Australia v Lions 3rd Test

[hugonaut]

If BOD was the only Irish player with 6 Welsh, 6 English and 2 Scots, we would be behind the team.

As it stands we have SOB, Sexton & Bowe playing and you want them to lose.

Who are 'you' and 'we'?

[OTT]

If BOD was the only Irish player with 6 Welsh, 6 English and 2 Scots, we would be behind the team.

As it stands we have SOB, Sexton & Bowe playing and you want them to lose.

Who played at centre for the 3rd test against Southafrica?

Show Spoiler:

If you said Bowe & Flutey, please claim your prize

There is a massive difference between losing interest and wanting SOB, Sexton & Bowe to lose.

I bought into The Lions because a guy like BOD buys into it. Losing every 4 years (They have won only series 3 times in my lifetime) isnt something I would naturally go yeah i want some of that. I dont think BOD is an inferior player to Jonathan Davies I think Gatland is making someone a fall guy for his bad tactics and a crumbling forward platform from Saturday. It is a scapegoat. I jope the irish lads go well on saturday like when they represent the Ba-Ba's but do I really have a vested interest now, no I dont sorry.

[Bogger]

If BOD was the only Irish player with 6 Welsh, 6 English and 2 Scots, we would be behind the team.

As it stands we have SOB, Sexton & Bowe playing and you want them to lose.

Who are 'you' and 'we'?

what are you smoking

[the spoofer]

Old School- please......! WE do give a damn. It matters to most of us and to the players. That's why we spend time watching matches, news feeds and posting on it.

Aside from the fact that it's not true, this "...the Lions don't matter" stuff is far too soon. It will never be alright, but there might be another time to say it. Not now.

It doesn't particularly matter to me. The Lions is a sideshow team that only get together once every four years. When they play good, exciting rugby, have a likeable coaching team and genuinely make an effort to integrate talented players from teams who don't compete that well in the Six Nations [Ireland during the 1990s, Scotland recently] and get the best out of them, then you naturally row in behind them.

When they play sh*t rugby, bring in a load of random players to 'protect' the test team and underperforming players get picked for big games by their national coach who's a bit of a bell-end [Woodward in 2005 and Gatland this time out], then there's not much to cheer about or get behind.

Yeah, I follow it and post about it, but that's because they're big, super-hyped games and there are Leinster and Ireland players involved. When they lost on Saturday, it wasn't like Ireland or Leinster losing a close game. I just thought to myself that they played sh!t and turned the TV off.

Exactly how I felt. Similar to the HC Final. I wanted Clermont to win, but when the didn't it was a case of, meh!

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I dont think BOD is an inferior player to Jonathan Davies I think Gatland is making someone a fall guy for his bad tactics and a crumbling forward platform from Saturday. It is a scapegoat.

This is another thing I don't get. Gatland gave out about the lack of control last week but then drops the most experienced player he has and the guy who has shown time and time again that he has a cool head. I know he made that bad kick at the weekend but how often does he do that?

[jhc99]

Gatland is being absolutely savaged by the Daily Telegraph (UK) following the team announcement.

[JB1973]

Gatland is being absolutely savaged by the Daily Telegraph (UK) following the team announcement.

that's mainly down to the lack of English players in the team though.

The BOD omission is a shockingly bad calL and I still can't see the logical behind it unless the rumors about him and Gatland clashing about the style of rugby being played are true. The other 14 are not shocks and a good case can be made for any of them. There are also cases to be made for evans and tupric 2 welsh guys who miss out.

At the end of the day if the lions win Saturday then Gatland will be proven right and history will show him as a lions hero, if he doesn't he is going to have a terrible time in the media and his chances of getting the AB job are proably gone for ever.

[Dexter]

Old School- please......! WE do give a damn. It matters to most of us and to the players. That's why we spend time watching matches, news feeds and posting on it.

Aside from the fact that it's not true, this "...the Lions don't matter" stuff is far too soon. It will never be alright, but there might be another time to say it. Not now.

It doesn't particularly matter to me. The Lions is a sideshow team that only get together once every four years. When they play good, exciting rugby, have a likeable coaching team and genuinely make an effort to integrate talented players from teams who don't compete that well in the Six Nations [Ireland during the 1990s, Scotland recently] and get the best out of them, then you naturally row in behind them.

