everything in general
Go back to the start of the thread Mac, youâll see the debate I had with KIB on this. I dont believe the concept of the Lions can work anymore, its a useless concept that would be done away with only for the fact that its such a money spinner for the Unions.
Paul OâConnell will lead the British & Irish Lions into their opening match of the 2009 tour of South Africa against the Royal XV in Phokeng, near Rustenburg, on Saturday.
Irelandâs Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls and Ronan OâGara will join their captain in what is a side comprising 14 players who are on their first British & Irish Lions tour.
Coach Ian McGeechan said: "I think it is really exciting that we have a lot of players making their debuts. I remember my debut against Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom in 1974 and it is a career highlight.
âFor young men such as Keith Earls and Jamie Roberts it will be a day to remember and they will be thrilled to get an early taste of match action on the tour. Outside these guys is the proven experienced combination of the Ospreysâ back three of Byrne, Bowe and Shane Williams.â
British & Irish Lions (v Royal XV):
- Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales)
- Tommy Bowe (Ospreys/Ireland)
- Keith Earls (Munster/Ireland)
- Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
- Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales)
- Ronan OâGara (Munster/Ireland)
- Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland)
- Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
- Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
- Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England)
- Paul OâConnell (Munster/Ireland) captain
- Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England)
- Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
- Matthew Rees (Scarlets/Wales)
- Andrew Sheridan (Sales Sharks/England)
Replacements:
16. Lee Mears (Bath/England)
17. Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England)
18. Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
19. Stephen Ferris (Ulster/Ireland)
20. Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales)
21. Stephen Jones (Scarlets/Wales)
22. Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England)
Eh, the side cant contain 14 first timersâŚ
from the 22 maybe
Aye, still shoddy writing.
Interesting team. Too early to read anything into it yet.
Ncc started this thread. All respect for him has now been lost and can only be regained if he asks the admins to close it.
Ncc started this thread. All respect for him has now been lost and can only be regained if he asks the admins to close it.[/QUOTE]
You couldnt start to understand the mind of a gentleman like NCC KIB.
In fairness to NCC, he wasnât the only one happy to discuss the Lions back then but who has since turned into a fully paid up foam hand waving anti Lions brigade member.
A bit like the venomous anti Ireland Rugby lads who would now die for leinster, apparently.
A pinch of salt for these clowns.
[quote=âHBV*â]In fairness to NCC, he wasnât the only one happy to discuss the Lions back then but who has since turned into a fully paid up foam hand waving anti Lions brigade member.
A bit like the venomous anti Ireland Rugby lads who would now die for leinster, apparently.
A pinch of salt for these clowns.[/QUOTE]
Why so bitter?
âKeith Earls has been carrying the lion around because he is the youngest on tour. There are all sorts of fines if he loses it so he is dying for Leigh Halfpenny â heâs 15 months younger than the Irishman â to get his rehab right and get out here as soon as possible.â
Not that I care but Andy Powell got bitten by something so heâs out. David Wallace is in. Ferris is also out and the Israeli replaces him on the bench. Thought the Leinster players were given this game off but obviously not!
whats the story with all the gay games like this they play on the tour??..like the type youâd hear played in a boarding schoolâŚsoggy biscuit must be on the cards tooâŚiâd say the working class Welsh lads are just sitting in the corner freaked out watching the gayness unfoldâŚ
Ncc started this thread. All respect for him has now been lost and can only be regained if he asks the admins to close it.[/QUOTE]
i started this thread as a pisstake but admins changed the title-
I only noticed the change in title now that you mentioned it. Rockoâs going to face a very angry Board meeting next week. Britain are getting an early pasting here, the bastards.
Earls was very poor today
looked out of his depth
All around bad game and the Lions looked clueless at times
Fuck the Brits.
I see the Royals XV lost at the weekend. Good riddance to those Brits
Brian OâDriscoll will captain a much-changed British & Irish Lions side for Wednesdayâs match against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
Only Tommy Bowe, Jamie Roberts and David Wallace retain their places from the side which unconvincingly beat a Royal XV in Saturdayâs tour opener.
