Tell us what you thought of the 2nd Lions Test here.
Give the match a rating out of ten, and then share your views in the comments below.
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So…who wants to start with the team sheet / prediction comment apologies?
I was completely wrong and Warmest congrats to Sam and the team.They came out with the right attitude and to win from 18-9 down to NZ is one of the greatest Lions achievements.As an Englishman it gives me great hope for Japan in 2 years time as the players will come back with the belief the ABs can be beaten
Albeit against 14 & by only 3? Might want to wait til the end of Eden II before letting euphoria dominate yr thinking.
Well Don what did I say. A truly great win and kept the AB’s under constant pressure. As Kryten said in Red Dwarf – Smug Mode
Well Don what did I say. A truly great win and the AB’s were kept under constant pressure. Don’t forget the Lions scored their first try at 14 players a piece. The AB’s still couldn’t get over the try line. Do I read somewhere in your remarks soar grapes. As Kryten said in Red Dwarf – Smug Mode
High on passion and guts but to be honest the weather made the game a bit dour. You have to give great credit to the ABs for adapting to the early departure of SBW. Laumape looks a real threat for game three, seems likely he will start.
OK I will be the first to hold my hands up. I never saw that coming. The sending off was obviously fairly crucial but I still haven’t quite worked out how the Lions managed to win after giving away that many penalties. Lucky Barrett left his kicking boots at home. Level of aggression and competing for the ball was so much better this week. Thought Itoje was outstanding apart from a couple of penalties. AWJ didn’t quite turn the clock back but was better than I feared, and both Faletau and O’Brien were much better than last week. Warburton still fairly anonymous. Vuinopola creaked in the tight and was really stupid to get sent to the bin. Four pens and a yellow should see him dropped for next week. Davies excellent again, the Sexton Farrell partnership worked OK and Murray was at the top of his game. I thought this was a poor performance from the AB’ s . Once SBW went off they played very little creative rugby, though to be fair it looked like a horrible day. Shame I will now have to spend yet another Saturday morning in a bar having a full fried breakfast and a few pints next week.
Much better from the lions, last week i thought our forwards were out muscled at the breakdown this week we were far more efficient. The carrying was far more aggresive and they got over the gainline much more successfuly. I did think that, mr vunipolo was rather lucky to only get a yellow card though. The All blacks will come out firing of a cylinders next week but hopefully the confidence of this match will lift them.
Watch the cholesterol. I’t won’t help yr blood pressure nxt Sat. No one saw that coming. Reasonable assessment, altho after 1/2 time the AB’s DID have a real go to score. Didn’t happen however & except for Barrett’s boot, it could have all been so diff, but that’s rugger.
The thing is don that if the AB’s want to win they are going to have to score tries rather than try and kick the Lions to death last time i checked tries are worth 5/7 and pens only 3 ;-)
Only joking 14 vs 15 and the lions still made hard work of it but a win is a win.
Well done to the lions. The history books won’t recall it was 15 v 14 for most of the match and thank god barrett missed three kickable penalties. But please also let’s have some perspective otherwise we will be deluded for next week.
You are def not a S Times leading rugger hack, but that’s no bad thing. No doubt Warburton is of a more objective persuasion, like yrself.
If that comment was for me Don you are right. Come the revolution Stephen Jones will be near the top of my list and Barnes not far behind him.
Andy
It was. Don’t learn anything, however, I have to admire their ability to espouse such propaganda & yet retain their jobs, but then Theresa is doing the same. U turns, subjectivity, obfuscating seem the norm these days. Must be the Murdoch factor?
Unfortunately I only saw first 35 minutes live and only seen highlights since. Great belief by the Lions to come back and win but, how good were the AB’s to lose by three with a man down for so long.
I think if Peyper had been refereeing it would probably only been yellow. Can’t believe he questioned Garces when he suggested a red card. SBW made direct contact with Watson’s head and didn’t use his arms, so under the latest laws Garces had no choice. The more times you watch it back the more it looks like it was intentional.
From what I saw Itoje was excellent and the combination of Murray, Sexton and Farrell worked well. Will have to watch the whole game later to see who else stood out.
Sets up an Interesting 1 for nxt Sat then. Regds SBW’s card, agree it looked worse in slow mo & as you state, under the rules it was a red. However, how was Vunipola’s 2, within 2/3 mins of each other, 1stly armless & late & then head on head on Barrett not also a yellow, then a red, If you apply the same rules? Also if the ref had been equally vigilant with O’Brien’s forearm smash to Naholo’s head (= an HIA), he too should, again under the rules, been redded. These things change games. Also ‘Murray, Sexton and Farrell worked well’ partly because the AB’s couldn’t exert pressure due to having 1 flanker. Presumably will be diff nxt Sat, so judgement deferred til then methinks.