When they play sh*t rugby, bring in a load of random players to 'protect' the test team and underperforming players get picked for big games by their national coach who's a bit of a bell-end [Woodward in 2005 and Gatland this time out], then there's not much to cheer about or get behind.

Yeah, I follow it and post about it, but that's because they're big, super-hyped games and there are Leinster and Ireland players involved. When they lost on Saturday, it wasn't like Ireland or Leinster losing a close game. I just thought to myself that they played sh!t and turned the TV off.

Exactly.

Exactly, exactly. I wasn't going to be able to see the game on Saturday anyway, and now I don't care that I can't.

[mtleinster]

Funny to see from a neutral (English) perspective the player rating for the second Test

Team average was 5.667, and only 3 players got over 6

Player Ratings:

13 Brian O'Driscoll 7/10 This was a man on a mission. His tackling was insatiable, his hands soft and the little chips punishing. Was allowed his tussles at the breakdown, but got carried away with one as the pressure built in the second half.

12 Jonathan Davies 4/10 Not bad, but he hasn't quite shone in the Test series. There were good moments of the perspiration kind but also the odd error – a loose chip here, a spill there and he dropped off Ashley-Cooper for the try.

[Flash Gordon]

Gatland is being absolutely savaged by the Daily Telegraph (UK) following the team announcement.

that's mainly down to the lack of English players in the team though.

The BOD omission is a shockingly bad calL and I still can't see the logical behind it unless the rumors about him and Gatland clashing about the style of rugby being played are true. The other 14 are not shocks and a good case can be made for any of them. There are also cases to be made for evans and tupric 2 welsh guys who miss out.

At the end of the day if the lions win Saturday then Gatland will be proven right and history will show him as a lions hero, if he doesn't he is going to have a terrible time in the media and his chances of getting the AB job are proably gone for ever.

He's being attacked in the Guardian and the BBC too (by Phil Bennett) too based upon the dropping of Drico. This is a mind blowing selection particularly given the lack of leadership and the fact that, given the ref, the breakdown will be a genuine competition.

The coaching team are hanging all the game plan on power and brute force which with the backs at the Lions disposal is unforgivable and I think massively exposes the limitations of Rob Howley. Even if they win on Saturday, this Lions team will never be remembered with any level of affection.

[Leoslovechild]

Gatland is being absolutely savaged by the Daily Telegraph (UK) following the team announcement.

that's mainly down to the lack of English players in the team though.

The BOD omission is a shockingly bad calL and I still can't see the logical behind it unless the rumors about him and Gatland clashing about the style of rugby being played are true. The other 14 are not shocks and a good case can be made for any of them. There are also cases to be made for evans and tupric 2 welsh guys who miss out.

At the end of the day if the lions win Saturday then Gatland will be proven right and history will show him as a lions hero, if he doesn't he is going to have a terrible time in the media and his chances of getting the AB job are proably gone for ever.

Really have no interest in Seeing Wales lose 7 test in a row to Australia.Watched last week with a bunch of mates who were whooping and cheering the Lions fair play to them but I really felt nothing for it except the fact it was a cr@p game and based on the Welsh selection for Saturday it will be even worse.Just as a matter of curiosity did BOD and Jamie not play when we beat Australia and Wales?

[Logorrhea]

the other 14 are not and a good case can be made for any of them.

Eh did you watch Mike Philips in the first test? While your at it could you explain what Roberts as done on tour to justify his automatic selection?

Look, I'm certainly not getting at you, but I for one have spent the last 2-3 years watching Declan Kidney pull these kind of selections out of his arse. If there was a sniff of competition you knew the guy in the red jersey would get the nod. Any Lions tour, where 10 players from the same nation are selected is badly flawed. When its those players national coach making the selection, it kinda stinks.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

A couple of more things about the Bod selection...given how tight the last two games have been, surely his defence and sheer bloody mindedness were likely to be very very important?

Secondly, I'd say the Oz camp are delighted with the general selection. They've coped pretty easily with the predictable nature of the Lions "attack" over the last couple of weeks so why will it be different for them this time? They know exactly what to expect.

The Lions really were blessed that Oz shipped so many injuries in that first test...

[artaneboy]

Gatland is being absolutely savaged by the Daily Telegraph (UK) following the team announcement.

that's mainly down to the lack of English players in the team though.

