Lions team for 1st test: British & Irish Lions: Jason Robinson; Josh Lewsey, Brian O'Driscoll (captain), Jonny Wilkinson, Gareth Thomas; Stephen Jones, Dwayne Peel; Gethin Jenkins, Shane Byrne, Julian White, Paul O'Connell, Ben Kay, Richard Hill, Neil Back, Martin Corry (vice-captain). Replacements: Steve Thompson, Graham Rowntree, Danny Grewcock, Ryan Jones, Matt Dawson, Will Greenwood, Shane Horgan. Wilkinson at centre, Lewsey on the wing and Robinson at fullback. Woodward is taking a big gamble, although in the first test I think it is worth it. I like the idea of Wilkinson at centre, with him and Jones having the right/left kicking combination. Lewsey is a tough tackler, so will be good to have him on the wing to counter the Allblacks.
I would also add that the more important issue is how the Lions go upfront. I think the AB's have a clear edge in the backrow. As long as the lions can recycle decent ball, that backline should be fine.
i think the ab's will win the test match in the rucks has wilkinson ever player at second five eight?
apparently he once played there for england against wales in 1999 this just smacks of ww being unable to leave him out but not having the balls to drop the other fellow and play wilko at 1st
I don't like the back row selected. Richard Hill fine, but Back and Corry? I'd play Ryan Jones at 7 with Michael Owen at 8. I'm not sure how Dawson made it to replacement scrum-half ahead of Cusiter either. Wilkinson at inside centre is a HUGE gamble. And I don't like Robinson at full-back, he and Lewsey should be switched.
yep your right. wilko with ball in hand is the best decision maker out there, he needs to be at 10, not 12. i dont trust BOD aswell, never been a fan of him.... i find him too unreliable allways making mistakes and a pretty lousy leader, especially compared to thomas, wilko and robinson. yeah robinsons pace is much better on the wing, and he can dance like a bitch onto the inside and around. lewsey is a bigger guy and is better suited as the last line of defence.
I can't agree about O'Driscoll, maybe his leadership could be an issue, but he is definitely one of the best centres in the world. He's quick and strong and the amount of defences he's carved apart with that searing outside break speaks for itself. He's done it already many times for Ireland and the Lions, New Zealand will do well to be wary of him with the ball in hand. Lewsey is just a better technical full-back for me, better under the high ball and he picks better lines when coming into the attack. Robinson is a great finisher, a couple of yards of space inside the 22 and he's a fair bet to make it to the line.
I've been away for a few days, but managed to see both the Lions games. On Saturday I thought we were pretty good, Ryan Jones had the game of the tour so far and Shane Williams showed why he is so dangerous. On Tuesday we were atrocious. Henson had a good game, Martyn Williams was alright and Sheridan and Shanklin looked good when they came on. When I saw the team for the first test I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Woodward has now proved that you cannot trust a word he says, the man is just a liar. When the tour started he said "I'll be looking very closely at what happens in every game. We'll be picking on form for that first Test match, not on reputation." He also said "If we were playing this weekend, the majority of the starting XV would come from Wales and Ireland, with two players from England and one from Scotland." How then can he include Jason Robinson, Richard Hill, Neil Back, Johnny Wilkinson? What exactly have they done that has been so special? Why on earth is Shane Williams not even in the 22 and how has Henson missed out? If Woodward doesn't pull his finger out we will get beaten 3-0, or at best grind out boring results with compact rugby. This is not what a Lions tour is about.
Just one other thing, I don't understand how anyone can question O'Driscoll, he is the only player in the party who is undeniably the best player in the world at his position.
I do not see how you can really argue with the inclusion of Richard Hill and Neil Back. Back gets in as Martyn Williams looked shocking against NZ Maori and just isn't good enough at the breakdown. Richard Hill is still one of the best in the world. As for Robinson, he's arguably the best broken play runner in the squad, may be a bit out of form in terms of try scoring, but I think he merits a place in the first test ahead of the alternatives. Shane Williams is just too defensively suspect, although he maybe should have been in the 22. The bench for this first test is a bit too conservative. Wilkinson at centre is the big gamble, although in bad weather and against such formidable opposition, I think he may well give a better chance of winning than Henson. In good conditions and when the squad is more settled, I think Henson should get his chance. Playing a fully open game against this All Black team on their own patch would be suicide. I think the backs are strong enough to play good rugby and score tries, but there has to be a trade-off in order to get the result.
There's really no way you can call Williams defensively suspect and then pimp Robinson - they're about the same. Henson played very well against the All Blacks in the autumn internationals. Got my All Black shirt on - ymlaen seland newydd as long as Lord Bald is running this as an English tour jape.
Damn these cheating kiwis. they should of had two yellow cards allready but no they dont. we've had one (which was deserved) and they knocked on seconds before our sin bin but the touch judge choose to ignore it! thank god BOD has gone. cant stand him, a big liability. its only half time but ive choosen my backs for next week: FB - Geordan Murphy WG - Robinson IC - Greenwood OC - Henson WG - Thomas FH - Wilkinson SH - Dawson Robinson needs to be on the wing, not at FB - we need to utulize his pace v these cheats. Thank you for listening to my rant, i suppose most of you dont care...... but mix is well angry right now!!!! Oh yeah, and were playing like ********!!!
the word cheat was used in irony! now dont you just look stupid LMAO @ you sunshine! of course they didnt cheat, they cant choose the refs decisons. the best side won and we were crap. but NZ did get some lucky calls in the game and could easily of had two players sin binned
That was an absolutely atrocious display from the Lions. It all stemmed from the forwards. Shane Byrne's throwing was abysmal and Thompson looked no better when he came on. Neil Back was completely dominated by Richie McCaw, Back never got into the game and provided nothing at the break down. Corry did sod all as well. With that sort of platform it is no surprise the backs did nothing. However, Jason Robinson was poor and kicked away all the possession we had. The midfield decision making was disappointing as well as shown by Jones' cross kick which led to the first try. I thought Ryan Jones and Will Greenwood did very well coming on early in the game. Now that O'Driscoll is out for the tour we are in real trouble as there is so little invention in the back line and we will have to work wonders to avoid a whitewash, let alone win the series.
The thing about that team selection is that they were dependent on having a dominant lineout, the fact that it was so woeful killed things completely. After that it was just a poor display in most areas. Not sure how they change it from here.
The lineout is the base from which every thing stems, especially if you rely on kicking as much as this team does. We have to pick the person who is the best thrower. That looked like Byrne, but perhpas it will have to be Bulloch, It is a pity that Mefin Davies isn't in the squad but Woodward preferred Titerall.
i thought peel had an awfull game he seemed to take forever to do anything like putting the ball in the scrum, getting the ball out of the scrum and the ruck etc also s jones was running around like a headless chicken
The reason that Peel was taking so long was that the Lions weren't getting quick ball at the break down. If the ball isn't there then there is nothing he can do. In the scums Corry was meant to be flicking the ball back to Peel but it didn't run like that. Stephen Jones had no ball to do anything with.
The team to play Manawatu has been announced Lions team: Murphy; Robinson, Smith, D'Arcy, S Williams; Hodgson, Cusiter; Sheridan, Bulloch (capt), Hayes, Shaw, O'Callaghan, Corry, M Williams, Owen. Replacements: Titterell, Stevens, Cockbain, Back, Cooper, O'Gara, Cueto. It would look as if Robinson and Corry have been dropped for the tests. I'm disappointed that Shane and Martyn Williams are playing as they should both be in the team for Saturday. This team though has the potential to be very attacking against the weakest side we face on tour.