2021 Lions

[ronk]

Big flipping deal

[riocard911]

"Erasmus is really bringing the game into disrepute at this stage. World Rugby should fine his union a significant amount for the behaviour of their DOR, which has been an embarrassment to the sport. Grow the f*ck up and act with some decorum.

I was about to say that I was obviously getting older and crotchety over the pandemic [which is true], but on second thoughts I always would have thought that the two coaches whinging about refereeing decisions and "playing mind games" before the first test was a load of tawdry sh*t. I thought that people LOLing over tweets by "Jaco Johan" was just performative banter nonsense ... Haskell-class, F Grade bantz. "The sh*tness is what made it funny" - no, you d*ckhead. It didn't. You are the type of beller who laughs at your country's equivalent of Rory's Stories.

I actually don't give a sh*t about the Lions - it has really grown stale for me. I just want the Leinster players to a] not get injured and b] play well so that they enjoy it and give a good account of themselves. Same thing to a lesser extent for the rest of the Irish players, then no particular feelings about it. The constant hype is wearing and clearly doesn't match the below-ordinary standard of the matches. How can somebody tell me that playing against Natal Seconds in a empty stadium compares with [never mind exceeds] playing England or France in the Six Nations and expect me to believe that?

The never-ending din on social media of people being more Lionsy than each other and telling everybody that "that's what the Lions is all about". Listen up, you pontificating dose: the Lions is about getting loads of kit and being on the next team up, so you can be super-friends with all the other international BFDs. As I've said before, it's like being on the SCT when you're an U16. You are now officially a BFD. It's a great feeling.

With all that said ... I will actually be cheering for them on Saturday. South Africa rugby fans must be the most irritating set of knobs on planet rugby. They make Welsh Rugby Twitter look like a collection of sound philosophers. No offense JB1973. You're actually sound."

Brilliant, Hugonaut!!! I'd a load of Bok fans going mad with me yesterday on Twitter, when I suggested Erasmus and Kolisi were implying racism on the part of the ref with their accusations of "lack of respect" for the SA captain compared to AWJ. I could be totally wrong, but certainly that was my impression.

[Oldschoolsocks]

BFD - Big Fuppin Deal?
Rory’s storys - is that like Stan’s plan or what’s up with buttercup ?

[Oldschool]

Erasmus is really bringing the game into disrepute at this stage. World Rugby should fine his union a significant amount for the behaviour of their DOR, which has been an embarrassment to the sport. Grow the f*ck up and act with some decorum.

I was about to say that I was obviously getting older and crotchety over the pandemic [which is true], but on second thoughts I always would have thought that the two coaches whinging about refereeing decisions and "playing mind games" before the first test was a load of tawdry sh*t. I thought that people LOLing over tweets by "Jaco Johan" was just performative banter nonsense ... Haskell-class, F Grade bantz. "The sh*tness is what made it funny" - no, you d*ckhead. It didn't. You are the type of beller who laughs at your country's equivalent of Rory's Stories.

I actually don't give a sh*t about the Lions - it has really grown stale for me. I just want the Leinster players to a] not get injured and b] play well so that they enjoy it and give a good account of themselves. Same thing to a lesser extent for the rest of the Irish players, then no particular feelings about it. The constant hype is wearing and clearly doesn't match the below-ordinary standard of the matches. How can somebody tell me that playing against Natal Seconds in a empty stadium compares with [never mind exceeds] playing England or France in the Six Nations and expect me to believe that?

The never-ending din on social media of people being more Lionsy than each other and telling everybody that "that's what the Lions is all about". Listen up, you pontificating dose: the Lions is about getting loads of kit and being on the next team up, so you can be super-friends with all the other international BFDs. As I've said before, it's like being on the SCT when you're an U16. You are now officially a BFD. It's a great feeling.

With all that said ... I will actually be cheering for them on Saturday. South Africa rugby fans must be the most irritating set of knobs on planet rugby. They make Welsh Rugby Twitter look like a collection of sound philosophers. No offense JB1973. You're actually sound.

Two questions

1) What is/are Rory's Stories?
2) What is a BFD?

Don't necessarily disagree with much of Hugo's post but the Lions is about one thing and one thing mostly.
MONEY
Particularly money to rescue Southern Hemisphere rugby (NZ and OZ especially).
The proposed annual Rugby World Championship is about muscling in on on the 6Ns cash cow and would probably mean the end of the Lions.
All in All I think we should support the Lions.
However Gatland needs to be put out to grass he's a big part of the recent success of the Lions but at what cost?
Watching the first test was for the purists, with entertainment value (if there was any) bringing up the rear.