Rob Kearney, Ugo Monye, Tom Croft and Nathan Hines will make their debuts.
Jamie Heaslip, Mike Phillips, Alun-Wyn Jones, Phil Vickery and Lee Mears are all promoted from the bench.
Coach Ian McGeechan said: "The starting XV is very different to the one that played on Saturday.
"There are only three players backing up from that match but six of the replacements have been promoted to Wednesdayâs starting XV.
"This is in line with our intention that all players will play a full match in the first three matches on tour.
"The team has a very solid core with Brian OâDriscoll, Stephen Jones, David Wallace, Phil Vickery and Gethin Jenkins who are all very experienced internationals and previous Lions tourists.
"David Wallace now has the opportunity to play at open-side flanker following his selection at number eight against the Royal XV.
âStephen Jones, who was a replacement in the last match, but did not get a run, links up with his Welsh team-mate and scrum-half Mike Phillips giving the team an experienced half-back combination.â
The Lions were widely criticised after their 37-25 win on Saturday, as they made a number of errors and found it difficult to gel as a team.
But McGeechan insisted they have already learned from their mistakes.
âThe team has trained well. We have worked on several key areas following the first match which has given us a base from which to keep developing our game,â he added.
OâDriscoll last captained the Lions on the ill-fated night in 2005 when he suffered a dislocated shoulder only a minute into the first Test against New Zealand.
Lions manager Gerald Davies said: âEveryone is also delighted that Brian OâDriscoll, the Irish Grand Slam skipper, will lead the team.â
Davies also confirmed Wales winger Leigh Halfpenny will be flying out to join the tour after recovering from a thigh injury which had forced him to remain at home.
Halfpenny has been undergoing intensive treatment with the Cardiff Blues medics but they are now satisfied with his fitness levels.
âWe have had some encouraging and positive news regarding Leigh and he will come out as soon as possible,â Davies added.
Springboks Jannes Labuschagne and Heinke van der Merwe have both been ruled out of the Golden Lions side.
Lock Labuschagne and prop van der Merwe are injured but coach Hans Coetzee though, can still call on South African international fly-half Andre Pretorius and his fellow Springbok, prop Lawrence Sephaka, as key components of the team.
The replacementsâ bench, meanwhile, includes two forwards bound for Guinness Premiership club Saracens next season - hooker Ethienne Reynecke and flanker Ernst Joubert.
British and Irish Lions team to play the Golden Lions:
R Kearney (Leinster and Ireland); T Bowe (Ospreys and Ireland), B OâDriscoll (Leinster and Ireland, captain), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues and Wales), U Monye (Harlequins and England); S Jones (Scarlets and Wales), M Phillips (Ospreys and Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues and Wales), L Mears (Bath and England), P Vickery (Wasps and England), N Hines (Perpignan and Scotland), A-W Jones (Ospreys and Wales), T Croft (Leicester and England), D Wallace (Munster and Ireland), J Heaslip (Leinster and Ireland).
Replacements: R Ford (Edinburgh and Scotland), E Murray (Northampton and Scotland), S Ferris (Ulster and Ireland), A Powell (Cardiff Blues and Wales), H Ellis (Leicester and England), J Hook (Ospreys and Wales), S Williams (Ospreys and Wales).
Golden Lions side:
L Ludik; M Killian, J Boshoff, D la Grange, D Noble; A Pretorius, J Vermaak; L Sephaka, W Wepener, G Muller, B Mockford, W Stoltz, C Grobbelaar, F van der Merwe, W Alberts.
Replacements: E Reynecke, J Van Rensburg, E Joubert, T Clever, C Jonck, W Venter, E Rose.
Big game for Kearney, willd ecide if heâs going to b e holding tackle bags for the rest of the tour. I hope BOD can lift this tour above the mediocrity I fear it is destined for.