O’Driscoll marking their territory not only in the last few weeks, but in the season before the tour’s flight south of the equator.
However, the inbetweeners are not yet set in stone. Everyone from management staff down to the opinionated pub-goers will want to state their claims, and players that were involved in Port Elizabeth will be seeking a quick turnaround in hope of a test position this Saturday.
I’ve never been one to jump on the bandwagon, knowing full well opinions are only left to debate and will have no input on final test selection. An individual’s satisfaction placing himself in the same acclaim as Geech the Almighty is good for massaging the ego. But, shouldn’t it be easier to leave the job to the professionals and kick back and watch events unfold stress free?
That’s not what a Lions tour is about however. The excitement of the fan as well as the team selector is what makes the tour so worthwhile. So why not? Let’s have bash and produce something more substantial. What’s there to lose? Only the light awakening that you’re not quite the rugby manager you initially thought. But let’s forget about that.
Where to start? Front row? Let’s politely leave that aside for the moment, as too the back row with the absence of injured Springbok Schalk Burger shaking things up.
Alun Wyn Jones at lock is a favourite alongside O’Connell which will hopefully make him a likely starter. Half backs should be kept simple but creative. Michael Phillips is strong and unyielding as a scrum half decision maker, and Stephen Jones is unreserved with his positive running style.
Jamie Roberts sits between Jones and O’Driscoll looking to find the gap with his rampaging charges, which would normally narrow play in favour of a strong Springbok pack, but is instead aided by the supporting O’Driscoll, who is handed the space he loves and that Roberts always seems to serve.
Ugo Monye keeps on scoring on the left and right, as does the team’s X-factor in the shape of Tommy Bowe who has been the most deceptive for pace and power thus far. An Anglo-Irish wing combination will need a Welsh influence at full-back. Enter Lee Byrne and a new type of running style, hitting the line hard and deep, instead of following the sidesteps of Wales and Lions great JPR Williams.
Now, the back row is the one that may leave Geech and co. at sixs and sevens. But one that shouldn’t be resolved by playing good players out of position. Look at the game plan. Keep away from the breakdown as much as possible. Lions have struggled in this area thus far, so preparing a back row with strong runners in Jamie Heaslip and David Wallace combined with the illusive running of Tom Croft, the Lions can look to play a wider game plan keeping the ball in hand rather than its, so far, vulnerable situation on the floor.
Lee Mears is guaranteed a test spot with his precision line-out throwing, as too I feel has Gethin Jenkins with his composure to roam the field with a low penalty count. Tighthead is now a big question mark though. Euan Murray would be my man at three, but whether his injury sustained in the Southern Kings contest is long-lasting, it is hard to say who would replace him.
Shuffle Jenkins across and place Shez in at the loose? Or make a straight swap with controversial favourite Phil Vickery in the tight? If crutches-bound Murray is unfit, I would be more inclined to play Adam Jones as the strong man at the defending breakdown than settle for a predominantly English front row.
The balance of the bench will be vital too. Ross Ford and Phil Vickery as front row replacements bring strength and composure. Andrew Sheridan falls short by mere millimetres since his powerful but narrow style of play shouldn’t be the direction of the Lions. Martyn Williams and Nathan Hines make versatile second and third rowers with good ball handling.
Harry Ellis links the forwards and the backs purely on a lack of competition for the bench. Rob Kearney is another versatile addition to the back three. And here’s hoping James Hook is fit as his kicking abilities make him a perfect impact player at either ten or twelve if required.
British and Irish Lions: 15 Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales), 14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys/Ireland), 13 Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland), 12 Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 11 Ugo Monye (Harlequins/England), 10 Stephen Jones (Scarlets/Wales), 9 Michael Phillips (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland), 7 David Wallace (Munster/Ireland), 6 Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England), 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales), 4 Paul O’Connell (Munster/Ireland), 3 Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales), 2 Lee Mears (Bath/England), 1 Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales).
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland), 17 Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England), 18 Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 19 Nathan Hines (Perpignan/Scotland), 20 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers/England), 21 James Hook (Ospreys/Wales), 22 Rob Kearney (Leinster/Ireland).
Thursday 11 June 2009
The show does go on
Lions Tour 2009 - 10/06/09
Natal Sharks 3, British and Irish Lions 39
When Ian McGeechan invests in a Lions tour there’s one guarantee he knows without having to read the small print. Possessing more Lions experience than any one man could wish to attain, the Lion King is only too familiar with team setback whilst on tour.
With blood and sweat always comes tears and heartbreak. Players’ tours will end in a heartbeat but who and when will always be a lottery.
Unfortunately, this has been a week that saw two such instances. Leigh Halfpenny comes and goes with a recurring thigh strain, and Stephen Ferris, probably the most despondent to leave, departs with long-term damage to a knee ligament after already making good ground in search of a test place.
Two tries in two made the Irishman a real contender for the number six shirt come test week, but his departure now only makes things easier in Geech’s selection as Tom Croft becomes a dead cert starter on June 20th.
