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Re: NZ
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:54 am
by Son of Mathonwy
Sandydragon wrote:UKHamlet wrote:cashead wrote:
But then, it's also a Chiefs team that will be short of:
Brodallick, Cane, Leitch, Yamashita (assuming they get called up for Japan), TKB, Cruden, Ngatai, SBW, probably Pauliasi Manu, and possibly others like Damien McKenzie, Lowe, Tamanivalu and Nathan Harris. That's not to mention a few others being unavailable due to 7s like Gus Pulu.
We'll send out the seconds then
I suspect that game has been earmarked for wider squad members to have a go. with 5 Wales games during the summer tour, including the visit to Twickenham, our senior squad are going to be f*cked by the end of that. Then its a short rest before the new season, which happens to be a Lions year. As much as I want to put a strong team out against the ABs and be at least competitive, I don't want our senior players taking part in 5 games.
The England game and the Chiefs game should be developmental. If Gatland has any sense, he will speak to Eddie Jones and bill the game at Twickenham as just that - it suits the English too not to knacker out their first XV.
I still have nightmares about that pre-RWC 2007 Twickers match, so I'd rather keep our team largely first choice for England. The Chiefs game will of course be a second string team (maybe Nipper will finally get onto the bench
).
Re: NZ
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 11:07 am
by Lizard
The Chiefs game is on a Tuesday, so it will no doubt be the dirt trackers.
Re: NZ
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:33 pm
by Buggaluggs
Re: NZ
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:32 pm
by joshfishkins
Nope, the English game will be 'revenge' and 'a chance for the boys to put the Twickenham nightmare behind them'.
I'm putting the quotes in now, to save Gatland the bother later. This tour is going to be car crash bad, as will next season due to player burnout. Still, maybe we won't have quite so many at the Lions as a result...
Re: NZ
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:32 pm
by joshfishkins
Nope, the English game will be 'revenge' and 'a chance for the boys to put the Twickenham nightmare behind them'.
I'm putting the quotes in now, to save Gatland the bother later. This tour is going to be car crash bad, as will next season due to player burnout. Still, maybe we won't have quite so many at the Lions as a result...
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:12 am
by Eugene Wrayburn
I suspect that your tour will have a tight first Test and then deteriorate to a bit of a blow out in the 3rd.
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:27 am
by Sandydragon
Eugene Wrayburn wrote:I suspect that your tour will have a tight first Test and then deteriorate to a bit of a blow out in the 3rd.
Our experience with SH tours is quite the opposite. We start badly and get well beaten, followed by close tests thereafter. Our last tours to Australia and South Africa have followed this format.
If we start well it will make a welcome change.
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:32 am
by gthedog
They'll be more pain than champagne rugby
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:32 am
by gthedog
They'll be more pain than champagne rugby
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 4:05 pm
by Eugene Wrayburn
Sandydragon wrote:Eugene Wrayburn wrote:I suspect that your tour will have a tight first Test and then deteriorate to a bit of a blow out in the 3rd.
Our experience with SH tours is quite the opposite. We start badly and get well beaten, followed by close tests thereafter. Our last tours to Australia and South Africa have followed this format.
If we start well it will make a welcome change.
not many improve as they go through NZ tours.
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 6:28 pm
by Son of Mathonwy
Eugene Wrayburn wrote:Sandydragon wrote:Eugene Wrayburn wrote:I suspect that your tour will have a tight first Test and then deteriorate to a bit of a blow out in the 3rd.
Our experience with SH tours is quite the opposite. We start badly and get well beaten, followed by close tests thereafter. Our last tours to Australia and South Africa have followed this format.
If we start well it will make a welcome change.
not many improve as they go through NZ tours.
We do. Under Gatland we've always improved as tours progress, even against NZ (2010).
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:19 pm
by Lizard
Son of Mathonwy wrote:Eugene Wrayburn wrote:Sandydragon wrote:
Our experience with SH tours is quite the opposite. We start badly and get well beaten, followed by close tests thereafter. Our last tours to Australia and South Africa have followed this format.
If we start well it will make a welcome change.
not many improve as they go through NZ tours.
We do. Under Gatland we've always improved as tours progress, even against NZ (2010).
Improved, but never quite enough to win. A fourth test v Aussie in 2012 would have been interesting.
Re: NZ
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 8:50 pm
by Son of Mathonwy
Lizard wrote:Son of Mathonwy wrote:Eugene Wrayburn wrote:
not many improve as they go through NZ tours.
We do. Under Gatland we've always improved as tours progress, even against NZ (2010).
Improved, but never quite enough to win. A fourth test v Aussie in 2012 would have been interesting.
We'd have lost by half a point.
