AUSTRALIA-16 LIONS-15

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LIONS MUST TRY AGAIN

If rugby union was a simple game we could blame Leigh Halfpenny for this result and prepare for the decider in Sydney next Saturday.

But however awesome his boot has been on this tour, his kick at the death which, though straight, still fell short is not the reason the Lions lost this contest.

And if you delved a little deeper into the way the match transpired, you’d probably then point to the way the Wallabies scored the only 5-pointer of the match and say that is how the result came about.

It was a try that was finished by a good line by Adam Ashley-Cooper, who seems to have a knack for scoring at the Etihad Stadium, but a Lions’ share of the blame would have to go to the two starting centres for the tourists.

The Wallabies were applying such pressure on the stubborn opposition defence at that late stage because not for the first time we handed possession back to them.  On this occasion we had Jonathan Davies fumbling the ball at midfield, to be briefly rescued by O’Driscoll who had the right idea in punting it long but given he was heading towards his own 22, even he couldn’t force a good result from his kick and it gave the home side the very open field broken play opportunity the craved all day.

Eventually, after several attempts, their phase play created the millimetre of space they needed in the back line and after almost 160 minutes of a pretty watertight channel the O’Driscoll/Davies axis cracked to allow AAC through.

But however much I can point my finger at the seldom used centre pairing for that try, I STILL don’t feel that is the reason the Lions lost this second test.

For me, restricting a SANZAR nation to just 16 points on their home patch is a pretty decent achievement for any test side, and when your defence does that, it’s up to you to put enough points on the board to make it count.

Sure, there were a couple of occasions when the Wallabies’ own defence did well…O’Connor kicked a monster of a clearance from behind his own tryline at one point and at another, skipper James Horwill (who possibly shouldn’t have been playing in the first place according to the IRB) did some excellent work to force a turnover after a Lions lineout/maul.

But more often than not, Warren Gatland’s charges were masters of their own failures when it came to racking up points, and there was plenty of blame to go around the side.

Johnny Sexton had a poor first quarter by his standards.  He was able to dig deep and recover later, unleashing a stunning series of bombs in open play which landed on a sixpence outside the Aussie 22 each time, but for me it was absolutely vital for these Lions to establish a lead early, and with first a rushed kick into touch on the full and then missing touch altogether with a routine penalty, he certainly played a part in our wrong-doing.

Of course it wasn’t just him by a long stretch; throughout the match we had the rest of the starting XV taking their turns to foil momentum…much was made of Vunipola’s problems at scrum time but there were also some issues with lineouts from Tom Youngs, basic handling & grubber errors from Davies and poor timing by Lydiate getting himself caught offside, that gave the Australians either relief or scoring opportunities.

But it wasn’t even the individual errors that were doing for us overall – a lot of it came down to risky decisions that were made that just simply didn’t pay off.

I for one certainly can’t fault a coach who sticks to his guns, and Warren Gatland has done that on this tour in many areas, not least of which was a persistence with Sam Warburton.  And for the most part, in this decision his faith was rewarded as I reckon the Cardiff Blue put himself about the pitch extremely well.

But elsewhere the decisions weren’t doing so well…like Vunipola in the scrum.  When the margins are so tight, just how many times does a prop have to be pinged before he gets the hook?  We might as well ignore the rights and wrongs of the individual calls…the whistle was in the hands of Craig Joubert and whether it was genuine or thanks to pressure from the Aussie media, he had Mako’s number and there was a strong case for Ryan Grant to be sent on to at least try and fix the set-piece.

Still, for me, the biggest decision we got wrong came around the 7th minute.  We had already won a kickable penalty yet chose to go for the lineout/maul.  The sight of Brian O’Driscoll in the line let us know a famous Warren 15-man-job was on the cards.  It didn’t quite pay off, though we not only won another pen but Horwill was warned for successive maul-collapses and a yellow card wasn’t far away.

In the wild, should a lion ever have a wallaby wounded for real, it would most certainly go straight for the kill.  I couldn’t for the life of me work out why, having already shown an attacking intent, we then chose to play it safe.  The placekick may have been successful and gotten the scoreboard moving, but it also gave Horwill the chance to re-gather his troops and just 10 minutes later they had worked their way into a lead.

People have criticised the coach’s tactics on this tour but if I were him I wouldn’t change them overall…they were what won him the job and for such a honoured one-off position why should he stray too far from his comfort zone? 

But if “Gatland-ball” is to work, not only does the scoring have to come early & often, but also the right amount of beef is required to make the necessary gainline breaks.  As well as replacing his injured skipper, Warren will have to make some changes to his lineup for Sydney.

Some may say replacing Warburton will be his most interesting choice, but I reckon he’s got himself a dilemma at scrum-half.  His instincts will have him going back to Mike Phillips.  Ben Youngs earned his starting place but is more suited to a bench role for this particular series.  And Conor Murray’s cameo made a more than decent case for starting all three tests with different 9s.  Personally though, I think he should go with the one he knows and show Phillips some faith similar to that he did in his tour captain.

As for the back row, Lydiate may have tackled his heart out but this would be more useful in the final quarter.  My ideal trio for Sydney would be O’Brien, Tipuric & Heaslip with Farmer Dan & Tom Croft on the bench.  The Wallabies can only get better at the breakdown after Melbourne and this blend should at least match them as well as bringing the bash.

In the centre, since it seems O’Driscoll is going to be captain the question is…do we go with Davies again if Roberts doesn’t make it?  I reckon Sexton needs stronger lines coming down that channel.  Sadly, in this squad, outside of Roberts he’s actually a decent candidate for the 12 jumper himself but that would be too unorthodox for such a vital game. 

Manu?  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?  I dunno.  One minute I say “hell, yeah” the next I say “meh…”  Anyway, hopefully Dr JR will make it.

My apologies for sailing into next week’s waters when I’m still writing up Saturday’s match but I can’t look at the second test without asking myself how we can win the third.

Among the other starters to impress, Tommy Bowe justified his fast-tracking into the side, while although Paul O’Connell was conspicuous by his absence as expected, Parling came very close to pinching a few lineouts and more often than not the Aussies were taking big risks throwing the ball to his part of the lineout.

Returning to Halfpenny’s kicking for a moment, I reckon that last-gasp effort was just on the limits of his range and to be honest I never thought he’d make it.  His success has been based on a strict regime but I feel the closed roof played its part…his last kick wasn’t a million miles away from where he took his first which just hit the wrong side of the crossbar and there was no gust of wind to give it a hand either way.

Still…could an argument be made that a tap and go option would have been better for that penalty situation? Could we have trusted ourselves to avail of the extra ten metres and more to work our way into drop goal territory?  I think so, but it would most definitely have been a brave call.  And while we’re on the subject of placekicks, it has to be said that Christian Leali’ifano was superb from the tee on what was virtually his test debut , particularly with what turned out to be the winning conversion.

One other incident I can’t ignore was the George North “He Ain’t Heavy” moment when he charged through Israel Folau’s attempted tackle.  The YouTube clip went viral so there’s not much more I can add about that BUT I will say that had it not happened, RugbyDump could well be featuring that bit of the match anyway because I can’t believe nobody is talking about BOD’s pass through his own legs that got the ball to North in the first place!

So for the second week in a row we had one team losing a match as opposed to the other winning it.  Sure, the Aussies did some good things, but when you’re outplayed at such key positions as 6,7,8 and 10 you shouldn’t win too often at test level.

For me, this series is a classic even without all the trips down memory lane provided by the folks at Sky.  It’s the perfect matchup of contrasting styles…for the tourists you have the well-drilled organisation while for the home side, even though Robbie Deans went to such trouble keeping Quade Cooper out of the equation, his charges are still forced to instinctively making the most out of what chinks in the armour they can find, which more often than not is leading to their own mistakes.