O’Brien cited and cleared, so the powers that be don’t agree with you on that one.
Sony Bill Williams what were you doing?????
Nastiest most cynical play seen in a long time. No mitigating circumstances period!
Lets see what our resident AB supporters have to say about it! Condemn or condone please in the space that follows……….
Lets hope Watson is alright for the decider as his removal would i guess be a victory for the sun shines out of your arse on this occasion Willams!
Was it nastier than Vunipola’s 2 late, then head on head attacks on Barrett or O’Brien’s forearm to Naholo’s head? Watson was cleared during the game & so he came back on.
Nope defo not. As Staggy says O’Brien has been cleared (“there is a process to follow” – your own coach’s words in post match interview)
Starting with Vunipola. Your picking at straws there. There was no contact with Beauden B on the floor (maybe what could only be described as a ‘light kiss’ in rugby circles)
No comparison as deep down you already no doubt know i suspect.
There is a history of foul play (there i’m the one to say it as usual!) in NZ!
Do we need to mention O’Driscoll and the spear tackle from hell?
Ronan O Gara anyone (fifteen punches to the face whilst prostrate on the ground and not one returned)
No DonP i think the rules are there for the good of the game and the protection of the players and the ABs have to accept that and adapt accordingly like everyone else. The game has moved on fortunately and players are being afforded some modicum of protection albeit belatedly.
Ref to O’Gara was against Aussies but nonetheless southern hemisphere in the days when little thought was given to player safety!
FYI AlexD NZ were also cleared of the BOD ‘spear ‘ after a a process was followed. I look fwd to yr 1 eyed views after EdenI I.
See you there! I’ll have a cold one waiting for you (might be a bitter though)!
Lol
But Alun Wyn Jones – he was TERRIBLE – why is everyone suddenly saying he had a great game?? Nudge, nuge, wink, wink (sorry, couldn’t resist shoving it down the throats of all the ignoramuses having a pop at him!)
Not heard anyone say he had a great game Meeko, not even the Welsh people I watched the game with. He was competent and better than he had been for a good while but still lacks the athleticism of Itoje, Lawes or Henderson and is not the player he was a few years ago.
Yep AWJ won it for the lions, us doubters should hang our heads in shame lol
I’m pleased we won but also very worried, we struggled to beat 14 men. Yes they’re the best in the world but most of the time we were playing against our own Ill discipline. If we play like that next week they’ll put 30-40 points on us
Hope yr’re right Henno, but 30/40 seems unduly pessimistic, even to me.
Delighted my prediction was wrong although there was a rare alignment of the moons which led to a number of circumstances which dictated that, fairly and deservedly, the lions won. 100% red card – no question about it and Barrett missing 2 in front.
From a strictly rugby point of view, the fact that, given the circumstances, the ABs still very nearly won worries me considerably.
Changes for next week. Lawes starting with Henderson on for impact – that would be HUGE. Possibly Mako and his replacement swap roles.
Thought SW, MI and JD had huge games today with honourable mentions to JG, TF, SOB and ED too.
Interesting how SBWs strict Buddhist beliefs (which I 100% respect) don’t appear to quite stretch to his on-field conduct – that was a bad one.
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying reading NZ media during the tour. The NZ herald gave Itojes performance as a 4!!
S W Williams is not a Buddhist but the first Moslem to play for the All Blacks.
Indeed Tuppy, I stand corrected; however I suspect a fundamental part of the religion is based upon not shouldering an opponent in the mush all the same.
More like a Spode black shirt than an AB Tuppy.
You know as much about rugby as everyone else then. Almost no one forecast the result did they? Except this site’s columnist, by 1! But then he was surely being ironic, like a crow bar around Stephen Jones’ head. ‘100% red card’, for SBW, but why not the same for that SOB, Sean O’Brien’s, forearm on Naholo’s nut or for Vunipola’s late, armless, then head attacks on Barrett? Were they good 1’s then? Maybe need a SH ref who’s been to Specsavers?!
I owe Sam and AWJ an apology you were magnificent today
Well said, Sevegolf! There are others who might take the same line. Even I was a doubter, thought Lawes/Hendo might be the best pairing. But honestly, the two that started were superb. There is a faint possibility that O’Brien will be cited and banned for the next test; if so, I would see Hendo at 6, Warbs. at 7. What do people think?