Wales captain Ryan Jones replaces Ferris on the return flight to South Africa, giving himself the opportunity to join those he has both fought and led in the four years since he last pulled on the Lions jersey.
The show must go on as the old showman saying goes. And putting recent upsets aside, a win over Natal Sharks in Durban proves the Lions are in no mood to look back on injuries in any shape or form – only to go forward with a view to kill.
A team’s success is bigger than any one, or even two men, and whilst we, the couch potatoes, reflect on the what ifs, the team as a whole will be looking at the what nows.
A second half display in front of the watching Natal Springboks will rightly steal the headlines. Roberts has rumbled his way onto the test team-sheet, as has I feel Lee Mears, Mike Phillips and Lee Byrne.
Brian O’Driscoll is a man no one would dare leave out and although he won’t be wearing the status of tour captain this term, O’Connell will surely be looking to his waltzing midfield wizard to spark the guys into action for the big week ahead.
Loosehead prop is still an ordeal as either the scrummaging power of Sheridan or the all round energy of Jenkins will have to outweigh the other. Alun Wyn Jones is proving quite the nuisance at lock with more and more game time, and the back row may well stay the way it stands with a Wallace-Heislip-Croft combo proving the stronger so far.
Stand-off is still undecided as Rog did himself no favours in Durban, continually letting his boot override his normally good awareness with the hand. Stephen Jones has undeniably ticked some of the requirements for a test place, and with a fine performance against the Golden Lions a week ago, he’ll be hoping to get another chance to shine in this Saturday’s clash with Western Province.
Shane Williams, however, is proving everyone right as he shows again that he is a mere shadow of the man he was six months ago. Tommy Bowe plus either Ugo Monye or Luke Fitzgerald seems on testimony a far safer bet for a wing partnership.
Early days and McGeechan is still giving nothing away. Two more games will give either one more chance to impress, or will simply cement the players who have already made the punch, in a chance to hopefully repeat history.
We may already have our own ideas of who McGeechan should resort to, but these will have no influence whatsoever in the time between now and the first test back in Durban. A week is already proven to be a long time in the life of a Lion.
Natal Sharks 3, British and Irish Lions 39
When Ian McGeechan invests in a Lions tour there’s one guarantee he knows without having to read the small print. Possessing more Lions experience than any one man could wish to attain, the Lion King is only too familiar with team setback whilst on tour.
With blood and sweat always comes tears and heartbreak. Players’ tours will end in a heartbeat but who and when will always be a lottery.
Unfortunately, this has been a week that saw two such instances. Leigh Halfpenny comes and goes with a recurring thigh strain, and Stephen Ferris, probably the most despondent to leave, departs with long-term damage to a knee ligament after already making good ground in search of a test place.
Two tries in two made the Irishman a real contender for the number six shirt come test week, but his departure now only makes things easier in Geech’s selection as Tom Croft becomes a dead cert starter on June 20th.
Wales captain Ryan Jones replaces Ferris on the return flight to South Africa, giving himself the opportunity to join those he has both fought and led in the four years since he last pulled on the Lions jersey.
The show must go on as the old showman saying goes. And putting recent upsets aside, a win over Natal Sharks in Durban proves the Lions are in no mood to look back on injuries in any shape or form – only to go forward with a view to kill.
A team’s success is bigger than any one, or even two men, and whilst we, the couch potatoes, reflect on the what ifs, the team as a whole will be looking at the what nows.
A second half display in front of the watching Natal Springboks will rightly steal the headlines. Roberts has rumbled his way onto the test team-sheet, as has I feel Lee Mears, Mike Phillips and Lee Byrne.
Brian O’Driscoll is a man no one would dare leave out and although he won’t be wearing the status of tour captain this term, O’Connell will surely be looking to his waltzing midfield wizard to spark the guys into action for the big week ahead.
Loosehead prop is still an ordeal as either the scrummaging power of Sheridan or the all round energy of Jenkins will have to outweigh the other. Alun Wyn Jones is proving quite the nuisance at lock with more and more game time, and the back row may well stay the way it stands with a Wallace-Heislip-Croft combo proving the stronger so far.
Stand-off is still undecided as Rog did himself no favours in Durban, continually letting his boot override his normally good awareness with the hand. Stephen Jones has undeniably ticked some of the requirements for a test place, and with a fine performance against the Golden Lions a week ago, he’ll be hoping to get another chance to shine in this Saturday’s clash with Western Province.
Shane Williams, however, is proving everyone right as he shows again that he is a mere shadow of the man he was six months ago. Tommy Bowe plus either Ugo Monye or Luke Fitzgerald seems on testimony a far safer bet for a wing partnership.
Early days and McGeechan is still giving nothing away. Two more games will give either one more chance to impress, or will simply cement the players who have already made the punch, in a chance to hopefully repeat history.
We may already have our own ideas of who McGeechan should resort to, but these will have no influence whatsoever in the time between now and the first test back in Durban. A week is already proven to be a long time in the life of a Lion.
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