Absolutely every millisecond will count in Sydney.  Assuming the Lions defence can stay resolute for the 80 minutes, I reckon we need to be aiming for around the 24-point mark to put an historic series win within reach, so since I can’t see us getting 8 kicking opportunities, we MUST breach the Wallaby line.

But I reckon we can do it.  And all with BOD as skipper no less.  It seems to be writing itself doesn’t it.  I’d better stop now before I jinx things. JLP

My ideal Gatlandball lineup for Sydney, with injury cover in brackets…

Halfpenny, Bowe, O’Driscoll, Roberts (Manu), North, Sexton, Phillips.  Corbisero (Grant), T Youngs, Adam Jones, Alun-Wyn Jones, Parling, O’Brien, Tipuric, Heaslip.  BENCH – Hibbard, Vunipola, Cole, Croft, Lydiate, B Youngs, Farrell, Cuthbert.

PS – Major kudos to the Irish Womens 7s team for their top 8 finish at the World Cup in Moscow, which not only earns them a place in the World Series, but also is a big step for Olympic qualification.

Melbourne Rebels-0 Lions-35

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THE 24TH LION

Sean O’Brien strikes me as the sort of bloke who is never happy with second best.  For example if I had a restaurant I certainly wouldn’t offer him a €30 steak if my menu had one that was worth 40.

Now I’m not suggesting for a minute that there’s a single player on this Lions tour that doesn’t want to be on the test team, but you can’t watch the Tullow Tank without being impressed by just how much it would mean to him for this not to be his last appearance of the season. 

And that’s not just my blue/green goggles talking either…the commentary teams hailing from both England and Australia constantly remarked on it throughout this match at the “Melbourne Rectangular Stadium”.  From the kickoff until his substitution on the 55th minute he was larger than life on the pitch and he fully deserved his try shortly before he took the bench.

But the question remains…does he fully deserve a spot in the matchday 23 in the Etihad next Saturday?  Well you know what my personal opinion is, but when you look at it objectively and consider what has happened on the tour and who’s in charge, it’s not so simple.

First we need to look at his try more closely.  Sure, there was no stopping him once he got the ball but let’s not forget how it got to him…first Faletau safely took the lineout then after Richie Gray shipped it on to Lydiate the skipper for the day displayed the quick hands that have been a trademark of this touring side to get it to O’Brien.

My point is that for all his obvious desire, the Leinster man is trapped in an equation that just doesn’t seem to be working out for him.  And while you’d never wish a player an injury, if you’ll forgive the term he doesn’t seem able to “catch a break” since for all the players dropping like flies on this tour, all the back rowers remain healthy AND for the most part aren’t putting a foot wrong.

So even though Stu Barnes did his best to talk him up as he left the field and despite all the good will being projected towards Melbourne from back home, I’m still preparing myself to see his name left out of the squad for the second test.  It’s just easier that way for me.

Overall this wasn’t a great contest as the home side showed some fight to befit their nickname but were never really in it.  In the final series of plays I was even rooting for them to get the “silver doughnut” (classic Aussie commentator term) off the scoreboard but they couldn’t manage it.  Gareth Delve in particular was impressive for them, and of course the former Welsh international had plenty of motivation.

But at least it was good to see the breakdown become a contest again as referee Glen Jackson re-introduced the “holding after the tackle” call which Chris Pollock seemed to have forgotten last Saturday.

Although O’Brien stood out, you could see that to a man this Lions team was focused on impressing the coaching ticket…and this eagerness produced mixed results.  On the one hand we had the superb second try finished by Sean Maitland but superbly created thanks to a break by Tuilagi and several slick offloads. 

On the other hand we had the ball going to ground at the worst possible moment more than once; the Lions were just fortunate in that this week they were up against a young franchise that couldn’t capitalise.

Throughout the Lions 23 you had performances that had much good tempered with a little not-so-good…but in each case the players can be forgiven the transgressions considering what was at stake.  Owen Farrell was excellent from the kicking tee and appears to have come out of himself in open play, something that no doubt Stuart Lancaster will be quick to fix when he gets him back!

Of the rest of the Irish contingent, Conor Murray showed a nice pirouette for his try but in the end was outdone by his replacement Ben Youngs who’s late 5-pointer should keep him his bench spot.  Although Phillips was poor in Brisbane I can’t see Gatland denying him a second chance at starting.

Rob Kearney did his best to get himself into the action but it just wasn’t happening for him.  Barring injury I’d say his tour is done.  Forgive me, but I’d be glad if that’s the case – it would be good for both Matt O’Connor and Joe Schmidt to have him fit to start the new season.

Simon Zebo is another one with the X-factor to make a case for test inclusion though I reckon he’s four years too soon to get his wish…with Tommy Bowe back in the mix for Saturday I can’t see the Munster man climbing the pecking order…perhaps their fans feel the same way about it as I do re : Kearney?

The Ulster front rowers on the bench had some good involvement towards the end…let me be sure and make it clear that the Ben Youngs try came from a pinpoint long dart from Rory Best!  And Tom Court may have his Australian roots to thank in part for his call-up but certainly didn’t look out of place when he came on.

One more thing about that Youngs score…I hear Lachlan Mitchell has copped a 1-game ban for his dangerous tackle on Zebo, well perhaps the Rebel full-back Jason Woodward’s high shot on the Leicester & England scrum-half as he scored could have been looked at as well.

The one score I haven’t mentioned was the penalty try which was earned after it took the Lions pack a few goes to perfect the lineout/maul setpiece and sub Jordy Reid tore up the rulebook to manhandle Rory Best from the wrong angle and saw yellow as well for his trouble.

So…what do we now know about Saturday?  Well, I for one couldn’t blame a coach for being reluctant to alter his gameplan especially since it is one he would have been working on for months prior to being able to so much as test it on the training ground.  So apart from replacing injured players and accepting back those who probably would have started anyway, I can’t see him altering that much.

If Tommy Bowe does come back into the fold, given both starting wingers scored last week, it would most likely be to the bench, thus ousting Sean Maitland, who I must admit has gotten better as the tour progressed.

Should this happen, it will be interesting to see who gets the bench lock position.  Evans and Gray both did well against the Rebels, but on overall form for the tour I’d be inclined to pick the Welshman for the bench.  Is that the only factor though? 

Assuming Maitland will be left out, will Gray get the nod because of his nationality, even though nobody would ever admit it?  We’ll have to see, though that “token Scot” argument could be moot as Ryan Grant is likely to make the bench as the Last Loosehead Standing should something happen to Vunipola.

And so the midweek matches come to an end, as does the tour for around half the group.  We’ll see tomorrow morning where Gatland & co landed on the Sean O’Brien dilemma. 

I reckon I’m right to christen him the 24th Lion, but let’s just say I’m glad there’s a 24-hour flight time between the two of us as I do. JLP

AUSTRALIA-21 LIONS-23

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GENIA & THE BOTTLE

The Wallaby game plan was so shrouded in secrecy before this opening battle that even the Aussie TV commentators didn’t know who was nominated to take their placekicks until James O’Connor was handed the tee in the 3rd minute.

Even before we made that discovery, however, a sizeable chunk of that plan had to be torn up as Test debutante Christian Leali’ifano was stretchered off after a cruelly unlucky collision with Jonathan Davies in his opening challenge and he was replaced by the more defensive-minded Pat McCabe.

What we proceeded to see from the Wallabies was an even mix of the Good the Bad and the Ugly which wasn’t enough.  But only just.

The leadup to the game’s opening try reminded me of a scene from a different flick…namely Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy shoots the guy who is expertly brandishing a sword before him.

The Lions had just gotten their first series of front-foot ball in the Wallaby 22, and Johnny Sexton set about manoeuvring his offence towards their try line as no doubt they had been painstakingly preparing all throughout the tour.  Thing was though, the hosts would have been preparing for it too and for the most part held them out, though referee Chris Pollock’s determination to favour the attacking team did win the Lions a penalty which they chose to ignore.

