( Rugby Union: ) Lions tour to New Zealand, 2 June - 8 July 2017

taipan wrote:Willie John?

PeterCS wrote:

taipan wrote:Willie John?

That's the guy. He liked/likes "Bill" though.
http://www.mossgreen.com.au/view-auctions/catalog/id/282/lot/102514/?url=%2Fview-auctions%2Findividual-lots%2F%3Fpage%3D7272%26at%3D68

And this is what I was getting at. The "99!":



(Source/context: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/willie-john-mcbride-the-players-have-medics-these-days-we-had-elastoplast-1697172.html )

Yep, I knew all about the 99 call. I went to 3 of the matches on that tour. Of course the 74 Lions also had some of the greatest players of all time. I think about 10 of them are in the World Rugby
Hall of fame. I don't see players of that quality on the present tour.

Just in case it's not clear (!) - I'm not advocating fists-at-two-paces as the way forward for the Lions in NZ. But the Musketeer ethos ("all-for-one, one-for-all") and collective determination that Lions teams too easily lack. Being multi-national nearly-scratch sides, apart from anything else.

PeterCS wrote:Looks like the Blues have pipped the Lions second XV.

SBW is some animal!

Big Dog wrote:6-3 Lions scrum is getting monstered.

PeterCS wrote:Lions lose again!!!

But, reasons to be (relatively) cheerful.
a) It was touch & go, on another day, Farrell's kick would have gone over, etc.
b) I'm not sure what Gatland&Co are thinking, but the starting selection was just about second or third choice in every position. (Lawes cracked on the head. Pity Launchbury was not chosen for the tour. And while they were at it, Visser. As said above.)

The two biggest worries, I think:

1) I can't see Gatland's strategies for selection or play. (Pity it was not Eddie Jones ...)

2) Penalty infringements, and penalty interpretation. (See 1 - Jones has got England a lot better in playing to even a strange interpretation of infringements by either side. Keep focused and carry on, is part of that. England sides before Jones tended to get rattled by perceived grievances - and proceed to make matters worse.)

Are the Lions doomed to thumping defeats in the Tests? I'm not sure. A lot will depend on whether Gatland& Co learn the right lessons, and do their stuff. And also make the best selections, combinations, gameplans and back-up plans simple enough and congenial enough for those players to "execute".)