Pattinson was very quick against Somerset last week apparently. Bit of optimism coming on the Aussie side. Not quite at Limerick levels yet though.
Australia never feared England and Wales
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 795164, member: 273”]It’s fucking outrageous for fellas to be slagging off Rugby, The Lions tour, Brittish sport, Colonialism or taking the queens pound and they wax lyrical about this crock of shit rivalry played basically by two sets of people who are virtually the same except one group live in the sun while te others can handle the rain. They are all elitist pompous fucks though at the end if the day.
Notwithstanding the fact this is an unbelievably shit sport.[/quote]
This isn’t the International Rules thread Kev.
Poor Rocko, you are better than that.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 795164, member: 273”]It’s fucking outrageous for fellas to be slagging off Rugby, The Lions tour, Brittish sport, Colonialism or taking the queens pound and they wax lyrical about this crock of shit rivalry played basically by two sets of people who are virtually the same except one group live in the sun while te others can handle the rain. They are all elitist pompous fucks though at the end if the day.
Notwithstanding the fact this is an unbelievably shit sport.[/quote]
Its easy; the lions are followed by those who sing irelands call with gusto but dont know the words of amhran na bhfiann and who are still somewhat puzzled as to what to make of the addition of “and irish” to the lions name 12 years ago.
The cricket fan dislikes the base and boorish aussies and identifies with the working lads from the heartland of cricket; lancashire and yorkshire which gave us heroes like larwood and flintoff.
An analogy to use would be the irish EWCB fan is the straight guy who wears a pink shirt because he is totally comfortable with who he is. Whereas the lions fan is the married guy who puts on a pink shirt to go down the george and get rogered when his wifes not around.
Being from the county that spawned the north cork militia I realise these subtle nuances may be beyond you
On reflection, Wade has played neither tour game so probably won’t be playing alright. It all seems a bit strange, don’t think he’s done much wrong since coming into the team. So does that mean Cowan at three with everyone else down one, or will they trust Faulkner as an all-rounder at seven? Is Haddin really good enough to bat at six in England at this stage then? Smith’s playing in this game, does that mean he’s ahead of Khawaja? I’d suppose they could bat as they are today:
Watson
Rogers
Cowan
Clarke
Smith
Hughes
Haddin
I’d be fairly sure the four bowlers that aren’t playing in this game will play the first Test, but Bird will probably play at some stage. If Harris stays fit (big if) I’d imagine they’ll bring him in before Bird though. I’ve a lot of time for Harris, would like to see him do some damage in this series.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 795164, member: 273”]It’s fucking outrageous for fellas to be slagging off Rugby, The Lions tour, Brittish sport, Colonialism or taking the queens pound and they wax lyrical about this crock of shit rivalry played basically by two sets of people who are virtually the same except one group live in the sun while te others can handle the rain. They are all elitist pompous fucks though at the end if the day.
Notwithstanding the fact this is an unbelievably shit sport.[/quote]
My main problems with rugby are that it’s a very boring sport to watch and it has attracted a massive retard element hanging on to it in Ireland over the last 15 years. I’m sure there probably is some skill involved in the scrum, but it’s certainly not visible when watching it on TV. On the odd occasion when I watch rugby, a ridiculous amount of time seems to be devoted to the scrum, with multiple collapses seemingly fairly common. There seems to be a lot of time too when the ball is hidden under a load of guys, and you just have to wait to see which side it comes out of. The rules seem unnecessarily complicated too. It’s obviously entirely possible that I’m missing something, but I just find it awful to watch. I do also find the Lions concept strange, particularly that Irish people could get so emotionally invested in a British selection that comes together once every four years. Ended up watching the game in a boozer last Saturday morning, there was people roaring at the TV. Seemed very odd.
Anyway, cricket is about much more than the Ashes and I’m sure a billion people on the subcontinent and the plain people of the Caribbean would be surprised to find themselves described as elitist pompous fucks. I wouldn’t know as much about the social standing of the game in Australia as Fitzy, but if the type of guys getting to the national team are any indication, they seem to come from all walks of life. The stuffy upper crust type does certainly exist in the English game, but it has a broad base of popularity in most of the North and the West. Probably more of a rural base than football, but that’s a bit of a generalisation.