I will deal with the rights and wrongs of the referee’s interpretations of the breakdown laws later…in this case he chose to ping Brian O’Driscoll for the third time in the opening thirteen minutes just moments after deeming the Lions’ advantage to be over.  So after a series of phases forged on the training ground designed to slice through the opposition had failed, the home side proceeded to take a much more direct route courtesy of a quick tap & go by their inspirational skipper Will Genia.

His run which took him from just inside his own 22 to just outside the Lions’ was literally mesmerizing, for his opposite number Mike Phillips first, and then for left winger George North who did his best to cover his man but eventually got drawn in to a challenge leaving union rookie Israel Folau free to receive a clever little grubber from his captain and stroll over for the opening score of the series.

Despite all the smoke and mirrors surrounding Deans’ strategy, that superbly taken 5-pointer had pretty much all the hallmarks we were expecting, and it was game on.

Not that this was going to rattle an offence led by Jonathan Sexton, however.  One of the trademarks of his success with Leinster has been his ability to respond quickly to opposition scores and he and George North combined for an absolutely crucial choke tackle thwarting a Wallaby attack shortly after that opening score and off the resulting scrum they marched down the field before Leigh Halfpenny got his first crack at the posts.

Once the Lions’ side of the scoreboard got moving it was their turn to take full advantage of a mistake from the opposition.  To be fair, it was only the high standards of such an epic contest as this that made Berrick Barnes’ slightly over-cooked garryowen a “mistake”.

With all the success the Wallabies have enjoyed over the Welsh in recent years, I’m not so sure their fans would have been too worried to see George North receive the ball in open play as he did when he received the kick.  A few moments later as he (needlessly I thought) gestured to Genia while crossing the try line, they all knew just how worried they need to be.

It was a finish of the highest order, beating four despairing tackles along the way (an “old fashioned” winger would have probably fallen to O’Connor’s ankle tap but not this giant of a number 11) and as it turned out, put the tourists in the lead for good – the home side were in front for just 13 minutes and to say it was a sign of bad luck for them was a major understatement.

Next it was the Lions’ turn to attack the opposition 22 shortly after a try, and this time North was denied another by a millisecond as his elbow grazed the touchline just before he got the ball down.  Credit must go to Genia for catching him this time, just.  Luckily there was still an advantage for his side and Halfpenny stretched the lead to six.

Then it was time for more magic from Folau.  Ironically I had just sent a text to a mate saying : “Sexton having a blinder you wouldn’t know it by Sky tho” when he found himself facing the winger on the edge of his 22.  For a split second, there seemed to be no danger.  But again, the standards here were so high that even the brief amount of time it took the Lion outhalf to consider his covering options was too much and with a quick plant of the right foot, Folau was by him.

That brought the Wallabies to within a point, and by rights they should have gone ahead but O’Connor missed his third placekick of the first half.  How he can go from someone with the bottle to beat the All Blacks to someone who couldn’t kick snow off a rope only he could know…maybe it was the weight of the pressure heaped on him by his coach when he chose to reject Quade Cooper as 10?  The youngster is a quality footballer who was practically silent in this contest and perhaps would have been better suited in the back three.

Still, as it turned out, he wasn’t the only Aussie kicker to bottle it, but for all that has been written & joked about regarding that last second slip, there was still a lot left to happen in this match that influenced the result every bit as much.

The Lions may have been dropping like flies on this tour but after the way this first test went I doubt they will get much sympathy from their hosts.  Having already lost probable starters in their backrow long before the visitors’ plane touched down, to lose both of your starting centres AND the replacement as well as your full back over the 80 minutes is just downright rotten luck.

And you can’t say the Lions saw no benefit on the scoreboard either.  In my preview I said watch out for Alex Cuthbert if a Wallaby was to find the sin bin.  Though Pollock didn’t appear to have his cards with him, when substitute Pat McCabe went off meaning openside flanker Hooper had to cover the centre position, in many ways it was as good as having an extra man, and the visitors took full advantage on the first set play.

Did O’Driscoll throw an illegal block on O’Connor to help provide the space?  Perhaps, but if so it was borderline and since the officials were apparently favouring the attacking team on such calls, it was only right that the TMO allowed Cuthbert the try.

This put the Lions 20-12 in front but there were only 49 minutes on the clock so even though the home side needed two scores there was plenty of time to get them.  And now is a good time to talk about Mr Pollock and his interpretation of the breakdown.

It is ironic that it took a rugby league convert to provide the tries for the Wallabies because when you go to great lengths to discourage the defending team from competing for the ball, you are bringing the 15-man code very close to its 13-man rival.

Chris Pollock hails from New Zealand and thus will never have officiated Richie McCaw at test level.  Any non-All Black rugby fan will tell you that the great number 7 was given the benefit of the doubt countless times simply because of who he is.  Maybe, just maybe, Brian O’Driscoll’s achievements in the game deserved similar treatment in the opening minutes? 

If you strictly apply the laws then sure, it’s extremely difficult even for the great BOD to 100% support his own body weight over a tackled player.  But to ping it so freely is to suggest that all this time O’Driscoll has been cheating.  And if he has, then McCaw has. That’s all I’m saying.

So you could say Pollock favoured the home side in that they knew from the get go how to handle the breakdown area, but did he form this view the night before the test? I think not. The refs were announced well in advance so maybe, just maybe, Gatland’s men could have been better prepared.  And when it came to favouring the attacking side, the officials seemed pretty consistent throughout the match.

And as it turned out, it took a clever use of Pollock’s interpretation by another legendary Irish ex-Lions captain that played a huge part in preventing the Wallabies from getting what could have been a decisive third try.

A scintillating open field break from Kurtley Beale brought his side to within inches of our line.  Meanwhile, in Brady’s in Terenure, I was shouting “somebody foul! somebody foul!” – the only thing that was going to protect our try line was a deliberate pen, and given the Aussies did just that right before half time with no card as a result, it was only right that we should as well, and thankfully Paul O’Connell was bang wide to it.  You would have feared for the furniture in Brady’s had Paulie seen yellow for that.

But he didn’t and the home side had to be content with a two point deficit.  They had two more chances to put their noses in front, but as we all know Beale wasn’t up to the task.  I have to admit that looking over the match a second time I did feel sorry for him after the slip…though there was a certain amount of irony that it was on a patch of turf very close to that which forced the pen in the first place.

So it was victory for the Lions, but it didn’t come without its worries.  And I don’t just mean the loss of O’Connell to injury either, though that truly is a cruel blow.

What concerns me most is that Gatland’s side did a pretty good job of executing their gameplan throughout this match.  With the exception of a couple of scrums towards the end (both of which I am tempted to pin on Hibbard) the set pieces were fine.  For the most part the offence seemed to achieve what it set out though it was faced by a stubborn “D” more often than not.  Also, we proved ourselves able to create broken play opportunities much like our hosts.

Most disappointing performance from a red jersey was definitely Mike Phillips.  Had one break but didn’t bring anywhere near the overall game we expected.  I have a feeling Gatland will stick with him though.

Yet despite all that gameplan success, we won by just the two points thanks to a last second slip.  Will we be that lucky over the next two weeks?  I’m not so sure.

This writeup has gone wayyyy longer than I intended, but I have covered the good from Genia & Folau and the bad from Beale & O’Connor…what about the ugly, or should I say the hideous, from Horwill?

After this test match was over I went to see Man of Steel.  I reckoned it was good, but nowhere near the same league as Christopher Nolan’s Batman series.

That’s kind of the way I felt about this stamp from the Wallaby skipper when I compared it to the incidents involving Tana Umaga and Schalk Burger from tours gone by.  Sure, there are elements of this that you can use to make comparisons, but there are also several where you most certainly cannot.

I have already made a case in this article that senior players should be afforded the benefit of the doubt when it comes to cheating.  For the good of the game of rugby, we have to believe that Horwill’s first reaction when he saw Alun-Wyn Jones’ head at the base of that ruck (assuming he saw him at all) was NOT to drive his studs into the Welsh lock’s face.  Otherwise he should be banned for life.  So my call – not guilty.  My apologies to Brian Moore who saw it a tad differently.

