Lions squad named

[Puja]

Also, I've just notice the BBC's approach to AWJ's name in the team that I c&ped. I'm trying to work out if it's incompetence or a very solid wind-up.

Puja

[switchskier]

No Henderson is baffling. Making AWJ captain has handcuffed us to quite a degree.

Dropping Hogg and Watson is bs. Scapegoating by putting them into situations where they were always under the cash and had no opportunity to show what they do really well.

No Farrell is interesting. But pity Russell and Daly if they come off the bench just as Murray is on to slow things down.

[Adder]

Murray coming on with Russell would negate and change in tactics.

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[Numbers]

The bench is... odd to say the least. Do we entirely change tack when Russell and Daly come on? They seem like a very big departure from the starters.

Puja

There is no gaurentee that they will come on, I'm pretty sure Daly is on the bench for his versatility and nothing else.

[Gloskarlos]

[Gloskarlos]

No Duane, No Faf.

Reinach ridiculously quick - Price needs to be on his mettle.

Mostert to 6 very interesting.

[Mr Mwenda]

Surprised at Beard over Henderson. Also surprised at the lack of George.

I don't get why van Der merve escapes the back 3 purge.

Whatever the plan is I hope it works or at least some rugby to break out.

[Digby]

Murray coming on with Russell would negate and change in tactics.

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Murray does have a very good wide pass. And given how narrow SA defend there are options around that, even more so if the 8 can feed the 9 from the base and you've got options outside. And Faf is often on the edge of their defence looking for the intercept and is a decent tackler, Reinach has pace but isn't quite the same option to initiate the scramble if you can play to the outside.

That said I'd still think it easier not to play against the blitz with the lack of cohesion, especially having brought Aki's hands into the middle of the park

[Mellsblue]

The bench is... odd to say the least. Do we entirely change tack when Russell and Daly come on? They seem like a very big departure from the starters.

Puja

Add in Simmonds as backrow replacement and the front row replacements, and it looks like 60 mins of kick and chase and then 20mins of trying to run them off their feet..... which makes the 9. Price - 21. Murray selection a strange one.

[Puja]

No Duane, No Faf.

Reinach ridiculously quick - Price needs to be on his mettle.

Mostert to 6 very interesting.

There's surely got to be a COVID outbreak or something? I don't see them voluntarily dropping De Klerk and Du Toit from the XXIII entirely.

Puja

[Puja]

The bench is... odd to say the least. Do we entirely change tack when Russell and Daly come on? They seem like a very big departure from the starters.

Puja

There is no gaurentee that they will come on, I'm pretty sure Daly is on the bench for his versatility and nothing else.

Russell will come on for 7 minutes to try and turn around a 10 point deficit, only for his teammates to be taken aback by his alien tactics of "running" and "passing" so he never has any support and gets turned over. Russell will take the blame for the defeat - we should have had Farrell.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

No Duane, No Faf.

Reinach ridiculously quick - Price needs to be on his mettle.

Mostert to 6 very interesting.

There's surely got to be a COVID outbreak or something? I don't see them voluntarily dropping De Klerk and Du Toit from the XXIII entirely.

Puja

Both went off injured....

[Puja]

No Duane, No Faf.

Reinach ridiculously quick - Price needs to be on his mettle.

Mostert to 6 very interesting.

There's surely got to be a COVID outbreak or something? I don't see them voluntarily dropping De Klerk and Du Toit from the XXIII entirely.

Puja

Both went off injured....

Ah - information I was lacking. Thanks, that makes more sense.

Puja

[jngf]

British and Irish Lions: Williams; Adams, Henshaw, Aki, Van der Merwe; Biggar, Price; Jones, Owens, Furlong, Itoje, A Wyn Jones (c), Lawes, Curry, Conan

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Vunipola, Sinckler, Beard, Simmonds, Murray, Russell, Daly


Plan B looks remarkably like Plan A, only with more smash in the midfield.

Puja

Oh dear, in pack I’d have gone for:

Jones, Cowan-Dickie, Furlong, Henderson, Itoje, Beirne, Watson, Falatau

With Vunipola, Owens, Sinckler, Lawes, Simmonds (glad to see he is there btw! ) on the bench,

For me none of A Wyn Jones, Curry or Conan have convincingly merited starting slots above better carrying options Gatland could have picked, but it’s Gatland's call and if he wins the 3rd test he can justifiably tell the sceptics like myself it’s the result that counts - if he loses sceptics (like myself ) can say he was a bit sentimental in some of his choices. Lineout may be evenly balanced (though extra height of boks locks might give them the edge?) though I see little in Gatland’s forward selection to compete with the boks sheer power in both ball carrying and the maul. Exciting challenge to say the least!

[Numbers]

No Duane, No Faf.

Reinach ridiculously quick - Price needs to be on his mettle.

Mostert to 6 very interesting.

Didn't they move him to 6 when De Jager came on in the second half on the weekend?

[Gloskarlos]

No Duane, No Faf.

Reinach ridiculously quick - Price needs to be on his mettle.

Mostert to 6 very interesting.

Didn't they move him to 6 when De Jager came on in the second half on the weekend?

Yes, as a result of injury, but i'm not sure he's started 6 before. SA normally have a few back row options. Picking an out and out lock to start there is a departure for them.

[Sandydragon]

The bench is... odd to say the least. Do we entirely change tack when Russell and Daly come on? They seem like a very big departure from the starters.

Puja

If that’s the plan then the scrum halves look to be the wrong way around.

[Gloskarlos]

Sinckler charges have come to nothing, he is free to play.

[Danno]

Sinckler charges have come to nothing, he is free to play.

Good news. What an utter sham.

[Sandydragon]

No Faf is a huge loss for the Bokke.

[Son of Mathonwy]

The bench is... odd to say the least. Do we entirely change tack when Russell and Daly come on? They seem like a very big departure from the starters.

Puja

There is no gaurentee that they will come on, I'm pretty sure Daly is on the bench for his versatility and nothing else.

Russell will come on for 7 minutes to try and turn around a 10 point deficit, only for his teammates to be taken aback by his alien tactics of "running" and "passing" so he never has any support and gets turned over. Russell will take the blame for the defeat - we should have had Farrell.

Puja

That was Gatland's approach with Hook too.

I'm no fan of Russell, but if Gatland brings him on to turn things round he needs at least 20 minutes.

[Spiffy]

The Lions pack gets monstered last Saturday - so Gatland picks the same back 5

[Buggaluggs]

That's the last thing they'll be expecting.

[whatisthejava]

I’m a bit concerned that the Russel haters will have all the evidence they need. Russell works best with Hogg coming from full back to give a second play maker option when Russell sucks in men to him.

Without that he won’t have a lot of option but to give it to aki - smash or henshaw - smash or Dropsy Dally

That’s if Murray even passes him that ball

For me this Gatland covering his own arse so that he can turn around and say I played Russell it didn’t work.

I also doubt the tactics will change. Both Williams and Adams are great but the team will get suckered into playing the same 60-70 min game as last week, then Russell will come on and everyone will revert to the first 10.

Only way this works well is if Russel does a Munster nutmeg and scores the winning try through FIIDIM

[whatisthejava]

The only people that benefited from the shitshow of the second test is the lawyers representing guys with concussion.
6 potential red cards in the second test and not one upheld citing.

This series has added a nice couple of zeros to the settlement and WR can’t even pretend they take player safety seriously