Anyway, I find all that less important than the fact that it is an incredible sport to watch. Test matches are unique in elite sport - a match is given time to breathe and develop at its own pace, over 30 hours of playing time if necessary. When a series goes on for three matches or more, all kinds of subplots and battles can emerge and any weaknesses will be fairly ruthlessly exposed. There are all kinds of different things to admire from the mix of hostility, skill and patience required to be a fast bowler, the craftiness of a spin bowler, the beauty of a well stuck cover drive, the audacity of a batsman taking on a bowler, knowing that if he gets it just a little bit wrong he will open himself up to all kinds of condemnation for giving his wicket away. Seeing how guys react to different situations is also fascinating, Test matches are a fairly thorough mental examination, especially for batsmen coming in after a flood of wickets and for captains when the fielding team is struggling.
Fitzy
Did you watch the drama about the Packer revolution that was on Aussie TV last year? BBC Four are showing it next week. Is it worth a look?
I am a member of a cricket club in Australia and I can tell you that all walks of life are equally represented and if anyone was to act in any way pompously, they would be brought back to earth with a severe bang pretty quickly. Its an excellent game to watch at club level as well. Some of the grade and underage matches I’ve attended this season were excellent and a lovely social feel about them.
[quote=“braz83, post: 795768, member: 390”]Fitzy
Did you watch the drama about the Packer revolution that was on Aussie TV last year? BBC Four are showing it next week. Is it worth a look?[/quote]
Yeah Braz, its good alright, the guy that plays Packer has him down to a tee. It was made by Channel 9, so it is a bit biased towards Packer and doesn’t necessarily show him in his true light (he was an arsehole), but an interesting period piece. They’ve done the actors playing the players very well, like Brendan Cowell playing Rodney Marsh. Serious moustaches!
The ABC did another one about the magazine wars in the 70 / 80’s here with a different guy playing Packer. An Irish mate of mine was an extra in it (think I might have mentioned that before).
[quote=“braz83, post: 795766, member: 390”]My main problems with rugby are that it’s a very boring sport to watch and it has attracted a massive retard element hanging on to it in Ireland over the last 15 years. I’m sure there probably is some skill involved in the scrum, but it’s certainly not visible when watching it on TV. On the odd occasion when I watch rugby, a ridiculous amount of time seems to be devoted to the scrum, with multiple collapses seemingly fairly common. There seems to be a lot of time too when the ball is hidden under a load of guys, and you just have to wait to see which side it comes out of. The rules seem unnecessarily complicated too. It’s obviously entirely possible that I’m missing something, but I just find it awful to watch. I do also find the Lions concept strange, particularly that Irish people could get so emotionally invested in a British selection that comes together once every four years. Ended up watching the game in a boozer last Saturday morning, there was people roaring at the TV. Seemed very odd.
Anyway, cricket is about much more than the Ashes and I’m sure a billion people on the subcontinent and the plain people of the Caribbean would be surprised to find themselves described as elitist pompous fucks. I wouldn’t know as much about the social standing of the game in Australia as Fitzy, but if the type of guys getting to the national team are any indication, they seem to come from all walks of life. The stuffy upper crust type does certainly exist in the English game, but it has a broad base of popularity in most of the North and the West. Probably more of a rural base than football, but that’s a bit of a generalisation.
Anyway, I find all that less important than the fact that it is an incredible sport to watch. Test matches are unique in elite sport - a match is given time to breathe and develop at its own pace, over 30 hours of playing time if necessary. When a series goes on for three matches or more, all kinds of subplots and battles can emerge and any weaknesses will be fairly ruthlessly exposed. There are all kinds of different things to admire from the mix of hostility, skill and patience required to be a fast bowler, the craftiness of a spin bowler, the beauty of a well stuck cover drive, the audacity of a batsman taking on a bowler, knowing that if he gets it just a little bit wrong he will open himself up to all kinds of condemnation for giving his wicket away. Seeing how guys react to different situations is also fascinating, Test matches are a fairly thorough mental examination, especially for batsmen coming in after a flood of wickets and for captains when the fielding team is struggling.[/quote]
I agree with you in the Lions, but you are being incredibly hypocritical. It doesn’t get much more British than the Ashes.
Test Cricket is awful, short games are somewhat enjoyable, but test cricket I probably the worst sport in the world.
I really like rugby, maybe because I have grown a real understanding if it over the years, but I think the Lions is a farce. I have watched the tests, but I’ve missed the starts and an entire first half and i couldn’t give a fuck and certainly wouldn’t be shouting at a tv. I’m uncomfortable, like you, with the whole Britishness of it, as well as I think it’s just a tour kept going by a small group of players carefully inter twinned with travel agents an tour operators and it fucks the players up for the next season.
That and the worst Aussie team in 39 years beat them, which to be honest, is laughable.
Cricket is very elitist in Northern Queensland and WA for what it’s worth, can’t say about rest of Oz.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 795798, member: 273”]I agree with you in the Lions, but you are being incredibly hypocritical. It doesn’t get much more British than the Ashes.