On to Melbourne, where Gatland has to change things or this series could turn on its head quickly.  If tests 2 & 3 serve up half the tension and entertainment that we saw in Brisbane, whether your hats are made of yellow plastic or fake lion fur, hold on to them. JLP

ACT Brumbies-14 Lions-12

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ALL FOR THE BEST?

Good sweet Mother of all that’s holy, this was an awful, awful game of rugby. 

Never mind all the errors…the relentless high-kicking tennis reminded me how horrible 2009 would have been if Irish teams weren’t winning everything. 

This of course made the conditions perfect for an Australian “Alone It Stands” occasion, and fair play to the Brumbies, they did it.

And before the province of Ulster starts hurling abuse at me for seemingly laying all the blame at Rory Best’s door with my choice of headline, trust me, I’m not.  But on top of his shortcomings throwing the darts, he was the skipper on the day and will know himself full well the responsibility that comes with that.

Look…the final winning margin was just two points and despite all the drive and fight in the Brumbies I couldn’t see them improving on their haul of fourteen, so to find out why the tourists fell short you have to look for the three they needed to keep their unbeaten run going.

And when you work your way into a strong attacking position only to lose possession in a lineout more than once, WAY more than once in fact, it’s hard not to point the finger at that set piece.  But to be fair to Rory, there were points to be had elsewhere for the Lions in Canberra.

First and foremost was Stuart Hogg who played his way out of my test 23 reckoning.  He had done well so far on this tour but although he was given a tough challenge here given the makeshift 11-15 combination he had to work with, it was a good opportunity to show his out-half abilities at this level and it didn’t happen for him.

The games’ only try came in the fifth minute.  Ben Youngs’ box kick needed to find touch but didn’t, and Brumbies full-back Jesse Mogg was quick to use the overlap and fired a long fizzing pass to his inside centre Andrew Smith.  In the screengrab you can see the moment Hogg made his poor decision.  It was outside the 22 and Wade was always going to get a hold of Smith, yet rather than cover the Brumbie 13, the young Scot chose to get in on the Smith tackle and got done by the offload.

Kurindrani still had work to do and caught a break as Wade and Kearney fell in to one another but the play could have been easily stopped at the 22 with quick thinking.  Tack on a restart straight into touch plus a couple of place-kicks that found the woodwork and you have to concede the Glasgow Warrior is better suited in the back three.

Don’t get me wrong…Hogg only turns 21 on Monday and has a super test career ahead of him.  Plus there’s a decent amount of blame to be laid at Warren Gatland’s door as well for naming him in the squad as a 10 when neither his club nor his country ever do.

In fact you could expand that selection point beyond the outhalf position.  Gats knew it was a gamble not naming more cover in his original squad.  Perhaps it was an enforced decision with the tour’s purse strings in mind?  We will probably never know.  But had he gone for 40+ in his original squad, he’d have a three-quarter line in Canberra who didn’t just meet each other in the car park as the Aussie commentators suggested.

For example, the reason Christian Wade hit the headlines last season as that he was scoring tries for fun at Wasps.  But there’s also a reason why the Wasps weren’t hitting the headlines as a club…for all the effort they put in creating space for Wade and Varndell, they were neglecting other areas.  When he joins an elite squad like the Lions, strategies won’t revolve around him so not only do the chances come less often, he has to work harder to create his own.

But I suppose we have to ask ourselves…was the goal to win the series or whitewash the tour?  In his first interview as captain Sam Warburton suggested it was the latter but I take Gatland to be much more of a realist and when he planned for this match he had to concede that it was one worth losing.

Besides…as Leinster fan I know a thing or two about winning streaks and they are very much over-rated.  At Wimbledon, they are a necessity if you are to taste true glory, but in egg-chasing, it’s not so much about how many in a row you win, it’s about winning the ones that matter.  And the way the media seizes on stats like unbeaten runs, in some ways it can be a help for these Lions not to have that on them as well as as the test pressure.  We won’t know the true merits of Gatland’s gamble until the series is over.

Of course, we must credit the individuals on the home side who helped make this historic result happen…with so much attention on the Lions back row, Brumbies number 8 & skipper Peter Kimlin did an amazing job leading his troops by example, while Jesse Mogg played his terrace cult hero role to perfection, making up for a few errors with some stunning kicks from both hand and tee.

Full kudos, however, must go to Jake White.  Seeing his reactions on the sideline you’d wonder if this result meant more to him than the World Cup in 2007!  First taking this franchise to the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time since 2004 and now this, he finds himself perfectly poised to succeed Robbie Deans in the Wallaby job.

So…what now for the Lions?  Did we learn anything at all from this contest?  It really wasn’t easy for the back row to make much of an impact.  Each from O’Brien, Tipuric and Faletau had their moments, though only the Leinster man was substituted – that could be read in two different ways but I see it as good as he had just won his side a kickable penalty at a breakdown when the call was made.

Hibbard didn’t do himself any favours here in his cameo…after all the problems with Best’s darts, the Ospreys man fluffed his first one.  Then after calling for scrum after scrum himself with the clock running down, he failed to do exactly what his position says on the tin…how the ball sailed through the channel for the Brumbies to recover only he will know.  Perhaps he’ll blame Murray but for me it’s his responsibility.  I still rate him over both Youngs and Best to start, but I now have concerns where I didn’t before this contest.

Hopefully the reports of North’s ability to start are true…if not our chances of  maximising our points haul with “Gatland-ball” deteriorate.  Below you see my final 23. 

The tour starts for real this Saturday, I can’t wait! I will have my first close look at the Wallaby selection in my preview this Friday.  JLP

PS Wondering why I didn’t mention Shane Williams? Truth be told I forgot he was playing until I finished the piece and legend though he may be, his contribution to this match wasn’t worth going back and inserting a paragraph!

Halfpenny, Cuthbert, O’Driscoll, Davies, North, Sexton, Phillips.

Vunipola, Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun-Wyn Jones, O’Connell, Croft, Warburton-c, Heaslip.

BENCH – T Youngs, Corbisiero, Cole, Parling, O’Brien, B Youngs, Farrell, Zebo.

Combined NSW-QLD Country-0 Lions-64

POINTLESS

Existentialism isn’t often the topic du jour after a topflight rugby “battle”, but this one definitely had an air of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” about it.

As it was played, there were many on social media going to great lengths to point out the immense importance of bringing the Richie Grays and the Dan Coles to Newcastle (see what I did there?), citing several reasons…

1. Rugby Union is struggling in the region and needs a boost, and since the Lions are guests they need to respect the wishes of their host.
2. It’s a good workout for the squad.
3. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for club players to take the field alongside the likes of BOD.
4. It’s part of a Lions Tour tradition.

Since it is so easy to counter those arguments…

1. Why don’t touring sides who come to Ireland turn out in non-rugby hotbeds like Kilkenny?
2. An open training session is also a good workout and doesn’t risk injury anywhere near as much as a full-contact match.
3. There’s a reason these players don’t take the field with the likes of BOD – they’re not good enough.  If you must play a match to leave a legacy in the region, why not make it a contest and play a team like a Pacific Island XV?
4. Don’t start me on the wisdom of doing things a certain way simply because it has always been thus!

…I have to assume any objectors were effectively being told to shut up accept the square peg being shoved through a round hole.

But hey – I’m a Leinster & Ireland rugby fan, and this was a match my guys featured heavily in, so although I had a few doubts, it wasn’t as though I planned to boycott it or anything.  Besides…if I think too much about the relevance of this one game, it sets me on a road that leads me to question the 2013 tour itself and now it’s in full swing, THAT would definitely be pointless, at least at this stage.

So if we accept that this battle had to happen, did we learn anything from it? We most certainly did, though I’m not so sure the Lions management would be thrilled about it.