As an aside, SA, long term, obviously see Europe as their future. What that means I'm not sure but the NH would want to be very careful of Greeks bearing gifts but at least they can dictate term.
Argentina should be trying to build an American Nations Tournament with the US and Canada because there's MONEY in them there hills and now might just be the right time to go prospecting.

[Oldschoolsocks]

"Erasmus is really bringing the game into disrepute at this stage. World Rugby should fine his union a significant amount for the behaviour of their DOR, which has been an embarrassment to the sport. Grow the f*ck up and act with some decorum.

I was about to say that I was obviously getting older and crotchety over the pandemic [which is true], but on second thoughts I always would have thought that the two coaches whinging about refereeing decisions and "playing mind games" before the first test was a load of tawdry sh*t. I thought that people LOLing over tweets by "Jaco Johan" was just performative banter nonsense ... Haskell-class, F Grade bantz. "The sh*tness is what made it funny" - no, you d*ckhead. It didn't. You are the type of beller who laughs at your country's equivalent of Rory's Stories.

I actually don't give a sh*t about the Lions - it has really grown stale for me. I just want the Leinster players to a] not get injured and b] play well so that they enjoy it and give a good account of themselves. Same thing to a lesser extent for the rest of the Irish players, then no particular feelings about it. The constant hype is wearing and clearly doesn't match the below-ordinary standard of the matches. How can somebody tell me that playing against Natal Seconds in a empty stadium compares with [never mind exceeds] playing England or France in the Six Nations and expect me to believe that?

The never-ending din on social media of people being more Lionsy than each other and telling everybody that "that's what the Lions is all about". Listen up, you pontificating dose: the Lions is about getting loads of kit and being on the next team up, so you can be super-friends with all the other international BFDs. As I've said before, it's like being on the SCT when you're an U16. You are now officially a BFD. It's a great feeling.

With all that said ... I will actually be cheering for them on Saturday. South Africa rugby fans must be the most irritating set of knobs on planet rugby. They make Welsh Rugby Twitter look like a collection of sound philosophers. No offense JB1973. You're actually sound."

Brilliant, Hugonaut!!! I'd a load of Bok fans going mad with me yesterday on Twitter, when I suggested Erasmus and Kolisi were implying racism on the part of the ref with their accusations of "lack of respect" for the SA captain compared to AWJ. I could be totally wrong, but certainly that was my impression.

Yup, sounded like an implied accusation of racism alright…

[riocard911]

Oldschool:

"As an aside, SA, long term, obviously see Europe as their future. What that means I'm not sure but the NH would want to be very careful of Greeks bearing gifts but at least they can dictate term.
Argentina should be trying to build an American Nations Tournament with the US and Canada because there's MONEY in them there hills and now might just be the right time to go prospecting."

Rugby is realigning according to time zones in order to max out the number of potential TV viewers and advertising money. The first step is SA aligning with Europe - URC followed by ERRC and potentially the 6 Nations. The Aussies and Kiwis have their eyes on the Japanese market, which has huge growth potential, perhaps even with spreading the sport in Asia generally and China (HK 7s anyone?) in particular. I agree with Oldschool, Argentina would be best of pushing greater cross-border rugby cooperation in the Americas North and South; the Pumas could be kings in a potentially lucrative castle.

[IanD]

Other half paid for Now TV Sport pass.

It lasts for 24 hours.

Worried we may well miss the end of the match.

[ronk]

Other half paid for Now TV Sport pass.

It lasts for 24 hours.

Worried we may well miss the end of the match.

1 hour 3 minutes for the first half. Not a it of rugby played.

[Ruckedtobits]

68 minutes of unadulterated sh#te. Given that excellent (Mens & Womens) Sevens is playing on all other sports channels - not Sky- this is obviously a plan by World Rugby to attract people to Sevens.

Undoubtedly, this is the worst exhibition of international rugby by two teams since the game went professional. How any of the commentators can "talk up" this game during the interval is beyond belief. This is beyond any admiration. One off passing interspersed with 30 m kicking with questionable challenges on most catches.

[ronk]

Game isn't getting any better

[ronk]

Lions getting pinged off the park. Getting overpowered after the subs came on.

[Dexter]

Rassie's whingeing obviously worked. Totally got into the refs head.
Saying that, Lions were really poor in probably the worst test match I've ever seen.
I think Lions will win next week, surely they cant play that badly again??