Test Cricket is awful, short games are somewhat enjoyable, but test cricket I probably the worst sport in the world.
I really like rugby, maybe because I have grown a real understanding if it over the years, but I think the Lions is a farce. I have watched the tests, but I’ve missed the starts and an entire first half and i couldn’t give a fuck and certainly wouldn’t be shouting at a tv. I’m uncomfortable, like you, with the whole Britishness of it, as well as I think it’s just a tour kept going by a small group of players carefully inter twinned with travel agents an tour operators and it fucks the players up for the next season.
That and the worst Aussie team in 39 years beat them, which to be honest, is laughable.
Cricket is very elitist in Northern Queensland and WA for what it’s worth, can’t say about rest of Oz.[/quote]
Kev, you’re completely misreading cricket. The Ashes has always been about sticking to the Brits. Rugby has an elitist element, but cricket is not like that at all. A test match is one of sports wonders and some of the best sport I’ve ever watched has been cricket, such as the 2005 Ashes for its epic nature or the 2007 series for its entertainment value. I think you would actually really like cricket if you understood it better. Watch the ashes this year and go along to a few club games in your area.
Are you for real? Waste my whole Saturday watching low level cricket. To be honest fitzy I don’t need to watch it extensively to understand the skills needed for the game. I realize there is skills required. I realize there is a very technical aspect of it, particularly with bowling. I just think it’s a shit sport, at least the all day/test type. I’d watch a 20/20 no bother.
Cricket is elitist here in WA, that’s for absolutely sure. When Indigenious and Aftican lads start playing Cricket come back to me.
Rugby Union is very elitist and private schooly here Fitz, no doubt about that. Much more so than in Ireland. Union is also elitist in Scotland & England. It’s every mans game in Wales and is regionally elitist in Ireland.
Cricket fans are more intelligent, that’s why Fitzy, me, Braz, Rocko, Bandage and Carryharry follow it. Rugby on the other hand is for Tards.
Ah Kev, I’m not being the slightest bit hypocritical. The point I made about the Lions was that I found it very weird that an Irish person could hold an emotional attachment for a UK representative team that comes together once every four years. I’ll watch the Ashes as I watch pretty much all cricket (unless I have money on it) as a disinterested neutral, though you do end up having an affinity for certain individuals and/or teams (as well as a lingering affection for the West Indies that most cricket fans have).
Good show on cricket in Ireland on setanta now. Batsmen I think it’s called. Had read a bit about it before but the parts about how old the game actually is here and how big it was before the GAA came along are interesting.
Jackson Bird 4/38 yesterday, he has to start.
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 795798, member: 273”]I agree with you in the Lions, but you are being incredibly hypocritical. It doesn’t get much more British than the Ashes.
Test Cricket is awful, short games are somewhat enjoyable, but test cricket I probably the worst sport in the world.
I really like rugby, maybe because I have grown a real understanding if it over the years, but I think the Lions is a farce. I have watched the tests, but I’ve missed the starts and an entire first half and i couldn’t give a fuck and certainly wouldn’t be shouting at a tv. I’m uncomfortable, like you, with the whole Britishness of it, as well as I think it’s just a tour kept going by a small group of players carefully inter twinned with travel agents an tour operators and it fucks the players up for the next season.
That and the worst Aussie team in 39 years beat them, which to be honest, is laughable.
Cricket is very elitist in Northern Queensland and WA for what it’s worth, can’t say about rest of Oz.[/quote]
[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 795806, member: 273”]Are you for real? Waste my whole Saturday watching low level cricket. To be honest fitzy I don’t need to watch it extensively to understand the skills needed for the game. I realize there is skills required. I realize there is a very technical aspect of it, particularly with bowling. I just think it’s a shit sport, at least the all day/test type. I’d watch a 20/20 no bother.
Cricket is elitist here in WA, that’s for absolutely sure. When Indigenious and Aftican lads start playing Cricket come back to me.
Rugby Union is very elitist and private schooly here Fitz, no doubt about that. Much more so than in Ireland. Union is also elitist in Scotland & England. It’s every mans game in Wales and is regionally elitist in Ireland.[/quote]
MBB thinks these are clampings 
Ergo, MBB.
Clarke with a nice ton yesterday.
Are we close to predictions yet boys? I’m going with a 2-1 victory to England and Wales, setting things up nicely for the return series over here. A month ago I would have said something around 4-0.
Yeah the Aussies have scored a few runs. They are only playing Worcester though. England not batting too well in warm ups. As many have said, will be closer than expected. 3-1 England