For his second outing in a row Sean O’Brien did more than just “make a statement” of his suitability for test recognition…he roared it directly into Warren Gatland’s ear and definitely put the Lions supremo’s Spring assertion that the squad captain wasn’t guaranteed a test start under scrutiny.

Sure, the opposition wasn’t ideal compared to that which Warburton faced on Saturday, but you can only play what’s in front of you and I can’t find a valid reason to select him ahead of any of the three back-rowers who started in Newcastle.

Justin Tipuric is another one who had a fine outing and will continue to give Gatland selection headaches when this tour is over and the full Welsh squad re-assembles in November.  A master of body position and a McCaw-like  commander of the breakdown area – surely an elite outfit like the Lions can’t be expected to hang around and wait for Warburton to reach full fitness when the Ospreys man as available?

Then there’s Heaslip.  Perhaps he didn’t provide the yardage like in Perth but he did display once more his neat footwork holding the ball at the back of the scrum on more than one occasion, a skill that doesn’t need the quality of opponent taken into account for judgement and one that Faletau has had issues with.

So my question is this…if this match was indeed so important, will the coaching staff judge the good performances accordingly?  They’re not the noises I’m hearing from the press conferences.  It’s as though the fact the team took the foot off the pedal in the second half is being used as an excuse to tar the entire 23 with the same brush and the only “real” evaluation will begin next Saturday in Sydney.

Now I’m not suggesting that things were perfect by a long stretch.  The 38-0 halftime lead could easily been more than doubled by an array of talent such as this.  Dr Jamie Roberts in particular didn’t seem up for the contest, although I’d be inclined to liken him to a brain surgeon being asked to perform a routine appendectomy – he’ll be up to the task when the Wallabies come a-knockin.

Despite his shortcomings, the 11-14 combination were virtually unstoppable in the first half and it was as fine a display of decoy running, quick passing, line running and out and out pace as you’re likely to see.  And they were ably supported by the Scottish internationals Hogg at 10 and Maitland at 15, though not enough to push into the test XV.

Halfpenny may have missed one conversion but was still able to get his mojo back and ended the game with yet another sweet strike from out wide and thus should top the placekicking pecking order IMO.

As for the Lions tailing off in the second term, I have to ask – can you REALLY blame them?  Do we need to scrutinize every action of the final quarter when the result was done and dusted and they had to be more concerned about getting injured and missing the games that really do matter?

Not that Brian O’Driscoll fell into this category…I cringed when I saw him slide into a challenge in an attempt to hack the ball forward – fair play for his efforts to keep the scoreboard moving but from that moment his cautious steps around the pitch were a major concern.

But whatever about the justification of this match, it was pointless in one way, for although they came close on occasion and I’m sure Steve “Pretty Boy” Walsh would have given them a break if he could, the “country boys” were unable to trouble the scorers and the touring squad now moves on down the New South Wales coast to meet Michael Cheika’s Waratahs.

As for the legacy left by this encounter, all we can do is wait.  That, and expect tour organisers to be a little more creative when it comes to naming rugby teams. JLP

My test matchday 23 as it stands (players with a chance of pushing for a spot in brackets)

Halfpenny, Cuthbert (Zebo), O’Driscoll, Roberts, North, Sexton, Phillips.  Vunipola, Hibbard, Adam Jones, O’Connell, AW Jones, Warburton (c)*, O’Brien, Heaslip.  BENCH :  T Youngs, Corbisero (Grant), Cole, Parling, Tipuric, Murray (B Youngs), Farrell, Hogg.

* – needs to play out of his skin on Saturday to stay there

Queensland Reds-12 Lions-22

THE RED WETTING

Forgive me for the Game of Thrones reference in my title for this piece, but I’m still in shock from the last episode despite all the not-so-subtle hints & warnings by those who had read the books. 

Given the predominant colour for both of these teams plus the Rains of Queensland in second half I figure I just about get away with it.

Besides…there’s enough soldiers under the Lion banner falling by the wayside in recent weeks that you’d swear the script was being written by George RR Martin himself!

Lions Tours are like World Cups in many ways…we wait in eager anticipation for months leading up to them, which leads us to write bucket loads of copy about the first game or two, yet those early contests are but dots to the memory by the time the tour is over.  Well after all the consternation about both the Heat in Hong Kong and the Paltry Pickings in Perth, we have already had a contest to help us forget them.

The Reds are actually my adopted team in Super Rugby, a choice inspired first by their visit to Donnybrook in 2008 and then having followed their march to the title in 2011.  Unlike most other franchises in the southern hemisphere competition there is a clear sense of pride in those who wear the jersey whether they be on the pitch or in the crowd, and you always knew they were going to be well up for this contest even before you factored in the wily coaching talents of Ewan “Link” McKenzie.

For even though they were denied the immense talents of Horwill, Ioane, Gill and of course Genia, right from the very kickoff you could see the desire in the team as well as those very star players looking on from the dugout…an early knock-on by Beau Robinson led to a camera shot of Liam Gill screaming in frustration.

One thing that showed the home side’s intentions was just how early both sets of wingers were involved in the action.  Back in the day when I played I used to be annoyed when I walked off the pitch with my fellow forwards caked head to toe in muck while at least one of the starting wingers would have kit worthy of an ad for Persil.  Not so at the Suncorp.

Tommy Bowe did an uncharacteristic high tackle deep in the Reds 22 in the opening minute and although 99% of outhalves would have been happy to take the clearing penalty kick to touch at that stage, in this case we were talking about the less than 1% represented by Mr Quade Cooper who chose to run…and to his credit, it wasn’t long before the other Lions winger Alex Cuthbert was being put under pressure by his opposite number Luke Morahan before the Robinson knock-on I mentioned earlier halted the Queensland march down the field.

But this was only the first in a series of impressive possessions from the Reds as they did absolutely everything they could to keep the open play going, as this was the only way they felt confident of scoring, and on 17 minutes that confidence was justified by one of the tries of the year from Morahan who had a blinder of a first half.

Maybe there was a bit of a bump on Cuthbert by Reds full back Ben Lucas to give Morahan the space he needed to begin his run but he still had a hell of a lot of work to do in wading through the Lions defence, chipping ahead and then touching down in superb fashion.  There were certainly no complaints from me, it was a spectacular score.

And although Morahan was taken off early in the second half, his replacement Shipperly picked up where he left off and not to be outdone on the other side of the pitch it was “Hot” Rod Davies who made the break letting in scrum-half Nick Frisby for their second try as they were rightly rewarded for their free-style approach.

There were even more wingers to be involved in the action…though George North came on for centre Tuilagi he immediately imposed himself on the play and firmly planted himself at the top of the test pecking order for the wide positions.  Not far behind him was Bowe, though his hand injury may put paid to that…it will be interesting to see if Simon Zebo can make an immediate impact because there could well be a spot for the taking ahead of Maitland and Cuthbert.

So throughout the contest we could admire the Reds’ approach - however, there was a reason they craved the open-field play so much, that being the non-existence of their set-pieces.  Being a side crafted from the union of four nations as the Lions are, it was always crucial that their set-piece units gelled quickly, and they already seem to be hitting their stride in those areas.

Lineouts were pilfered, restarts were claimed and penalties were won at scrums countless times by the tourists throughout the contest – in fact their only try came after a Reds scrum in their own 22 when a good strip & follow-up allowed Ben Youngs to touch down.  This plus the kicking boots of Owen Farrell were enough to keep the home side at bay but with some better placekicking by Messrs Cooper and Harris it could have been a lot closer.

On the subject of Farrell, again his calmness with the tee cannot be questioned but I still have many, many reservations about his temperament for the rest of the action.  He had a couple of good touches and tackles it’s true but then again he also over-ran a kick chase to be easily sidestepped and then towards the end was very lucky not to get another slap to the head from Reds hooker James Hanson after he got involved with him in a meaningless ruck with the result decided.  Not what you need in the final quarter of a deciding 3rd test I’d wager.