[Logorrhea]

Undoubtedly, this is the worst exhibition of international rugby by two teams since the game went professional. How any of the commentators can "talk up" this game during the interval is beyond belief. This is beyond any admiration. One off passing interspersed with 30 m kicking with questionable challenges on most catches.

Yep.

[Ruckedtobits]

If they continue to kick the ball in the air as their main attacking weapon, the Lions will never beat the 'Boks in SA.

Tempo and lateral movement are essential to beat these 'Boks. Trying to out-muscle or out-maul them was never going to work.

Adams, Williams and Biggar must play but lose Sinckler and the Scottish prop who are both a long way below the required expertise in scrum & maul.

If a defeat for the Lions ended the Lions hype & canonisation of Gatland, it would be a price worth paying.

[Logorrhea]

I don't mind the kicking strategy (as a plan to win the game, turgid rugby), but play the players to execute it. Duhan and Daly are not those players. They weren't the right players last week and they weren't today. How Williams is not playing to that kicking game I simply don't understand.

[riocard911]

Rassie's whingeing obviously worked. Totally got into the refs head.
Saying that, Lions were really poor in probably the worst test match I've ever seen.
I think Lions will win next week, surely they cant play that badly again??

I don't think the Lions have much of a chance next week. Momentum is totally with the Boks now. They've their self-belief back, mauled the BIL out of it in the second half and munched them in the scrums. According to Birch on Thursday's the42 rugby podcast, Duane Vermeulen is lined up to return for Test 3. That's massive. And Itoje could be cited for deliberate kneeling on De Allende's neck at side of a ruck, thereby pinning him to the ground, towards the end of the 2nd half. On the Saffer TV feed I watched the match on, they gave that a close-up in slo-mo and it sure didn't look good....

[cormac]

That's what happens when you pick Scottish players

[Dave Cahill]

Very poor second half performance.

In the first half the Lions had enough of the ball to prevent the Boks from exposing the Lions weakness in the air. The Boks bench made a positive difference, the Lions bench a negative difference and that allowed the Boks to rain ball after ball down on a poor back three.

I don't know that I'd make many too many changes, but I've always believed that it doesn't matter how brilliant your full back is with ball in hand if he can't dominate the air. I'd bring Williams and Adams in for Hogg and vd Merwe.

I was very umimpressed with Sutherland and Sinkler too.

Its funny how momentuum can shift. In the first half, Itoje was the best player on the park - Etzebeth was nowhere. In the second half, the reverse

[hugonaut]

Very poor second half performance.

In the first half the Lions had enough of the ball to prevent the Boks from exposing the Lions weakness in the air. The Boks bench made a positive difference, the Lions bench a negative difference and that allowed the Boks to rain ball after ball down on a poor back three.

I don't know that I'd make many too many changes, but I've always believed that it doesn't matter how brilliant your full back is with ball in hand if he can't dominate the air. I'd bring Williams and Adams in for Hogg and vd Merwe.

I was very umimpressed with Sutherland and Sinkler too.

Its funny how momentuum can shift. In the first half, Itoje was the best player on the park - Etzebeth was nowhere. In the second half, the reverse

Liam Williams and Josh Adams should be definites. Adams should have started both tests in any event.

To speak frankly, Sutherland doesn't look like he belongs on this tour. I remember reading journalists talking him up during the Six Nations as a potential Lions test player and asking myself what the f*ck they were talking about. He is just a generic Scottish prop. They might as well have picked Jamie Bhatti or some other identikit, undersized loosehead.

[Dexter]

Rassie's whingeing obviously worked. Totally got into the refs head.
Saying that, Lions were really poor in probably the worst test match I've ever seen.
I think Lions will win next week, surely they cant play that badly again??

I don't think the Lions have much of a chance next week. Momentum is totally with the Boks now. They've their self-belief back, mauled the BIL out of it in the second half and munched them in the scrums. According to Birch on Thursday's the42 rugby podcast, Duane Vermeulen is lined up to return for Test 3. That's massive. And Itoje could be cited for deliberate kneeling on De Allende's neck at side of a ruck, thereby pinning him to the ground, towards the end of the 2nd half. On the Saffer TV feed I watched the match on, they gave that a close-up in slo-mo and it sure didn't look good....

Yes, good points, on mature reflection

On another point though, I really hate puke rugby being successful. 63 min first half, not much better in the 2nd half. That stop start shite suits SA down to the ground. If this trend continues Rugby Union is in big trouble imho.