I think you are on a wind up
Terrific result but my god they made hard work of it, Penalties !! to give away 13 penalties ( 10 kickable) would normally lead to heavy defeat, they HAVE to get that sorted for next week, MV has proved today that he is better as an impact player ( less time to concede penalties for one thing ! ) so would imagine he will be benched next week. MI had a great game but once again marred by a couple of needless penalties, still MoM though imho. The red card was, of course, huge, but the Lions were on top for that 1st 20 mins anyway, I thought the card affected the Lions more than the AB’s !! at least until the final 15 mins when the tiredness crept in to the AB’s ( for once ). As Septimusfiltrum said I would expect little change for next week, I think AWJ had a decent game today but he has had a tough tour, Lawes & Itoje for me & Henderson on the bench. No Sonny Bill to contend ( I would imagine but you never know ) with so can afford to leave Teo’ on the bench. C’mon you Lions ….
Just looked at a nz site to see what they are saying. It is an eye opener. Whilst they have some sensible and humble supporters most wouldn’t be out of place supporting IsIl. They have a world class team but on balance a classless and third world support base, if I was an AB supporter I would be mightily embarrassed.
Great to see the Lions win, however,… i think this win will give the lions false hope, maybe an over confidence because we won with the sexton/farrell combination that i thought was bad call , i fear they will go with this again but next time there will be 7 v 7 not 7v6 , if SBW had stayed on or any another powerful AB center the lions 10/12 would have been on the back foot imo , this has a knock-on effect and the dominos will fall, i have faith in Gatts to realise this tho and hope im right and he has a plan “C’. , I was calling for Webb instead of Murray and even tho Murray played well, i still think Webb will change things where its needed most at this crucial time ,Vinipola was an idiot , should be dropped and hope Hendy gets a deserved call up , Tips to be bench minimum , its a crime hes not been even on the bench, today he would have been excellent and helped our attack, Nowell for Daly, hes been ok, but ok ain’t what we need , with a full 15 i don’t think sexy and faz will work as it did today which was ok, but not great all things considered , who ever NZ pick for SBW he will be fast and powerful also . if no changes ABs by 22, if changes anyones game by a couple of points
Mate it was 7v7 in the backs the whole game, the AB’s sacrificed a flanker so they could have a full backline, laumape came on for kaino.
If you cut string from the top or the bottom its still shorter , my point is till the same , if you take a BACK row away the first to have more space will be the receivers , I don’t see the same combination working twice,to the point not enough advantage taken ,..when 10 mins with a man down averages 7pts ? around 40 pts + then right? , so not a success imo
Osiboy, your calculations and stats are right in most circumstances; but this was the All Blacks who have always (until now, perhaps!) been on a different planet, so this was a superb win IMO.
Mmmmm. Bit of a diff take from a Sunday paper’s I read which was like a celebration rivaling that of VE Day! Don’t have issues with yr picks, altho I can’t see Gatland changing much, even for the foul, bonehead Vunipola. SOB likely out due to citing, so Tip in? Prob not, but agree worth some game time IMO? AB’s will, measurably, seek to put the Lions to the sword nxt up, so yr c. 20 pt prediction maybe approp… red’s permitting of course… could be more?
PS Not so sure about Nowell. Less good on ‘D’.
Surprised no-one’s talking about the conditions. At one point, I think Will Greenwood described them as monsoon-like. I thought it was noticeable that the AB attack picked up in the second half as the rain diminished but generally it denied them the ability to play their high tempo offloading game (and score tries). Of the two coaches I think Hansen has the right to be most positive about the game and I fear (conditions permitting) an AB try fest next Saturday.
Don’t be fooled by the weather as a reason for the AB’s passing game. They were down to 14 which curtailed possession, although they did kick a fair bit, but then they always do their fair share of that anyway. Last time I recall Ritchie McCaw’s AB’s @ Twick, they scored 3 in the rain, so beware the backlash.
Fekitoa has been called up but would probably stick with Laumape, he was immense I thought. I actually think the Lions were quite lucky to win this one although obviously chuffed they did. Discipline and error count nearly cost it again and they have to fix that or next week could be embarrassing.
Thought SW was outstanding too, the amount of times you heard’ leave it 6′ on refs mike shows how much work he was doing at breakdown.
Just a thought on the sending off. Garces made a brave and completely correct decision to give what was a clear red card. If my ears didn’t deceive Jaco Peyper tried to talk him out of it, thus abdicating from all responsibility for applying the laws correctly and for player safety, in favour of keeping 30 players on the pitch. He was dire last week as well, and imo should be dumped from the international panel forthwith.