Another area of concern was the back row.  This is the one area where I feel Warren Gatland would wish to ignore any desire he may have not to appear biased, and this Lydiate/Warburton/Faletau trio could well start the first test.

But although Lydiate put himself about and made some tackles & steals, the squad captain Warburton was relatively invisible throughout…true, he is just back from injury, but given the form of Sean O’Brien I’d only be happy with Warbs making the test start if he has at least one stand out performance between now and then, and games are running out.

As for Faletau, well again he had some carries but once more was lacking at the back of the scrum and green goggles be-damned, Heaslip deserves the 8 jumper more right now.   The Reds were running rampant at the breakdown Saturday and in the likes of Liam Gill they have much better talent in that area, let alone the Wallabies as a whole.

Another to impress me was Geoff Parling, so much so that he pips Richie Gray to my bench for the first test.  He played with the “Lion” attitude much more than the Scot and was responsible for much of the lineout thievery.

One Scotsman who did impress was Stuart Hogg.  I bet he’s kicking himself for one knock-on in the second half but overall his play was confident and often clinical.  He now has my 23 test jumper since Halfpenny can move to the wing if needed. 

Cuthbert despite his defensive issues is a powerful finisher and a great go-to guy with the extra man and I feel the Wallabies may attract a card or two in the series so he just about retains a starting role in my team, but only because of the terribly unfortunate Bowe injury.

A couple of Irish subs made good cameos…Sexton was called into the action probably earlier than planned and although the Sky commentators somehow didn’t notice, made more than one crucial tackle as the Reds pressed to close the gap in the final quarter.

But with the clock ticking down the Lions held on to their seven-point lead, and although the Reds will consider themselves unlucky for a forward pass to be called on Quade Cooper in his own 22 late on (given his involvement you couldn’t rule out a try could have resulted even from that deep!), it took a superb piece of Paul O’Connell jackling to earn the penalty that put the score beyond reach.

So full credit to the Reds and their fanatical support…I have to admit at one stage I had visions of Brisbane playwrights penning their own answer to “Alone It Stands”, but in the end the Lions were good enough to prevail and overall things are looking good as the first test draws nearer.

Let’s just hope Ser Gatland won’t need to dispatch any more ravens seeking replacements in the coming weeks.  JLP

My test matchday 23 as it stands (players with a chance of pushing for a spot in brackets)

Halfpenny, Cuthbert (Zebo), O’Driscoll, Roberts, North, Sexton, Phillips.  Vunipola, Hibbard, Adam Jones, O’Connell, AW Jones, Croft (Lydiate), Warburton (c), Heaslip.  BENCH :  T Youngs (Best), Corbisero (Grant), Cole, Parling, O’Brien, Murray (B Youngs), Farrell, Hogg.

PS - My writeup of USA v Ireland will post Tuesday.

Barbarians-8 Lions-59

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FEELING HOT HOT HOT

If your local butcher chucks your club a few quid to go on an end of season tour to the Welsh valleys, were you to return and say one of the matches had to be called off due to unplayable conditions, they probably wouldn’t have much of a beef (sorry).

However the likes of HSBC and Microsoft aren’t so much sponsors, they’re more like corporate overlords. 

So whatever about the sweltering heat and skin-liquefying humidity, this match was always going ahead, and even though clouds were few and far between in Hong Kong on Saturday, your best bet as a rugby fan was to look for silver linings, and in fairness they were there to be found.

First and foremost among them was the fact that this was a match where it would be hard to be blamed for doing something wrong, while your status would near Man of Steel proportions if you could manage something that could end up on YouTube.  And as it turned out, even though the final score was a blow-out, there were players on both sides worthy of a red cape, and in some cases, a red test jersey.

But it wasn’t just the conditions that were going to threaten this match as an even contest…we also had the mindsets of the two squads, one who’s season was 80 minutes from completion against another who had their first chance to impress as a Lion under Gatland’s stewardship.

That gulf wasn’t so evident in the first quarter as the opening sequences were tentative, and the only incident of note was a case of raised temperatures not caused so much by the weather.

It wasn’t Schalk Brits’ punch at Owen Farrell that intrigued me when I saw the replay…rather it seemed that he didn’t throw the slap until he realised who it was ignoring his pleas to let him go!

For me, Steve Walsh was right not to send him off for the sake of the occasion, and Brits has rightly had his holidays extended by the citing commissioner.  Where he failed was in not acknowledging Farrell’s part in the whole thing, if not the illegality of the hold itself, then certainly his reaction to the punch and puerile clapping of the yellow card.  Perhaps a reversed penalty as well as a Brits yellow would have been more ideal?

Still…although they may be called the Barbarians, we don’t watch these fixtures to see dust-ups; we want free-flowing rugby and more importantly tries a-plenty, and we had to wait a while longer for those.

Apart from the conditions, on TV anyway the So Kon Po Stadium appeared to have a look of Thomond Park about it, with high arched stands either side of the pitch and relatively small seating areas behind each set of posts. 

This analogy was of course helped by the sight of Paul O’Connell clad in a red Adidas jersey leading his troops on to the pitch and getting stuck into the action literally from the kickoff as he forced a turnover.

But then a load of Welshmen started doing things well, so the Limerick analogy ended.

O’Connell may have gotten the touchdown for the opening try, but it was on the end of a move that featured Mike Phillips at least three times.  The Bayonne scrum-half played his 57 minutes like a man possessed, with his only fault perhaps being too greedy in taking advantage of the gaping holes left by the BaaBaas at both pillar and post on most breakdowns.

Still, his fellow countrymen occupying the centre positions weren’t far from the action.  Jamie Roberts was always going to be hard to shift from the 12 jumper but no doubt the onlooking Brian O’Driscoll will have noted that Jonathan Davies doesn’t appear to have travelled merely for the experience.  I can hardly blame the Scarlet for not wearing his scrum cap but it didn’t stop him getting involved and even got a try for his trouble.

Another area of Welsh interest was always going to be the back row…and for the most part, all staked their claim for test recognition.  Lydiate was an interesting regular go-to guy at lineout time, Tipuric was his usual tenacious self at the breakdown and Faletau made some significant carries and offloads. 

Perhaps a mark against Toby was his failure to keep the ball in the back of an attacking 5m scrum…the Sky commentators chose to ignore it but this Leinster blogger certainly won’t – this skill seems to be receiving decreasing appreciation from pundits yet for me is essentially what the No8 position is for and it’s an area where Heaslip definitely has an edge if Faletau doesn’t improve.

But overall, the Welsh boys were queuing up to make a mark on this fixture…Adam Jones with a diving scrum-half pass, Cuthbert with his own brace of tries, and Alun-Wyn Jones making the most of every opportunity on the pitch.  Still, there was no doubt that Phillips was worthy his man of the match award.

As for the Irishmen, well only O’Connell started and both his presence and contribution made arguments against him starting the tests pretty much indefensible.  Conor Murray provided an almost seamless transition when he came on for Phillips, something that probably earned him a spot on the tour in the first place.

The Leinster boys didn’t exactly stand out with their cameos, though despite a few missed conversions from out wide Sexton did provide a good quick pass for Cuthbert’s second.

On the Barbarian side of things, only one player seemed to really get what the black and white hooped jersey stood for- Joe Rokocoko.  Not only was he outstanding in open play, especially when he sidestepped Faletau on the way to letting in Fotuali’i for my try of the match, but he also excellently denied Tipuric a try at the other end by holding him up over the line.

Elsewhere for the Baabaas, Laulala made some good tackles but for the most part it looked as though even Dai Young in the coach’s area was counting down the clock hoping to return an air-conditioned sanctuary!

But going back to the Lions, and in particular the test selection, I have to admit that I am still finding it incredibly difficult to make a case for not only any Scotsman to start, but also Englishmen as well.