The BOD omission is a shockingly bad calL and I still can't see the logical behind it unless the rumors about him and Gatland clashing about the style of rugby being played are true. The other 14 are not shocks and a good case can be made for any of them. There are also cases to be made for evans and tupric 2 welsh guys who miss out.

At the end of the day if the lions win Saturday then Gatland will be proven right and history will show him as a lions hero, if he doesn't he is going to have a terrible time in the media and his chances of getting the AB job are proably gone for ever.

No, it won't prove it right to drop their best outside centre. It'll mean they'll win the series, but make no mistake it will have an effect on the Lions brand and the identification of Ireland rugby fans with it. If the selection criteria are set that it's to be a 'base team' of Welsh players with only outstandingly better other country players making the squad- which is what has happened here- then no amount of cant will inspire belief in it.

[TerenureJim]

If BOD was the only Irish player with 6 Welsh, 6 English and 2 Scots, we would be behind the team.

As it stands we have SOB, Sexton & Bowe playing and you want them to lose.

Who played at centre for the 3rd test against Southafrica?

Show Spoiler:

If you said Bowe & Flutey, please claim your prize

Yeah but that was a dead rubber and the Lions in 2009 played in two epic tests against SA before they cobbled a team together from a rake of injuries to win the Lions first game in 8 years in the 3rd test.

So far this tour we've seen two really poor games with a couple of stand out moments in the first test. Compare the second test last week and the second test in '09 and the drop in quality of both teams is huge. This has been a poor test series against a not great Aussie side who should be taken apart but the Lions are just playing muck tactics. I've never seen Sexton so anonymous in a game.

Gatty has brought the Lions back to the shambles of '01 & '05 even if there's a series win on Saturday I think the Lions for those of us who used to enjoy the hype to a certain degree may have been irrevocably damaged.

I'd say we'll hear about some very unhappy tourists when the lads get home and can talk freely about the coaching ticket and tactics.

[Donny B.]

Gatland is being absolutely savaged by the Daily Telegraph (UK) following the team announcement.

that's mainly down to the lack of English players in the team though.

The BOD omission is a shockingly bad calL and I still can't see the logical behind it unless the rumors about him and Gatland clashing about the style of rugby being played are true. The other 14 are not shocks and a good case can be made for any of them. There are also cases to be made for evans and tupric 2 welsh guys who miss out.

At the end of the day if the lions win Saturday then Gatland will be proven right and history will show him as a lions hero, if he doesn't he is going to have a terrible time in the media and his chances of getting the AB job are proably gone for ever.

I think no matter what happens Gatland's reputation has gone downhill on this tour. He's taken a team with masses of attacking talent and turned them into a team of scared kick-chasers. They played great rugby against the Waratah's but since them we've seen precious little of that.
His tactics are not just out-dated, negative rubbish, they make no sense.

If they do manage to win on Saturday, it will be despite Gatland and his coaching team of muppets, not because of them.

[tigerburnie]

We've had three poor head coaches for the Lions, Woodward was a joke, but the other two were non Lions from the southern hemisphere who did not understand what is required to put together a Lions team/squad.
Australia have shown they are no longer worthy of the effort with their poor non test sides the fielded, but the Lions do clearly have a place, the players will tell you that.
Gatland(and Woodward before him) got the job on the back of taking teams that any of us could have led to victory in the 6 Nations, their personal contribution was zero and the results on the Lions tours prove that.
The Lions should only ever be led by ex Lions.

[dropkick]

Crazy stuff from Gatland. At least he has the Welsh on side when he goes back...

[domhnallj]

Crazy stuff from Gatland. At least he has the Welsh on side when he goes back...

I popped over to the Scrum V forum to check out the reaction and the sense of delirium follows the usual depressing one-eyed track. Win or lose he wins.

[Oldschool]

One thing I don't like about all of the BOD stuff.
Gattie is trying to sell it as BOD being dropped for Roberts. BOD is being dropped for Davies.
Gattie you're hiding and Roberts ain't all that either but he's a good bit better than Davies.
Reminder for you Gattie - For 40 minutes in the 6Ns - Wales, Robert, Davies and all, couldn't live with Drico and Ireland.

Not sure of the stats but I think OZ have a very good record in Sydney even against NZ.