Blues v BI Lions

ACT Crusader

Great to see Collins back. Really missed his play on the weekend.

Picked it.....

mariner4life

Good from teh Blues, overcame their limitations and found a way to use their strengths. Their broken play attack was good, and their offloads really fucked the Lions rush defense. Their best spoken about a lot already. Was Moala playing? Shit Patty T would have been handy, what a dumb fuck. Lot of big games from a lot of Blues players.

For the Lions, good up front when using power and pressure, and keeping the ball. But no play beyond catch and crash. It can still work, but they won't just over power teams. Their lineout was prime, but their scrum only got on top at certain times, for the most the Blues were good.

Webb was good, but both 10s and the midfields did fuck all to use the ball they were given. Halfpenny was really good though, goalkicking, cleaning up, and sniping on attack.

Every time the sort of sorted themselves out and got the game on their terms, they looked great, but there was no points coming out of it, and really that's the whole point of the game. This loss isn't the end, they were definitely better in a lot of areas, but they need to look where the points are going to come from, and just having the ball isn't going to get it. What is with their ordinary kicking game?

Great game, great occassion, plenty of feeling (on the field and on line) and the tour is really hot now!

SimonAdd_2

Stander was trying to play the Billy V role but without much success. Plenty of carries but for little gain and no threat off the offload etc. Blues 8 comfortably outplayed him.

Toby, please don't get injured.

MiketheSnow

@Catogrande said in Blues v BI Lions:

@MiketheSnow said in Blues v BI Lions:

Thoroughly deserved from the Blues. Stuck to the task and clinically and brutally exploited the Lions lack of pace and spatial awareness.

With a bit more precision and YCs being shown it could easily have been 5 tries to 1.

5 mins either side of halftime killed the Lions.

Luatua, Williams and Ioane played themselves into contention.

As mentioned earlier Owens, Tipuric, Webb, Halfpenny in the box seats for test match 23.
Big competition for prop.
Itoje will be in test 23, Lawes won't.
Stander had a good match but not good enough to oust Faletau.
Biggar shithouse. Sexton not much better. Gatland's decision to select Farrell as an outside half borne out.
Centres never got a chance and you still have to fancy Te'o, Joseph and Davies to be vying for the test spots
Daley is class
Nowell played himself out of contention
Liam Williams will have to do something remarkable to even get a look in

Still a bit early with some guys yet to play a fun game or play at all in some instances, however those guys haven't done themselves any harm. I wouldn't rule out Daly making a case for the 13 shirt, certainly a good bench option. Nowell straight to the dirt trackers sadly. Best's line out frailties in a Lions jersey have come back to haunt him, so likely a scrap between Owens and George - happy to see Owens start and George make an impact. Likely to be Itoje, Kruis and AWJ in the test 23 with AWJ lucky on form. Back row will be interesting, we have yet to see anything much of SOB and I think it is between him and Stander to break up an all Welsh back row. Prop is looking to be a real fight.

True. All guesswork at this stage.

But

Owens to start, George to finish as you said
Props a lottery at the moment
Itoje and Kruis, with AWJ to replace Kruis. Or AWJ and Kruis, with Itoje to replace Kruis.
Warburton, O'Brien, Faletau, Tipuric, MoriartyAs it stands today

Webb, Farrell, Watson, Te'o, Davies, North, Halfpenny
Murray, Sexton, Daley on anywhere back three

If direct isn't working, Sexton to 10 and Farrell to 12

Chris B.

Rieko pulled a Cornelson didn't he?

Four tries on Eden Park even though only one counted!

jegga

From two days ago http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/40161042```

But Gatland says his side will play expansive rugby in New Zealand, and that critics of his methods have been jealous of his past success.

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Bones

Just really plodding and dumb/slow rugby for the Lions. It was really obvious in the first half when they were dominating possession in the blues half, how easy it was for the Blues to just tackle and regather while they waited for the next phase of....one off runner.

Most players not even looking test level and really lacking any cohesion.

Surely there must be a high level of foxing going on here, they just really can't be that bad?

No Quarter

At 16-15 I thought the Lions would close it out and would take some much needed confidence moving forward. They were a lot better tonight, the Blues would slap the NZB side every day, but that try from West was not just a killer in this match, but the tour in general. Gatland has a pretty big task ahead of him keeping the group together and focussing on the positives now, as they'll be copping it from all sides.

A tour like this always reinforces how important the team aspect of rugby is, it's a hell of a task pulling together a team on short notice, and I always expected the Lions to start slow and build into the tour. They're doing that, but losing this match is a set back.

As for the Blues, that was a pretty standard performance from them. Up and down all game, some incredibly frustrating stuff mixed in with some genuine quality. The performance will be remembered for the West try, and so it should that was fucking magic, but the three players that got them over the line were Luatua, SBW and Ioane. They were a class above everyone else on the park.

I'm very keen to see 11. Ioane and 12. SBW for the first test. And I'm a Savea fluffer from way back, but Rieko's class is undeniable now. SBW is a douche but I want that douche at 12 if he's gonna play like that.

Rembrandt

Really enjoyed that. Lions much better than I expected. SBW, Reiko & Luatua playing themselves into an AB jersey, Moala & Patty T the opposite. From this game I can see the Lions getting better. I see Crusaders are clear favourites now, I missed out on Blues 13+ but did collect on the crazy $3.35 odds on a blues win. Will be unlikely to see any more good odds.

Crucial

@Tim said in Blues v BI Lions:

@Crucial Lawes is the most overrated.

Who's better than Scrafton? The three Crusaders, Retallick, maybe Franklin? Bird has faded this season.

It was a rough count based on ABs pecking order.

Whitelock
Rettalick
Romano
Barrett
Tuipolotu
Fifita
Bird
Franklin

Then you've got Wheeler, Fatialofa, Scrafton

Agree that on current form Scrafton is higher up the rankings but all these guys are all as good as Itoje

Tim

https://streamable.com/9ab0k

akan004

The UK equivalent of Radiosport is covering the Lions post match atm. For anyone who is interested...

http://talksport.com/radioplayer/live/talksport2.html?popup=1

Bones

@Tim pretty to watch. I love how the BIL's players all around Luatua just had no idea how to defend that.

West should fuck super rugby off and head (Back?) to the 7's. He'd kill it.

booboo

@kiwiinmelb said in Blues v BI Lions:

Wow , lions go into the crusaders game under the pump now , would not want to lose 2 in a row

Cmon easy game. Only the ... err .. Crusaders...

Tim

@Bones Hoping we can keep him as an impact player next year.

Bones

@Tim said in Blues v BI Lions:

@Bones Hoping we can keep him as an impact player next year.

Oh I see, like the Crusaders used to do - stockpile all the best 10's in the country.

Crucial

@Tim said in Blues v BI Lions:

https://streamable.com/9ab0k

Oh, look who left the hole for SBW to come through.

Rancid Schnitzel

@Tim said in Blues v BI Lions:

https://streamable.com/9ab0k

West still had a shit load of work to do. Was magic stuff.

Wreck Diver

@Crucial he didn't have any energy left after all the chest pumping or was it jet lag

pakman

Great win Blues. But Lions to burst Christchurch bubble. They'll be much more comfortable handling a structured, more tight based game. You heard it here first!

The Silver Fern

Blues v BI Lions