Hi Andy and Trio; it’s mostly daft people like ex international players (two of them Lions) pointing out that, though Itoje is very visible (and terrific too) AWJ was magnificent in the tight, and had a huge influence in holding the huge AB locks. It’s no good trying sarcasm, the fact is, Lions would not have won that game unless the whole pack played superbly, which they did, and you should be generous and honest whatever your pre-match thoughts.
Merkel, I wasn’t aware that I was being sarcastic. AWJ was, in my view, much the same as Whitelock for NZ. Solid, dependable and determined. With the weather as it was the pace and type of game generally suited him. However, the Lions were playing against a seven man pack for most of the game and still only won 39 per cent possession. They also lost 20 per cent of lineout ball and several scrums. To me that doesn’t suggest a dominant pack with an outstanding second row. I reiterate, I would rather have a more athletic player like Lawes or Launchbury than AWJ any day of the week. Each to their own opinion I suppose. If we all agreed there would be no debate.
Meeko not Merkel! Wouldn’t argue with her!
Neither did Helmut Khol.. when he was alive!
Don P, actually he did; that’s why he’s dead ;)
David Flatman agreed with you Meeko.
Bit surprised by the generally more balanced tone from most here esp when compared with that of the S Times. Perhaps I should ditch the conventional press & get on to Twitter like the other Donald!? Anyway, the SBW ‘bashing’ apart, esp when Vunipola & SOB were hardly commented upon in comparison with the aforementioned SBW, the red card was surely a determining factor. That the Lions could only win by 3 v 14 for most of the game which left the AB pack 1 down, told its story & took its toll. On the other hand the Lions played with more aggression, vigour & pace to the breakdown & their ‘D’ held NZ tryless. When did that last happen? The Lions too made better use of possession, with Fealtau’s (Dagg went too high on the bigger man), then later, Murray’s tries resulting ( AB ‘D’ wanting & missing Cane). Also Farrell hit the target when on the front foot. Of course Barrett’s x3 nr misses didn’t help NZ. Just 1 would have been enough (for the draw), but that’s footy sometimes. Additionally, @ the end, Cruden should NEVER have gone for the X kick. Possession was all then & Read ought to have been assertive as captain & insisted that they played keep ball & driven to the posts til they either scored pts or knocked on. Time was no longer a factor by then, so long as they retained the ball. But all that’s history now & nxt week will all. Reckon NZ will seek to clinically & legally dismember the Lions & esp Vunipola & SOB, if they play. Under the laws, both were (mostly) let off the hook by the Frenchman. Will be a short week for the Lions & their fans, but a long 1 for NZeders but also the hardest game the Lions will play for the nxt 4 yrs & esp for the 2 aforementioned, if both they play. AB’s by 20.
Don, I’ve copied your post and sent it to Gatland for display in the dressing room!! I hope it’s a lot, lot closer than that. I can see the Lions winning, but admit it’s a huge task! Let’s enjoy; the ABs don’yt get massive challenges like this often enough. Great for the sport.
Meeko
And then you woke up!? I hope you my copied my post to WG though, as it will indeed be a ‘huge task’. Yr ‘massive challenge’ prevailed in the last min by 3, v 14. Do you think lightning will strike red x2 to save you again & that Barrett will miss x3 once more? Might do, but if you & Gats believe that, good luck. You scraped it & (so do others here judging by their comments), but it’s good if you & Gats actually believe the contrary.
The red card was an influencing factor, not a determining factor.
Blub
‘It was ‘not not a determining factor’? Would you rather play with 14 than 15 then nxt Sat? Won by 3 whole pts @ the death.. & Barrett missed x3. Look fwd to yr comments after Eden II.
Well Don what did I say. A truly great win and the AB’s were kept under constant pressure. Don’t forget the Lions scored their first try at 14 players a piece. The AB’s still couldn’t get over the try line. I read a lot about 15 v 14 for most of the game. Well it wasn’t most of the game only 45mins and the Lions scored when it was 14 v 14 . Barret failed to convert 3 penalities because he succumbed to the pressure. As Kryten said in Red Dwarf – Smug Mode
Pressure early doors and we could win the third. Don’t underestimate how much pressure the ABs are under to bring it home. If we can squeeze them from the off the pressure will be upon them. No doubt the NZ press will play the 14 man card but things happen in rugby and Sonny’s intentional charge was penalised appropriately.
If we can sustain the pressure it could happen again.