Stuart Hogg is a fine player who has a great future ahead of him, but unless Leigh Halfpenny has a complete meltdown between now and the tests he can only be seen as injury backup at best – besides I’m sure Kearney the Elder might have a part to play as well.  As for Richie Gray, well on this performance anyway, I felt Alun-Wyn wanted it more.

But where I feel the Scots are missing out most is on the wing.  My first response when Dimitri Yachvili denied Sean Maitland an early score with a soccer-style slide tackle was : “Shane Williams would have gotten to that”.  Then I remembered how I felt when I heard Maitland was named to this squad ahead of Visser, who while also a “pseudo-Scot” actually put in the hard yards in Northern Hemisphere rugby to earn his test call up and certainly excelled doing so. 

I also think Tim Visser would have gotten to that.

Finally, we have the English contingent.  Farrell kicked most of his goals as you’d expect but his temperament (or lack thereof) in open play makes him an easy target for the Wallabies to disrupt our gameplan. 

Vunipolo and Stevens seem to be midweek fodder at best, Ben Youngs won’t have been happy to see Phillips & Murray do so well while his brother screwed up his first dart and has a determined Rory Best breathing down his neck.

For me, the only Englishman in the current squad you could make a starting case for is Tom Croft, though Gatland’s love of Lydiate calls that likelihood into question as well.

But there is of course another, and he is probably back in Toulon licking his wounds after his club much like Clérmont got “Castres-ated” in the Top14 playoffs.  If Jonny Wilkinson is to feature on this tour, for me the decision needs to be made NOW, before the Australian leg kicks off. 

Sexton is no stranger to uncertainty surrounding his test position from his early Ireland days, but until we know for sure what Gatland wants from Wilko, it can’t be good for him or indeed the camp as a whole.  So I say fly him over now, rule him out altogether or at very least announce he is only on injury standby, but definitely make an announcement before Wednesday.

On a lighter note…one thing the Lions need to work on as they prepare to make the final hop to Oz is their big screen bench antics.  When there’s a lull in play late in the game and the camera focuses on a player who had done well in the match, I want to see more hands appearing from either side of him mussing his hair and poking his ear…it’s expected down there, get on it lads!!!

Also the crowd didn’t exactly appear to be getting too heavily involved until Tom Jones “Delilah” came over the loudspeakers, but whether that was down to heat exhaustion or a large “prawn sandwich” contingent I’m not quite sure.

Overall, this wasn’t exactly a classic contest, but just like any Lions encounter, it leaves us fans with plenty to talk about.  I sign off with my test 23 as it stands now and I eagerly await being “Force-d” (sorry again) to rip it apart and start from scratch after the next match in Perth, where surely things won’t be quite as sticky and no doubt the tour organisers will then tell us the Hong Kong stopover was more masterstroke than heatstroke. JLP

Halfpenny, Cuthbert, O’Driscoll, Roberts, North, Sexton, Phillips.  Healy, Hibbard, Adam Jones, O’Connell, AW Jones, Croft, Warburton (c), Heaslip.  BENCH :  Best, Jenkins, Cole, Gray, O’Brien, Murray, Farrell/Wilko, Hogg.

LIONS-28 Springboks-9

PRIDE OVER JUSTICE

You know, it’s really hard to play rugby when you have a bee in your scrum cap.

Justice my arse!!! How could they even consider going on their little crusade when the IRB virtually legitimized their eye-gouging???

I mean, I was more than happy to put all that behind me until I saw their pathetic little armband protest, and while before the game I would have had at least a measure of respect for the home side had they completed the whitewash, by kickoff I was praying the tourists could come out on top.

And weren’t they just three of the best tries you’ll ever see in a Test match?

One player I was looking for from a performance standpoint on the day was Jamie Heaslip, since he had been relatively quiet in the first two games, possibly overshadowed by his gargantuan opposite number Pierre Spies (who, by the way, also had a hand in Burger’s misdemeanour, check out the evidence…).

The Leinster Number 8 certainly didn’t let me down, and while predictably the Sky Sports commentators were wetting themselves over the fact that Shane Williams scored the first try, they conveniently ignored the fact that it was Heaslip who made the break and slipped an unbelievable offload into the Welshman’s arms.

And apart from conceding the odd unnecessary penalty, the Newbridge lad was impressive all over the park, no more so than when he went down in a tackle in the second half then got into what can only be described as a “crab position” and scooted along for another ten meters!!!

But if his offload for the first try was “unbelievable”, then the English language doesn’t have a word for Riki Flutey’s shortly afterwards. He was always something of a misfit on this tour, wasn’t he? Everyone’s favourite for the 12 jumper before the squad headed south, a combination of injury and Roberts’ sparkling form sent him tumbling down the pecking order.

Though I was annoyed D’Arcy didn’t make the 22, in some ways it was fitting for Flutey to at least have some part in the series’ highlight reel and his lightning quick hands certainly earned him that. Again S Williams got the touchdown, but again it was a gift.

And last, but certainly not least, we have the “Monye-mental” third try which sealed the deal. Messrs Harrison & Barnes called it “vindication”. I call it opportunism. If this guy is going to score a memorable try for you, this is about the only way he’ll do it. Snag an interception and fire up the rockets. “There’ll be no catching him”, I said as soon I realised there was no infringement. I’m sorry, but I still don’t rate the guy any higher than Premiership standard.

Which leads me to the burning question – who was my player of the series? Well, my heart of course has to go with Rob Kearney, who at least emulated if not surpassed his achievements from Pretoria yesterday. But since he wasn’t picked to start in the first Test, if I was forced to go with someone who began all three, I would have to go with Mike Phillips.

He’s not the world’s most technically gifted scrum-half by any means, but in a Test series like this one where the opponents were going to be physical, he was certainly the right man for the job, as you can see from the above pic. I know I’ll be accused of donning my Leinster cap when I say this, but I honestly don’t think an O’Leary/O’Gara half-back line would have done any better than the two Welshmen did over the three matches.

Plus the Ospreys No 9 was able to spurn the amorous advances of Bakkies Botha who seemingly was hypnotized by his “sexy blue eyes”. That surely must have been tough for him to ignore, so I’ll give him the nod, if for no other reason than to avoid being considered a “one-eyed Irishman”!!!

So that’s it, the series and the tour is over for another four years. FINALLY we can bring the curtain down on the Northern Hemisphere’s season, and thank God it ended on a high note so we won’t be subjected to Sky’s doom and gloom which was trying to make us over on this side of the Irish Sea forget all the amazing things that happened this year.

We also mustn't forget that although South Africa won the series when it came to actual match victories, we can at least claim SOME bragging rights in that we scored more points, more tries, AND had fewer players banned, so THERE!!!

And with the Geech announcing this tour as his swansong, I'd say few could argue if I put the name Declan Kidney forward as presumptive coach of the 2013 tour Down Under...

Though as we all know, from a world standpoint, the rugby season NEVER actually ends, and in just two weeks the Tri-Nations kicks off in Auckland with the first Bledisloe Cup encounter. In previous years I have cheered for the Saffers in this tournament…I think it’s high time I switched allegiance to the Wallabies. That’s what I call justice ;-)

Springboks-28 LIONS-25

DEAR OH DEAR OH DEAR

It would be very easy for a Leinster blogger to blame Ronan O’Gara for this loss, wouldn’t it?

Well, the facts are there…the score was tied 25-25, and if he had only allowed du Preez to try and catch the ball unimpeded, the chances are the Springboks wouldn’t have been able to get close enough for an easy drop goal in the remaining 90 seconds. But he didn’t.

So we’ve established that ultimately his boo-boo caused the defeat, and as you can see by the pic above, he knows all about it himself.

But let’s look at what else went against us on the day, for we surely can’t point the finger at ROG for the fact that we let a 19-8 advantage slip in the last 20 minutes.

For the entire week between the First and Second Tests, debate was raging about what went wrong and how we should fix it, and the general consensus was simple – fix the front row, and with a tighter more disciplined scrum, we could surely count on our backs to score some points, particularly our powerful centre duo of BOD and Roberts.

So what happens? First, just 5 mins into the second period, we lose BOTH props to injury. And then the killer blow – BOD and Roberts BOTH succumb to injury within a matter of minutes.

And the Lions are left with a completely patchwork formation to try and hold the lead going into the last quarter, as if dealing with the altitude wasn’t going to be enough for them anyway.

O’Gara was actually playing centre. Ronan O’Gara. Centre. Not his fault he was there, but he was there. And what’s more, he had been flat on his back moments Fourie scored his try towards the end so was hardly in a position to make a tackle. So even with a makeshift defence virtually minus a centre, it took an incredible outstretched touchdown right in the corner coupled with an out-of-this world place kick to drag the home side back into this match.

My point is, there’s plenty of reasons for the Lions to feel proud about their display on the day, and I’d better not hear anyone trying to dampen the Irish contribution because despite the slip at the end there was plenty for us to shout about.

Most of all, what about Rob Kearney? Bloody hell, he’d have caught the damn ball if it was on fire and STILL ran for ten/twenty metres afterwards! Not to mention the strength he showed in crossing for our only try! It was a full-back’s performance that had us going “Who was wearing number 15 last week again?” The only reason we didn’t hear so much from him in the second half was that the Boks finally worked out that kicking to him wasn’t such a good idea.

And spare a thought as well for Paul O’Connell. “Was he playing?” you may ask. Well he most certainly was, and Sky’s commentators didn’t give him a single iota of credit for the hard work he was doing. He had clearly made up his mind to forget the ball and police the breakdown himself, making sure South African hands weren’t doing anything they shouldn’t.

Not that he could have stopped Burger’s “cite for sore eyes” on Luke Fitzgerald in the first minute. Should it have been a sending-off? If the ref had the benefit of a replay, absolutely.  I’d even consider throwing the book at Pierre Spies because it looks like he’s holding Luke’s hand down while it’s happening.  Just what is it about these tours and incidents like this from the home side?

So that’s it, folks. Another defeat for this composite touring side, and I wonder what that means for the future of these occasions.

Just one thing I ask of the press coverage of the Lions between now and next week … PLEASE don’t give in to the temptation to use the worn-out pun “Playing For Pride” (I used it way back before the tour even started!)……

LIONS-26 Western Province-23

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

Over the course of 80 minutes yesterday we saw both what could win the upcoming test series for the Lions AND what could leave it out of their reach altogether.

Were you to see the highlights of this match you might be forgiven for thinking it was a good performance as Geech’s men scored three very impressive tries, together with an almighty thump of a penalty conversion near the end by James Hook.

But of course the scoreline would tell you a different story, and a series of senseless penalties brought the Currie Cup side (who to be fair are the competition’s answer to Man United) very close to getting something from this match, so there’s no need to outline what the Springboks themselves would make of such gifts from their opposition.

I’ve read that Jones’ lacklustre display could bring ROG back into contention. I have a feeling that is very much wishful thinking. If anything, I would hand the number 10 jumper to Hook right now for that winning kick alone. Clearly he is up to the pressure, and it makes him in my eyes anyway the best of a very average set of out-halves.

And wasn’t Tommy Bowe sublime at 14. When watching Sky’s coverage, you have to try and ignore Stu Barnes’ assessment…for the Monye score he was beaming about how the London Irish winger dove early for the line before mentioning the deft little toss from the Ulsterman into his breadbasket which let him in.

Elsewhere it seemed the makeup of the Test starting XV was becoming more clear. Flutey didn’t do nearly enough to challenge Jamie Roberts for 12, while Andy Powell (aka the Big LePOWski) clearly has a lot of fight but seems too much of a liability for yellow cards and penalties to oust Heaslip at 8.

And who would have thought that Shane Williams would be so far removed from the reckoning for a spot on the team? With Bowe a certainty, naturally I would plump for Luke on the other side, and I really don’t think it’s green goggles I’m using either, Monye just didn‘t do it for me with his all round game.

All that is left in the forwards seems to be who will partner POC in the second row – I haven’t seen anything from his countryman DOC to have him leapfrogging Shaw or Jones, and then there’s the battle for 7 which surely must be Geech’s toughest call – both Williams and Wallace are worthy candidates, and perhaps Sky’s Ieuen Evans has a point that BOTH could get in at the expense of Croft?

Next up is the last warmup game before the big First test in Durban next Saturday, with the newly-formed franchise the Southern Kings providing the opposition in Port Elizabeth. I sincerely hope Gordon D’Arcy gets a full game, otherwise it was hardly worth his while cancelling his holidays. Not that he shouldn’t have been in the squad in the first place, mind you…

Here’s my Test XV based on what I’ve seen so far – as you can see, it’s pretty much set…capitals means a definite, brackets means there’s a near challenger for the position and a backslash means a headache for Geech. What do you think?

1. JENKINS
2. MEARS
3. MURRAY
4. Shaw/AW Jones
5. O’CONNELL
6. CROFT
7. M Williams /Wallace
8. HEASLIP
9. PHILLIPS
10. Hook (S Jones)
11. Fitzgerald (Monye)
12. ROBERTS
13. O’DRISCOLL
14. BOWE
15. BYRNE

LIONS-26 Cheetahs-24

COMING TO GRIPS

We may have ended up with more points that than our opponents, but still I call this a “virtual defeat”.

By that I mean that only due to something out of our control, ie the quality of the Cheetahs’ goal-kicking, the tourists could be smarting from a double-digit defeat on Sunday morning.

Now, let’s see…the Lions struggle in games one and three, yet canter home in game two. Could this have something to do with the ability of the captains? Would that be an overly-partisan question for this Leinster fan to ask?

Well, possibily so, but I certainly wouldn’t put it down to the inexperienced midfield selected for the match at Bloemfontein. They rarely got the ball in open play, with Messrs Hook, Worsley, Powell and Ferris taking the – er - lion’s share of possession from the base of the rucks and scrums.

It was a shame that Luke Fitzgerald wasn’t given more of a chance to show what he can do, and only for an unlucky bounce of the ball the try that Keith Earls scored could have been his.

Now according to Stephen Ferris, the Cheetahs were by and large Cheaters. That’s an interesting assertion from the one player to actually be sin-binned on the day, especially since that ten-minute spell is where the home side got their first try and started to believe they could get back into it.

At the start, it seemed to be a continuation of our dominance from midweek, with two quick tries, but little did we know they were to be our only ones.

Now maybe it is true that the Super14 outfit, some of whom appear to have had a point to prove for not being selected for representative squads, might have taken a few liberties when Wayne Barnes wasn’t looking.

But isn’t that all part and parcel of the game? Surely it’s not the done thing to whine about it afterwards?

Can we be quite clear on who our opponents were yesterday. Here’s the Cheetahs’ record in the Super14 for the past four seasons…

2006 – 10th 2007 – 11th 2008 – 13th 2009 – 14th (which is of course rock bottom)

In other words, they are to South African rugby what Connacht are to Ireland.

So despite the Geech’s optimism in his post-match interview, I really don’t know if there is a way you can spin this performance in a positive light for the tour as a whole, especially when the tourists have so few warm-up games to prepare for the Test series.

You have to wonder if our next opponents who have a much better Super14 pedigree, the Sharks, can sense blood in the water…

With only James Hook really impressing on the day, here’s my revised notion of how I see Geech’s First Test XV shaping up. Definites in capitals, otherwise the probables with challengers in brackets.

1. Jenkins (Sheridan)
2. MEARS
3. Murray (Vickery)
4. SHAW
5. O’CONNELL
6. CROFT
7. M Williams (Worsley)
8. Powell (Heaslip)
9. Phillips (Ellis)
10. Hook (O’Gara)
11. S WILLIAMS
12. Roberts (D’Arcy)
13. O’DRISCOLL
14. BOWE
15. BYRNE