South Africa vs British and Irish Lions - Test 3

[Vieux Talonneur]

I'm a Quins fan so I guess my mindset is that I'd generally prefer to see entertainment and skill prevail than grind it out rugby with a win at all costs mentality. As NZ have shown, you can still win games in the modern era by playing effective, intelligent attacking rugby so I don't think playing conservatively is the only route to success.

That's the key word. NZ teams have never been afraid to put boot to ball, but what they've always been so good at is playing heads up rugby, spotting opportunities and having the skills to execute them. Their emphasis on skills from an early age helps here.

I suspect any AB fan would prioritise winning over entertainment any day. It's just that they have found a way that works for them and sometimes it's pretty easy on the eye.

The Boks have an entirely different culture that works for them and one of the fascinations of rugby is this contrast in styles.

Quins ride to the premiership was fantastic, exciting and great to watch. But it's not a style that will bring sustained success and personally I'd get pretty bored pretty quickly if that happened every game. The special can easily become the mundane.

The Lions caught the Boks cold in the first test and got a large dose of reality in the second. Priority A is to get close to parity up front - without that everything else is academic. But they will need to be a lot smarter with ball in hand and pose questions that the Boks won't know the answers to…..looking at the selection I'd think the Boks are pretty confident they know what's coming.

 

[ncurd]

Eddie Jones...

A couple of years back I'd agree but now less so, he could be a good Lions coach with his ability to have immediate impacts with groups of players but I think he needs years out the English setup first so he doesn't have predetermined decisions about players being made.

 

[General Melchett]

I think Townsend is probably being earmarked by the Lions board - former Lions player/gets the ethos etc. Gatland went to SA as an assistant to Geechs in 2009 and took over four years later and so it looks like they had succession planning in mind. Aus in 2025 is probably the ideal tour for a new HC to bed himself in. Scotland just need to be competing at the top end of the 6N table and start stringing 3-4 wins together regularly.

 

[retired9]

I think Townsend is probably being earmarked by the Lions board - former Lions player/gets the ethos etc. Gatland went to SA as an assistant to Geechs in 2009 and took over four years later and so it looks like they had succession planning in mind. Aus in 2025 is probably the ideal tour for a new HC to bed himself in. Scotland just need to be competing at the top end of the 6N table and start stringing 3-4 wins together regularly.

On top of that they tried to get Townsend on the 2017 tour but he declined, then was invited again this time. He is wanted by the BIL for sure.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Andy Farrell probably gunning for it too, he'd be there had the covid sitch been under control.

Not convinced he'll be Ireland HC come 2025 though.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Four years is a long time, who knows which coaches will be on a high/low (though I guess they announce the coach a lot sooner than the 4?)
Scotland went through 3 coaches in a 4 year period before landing on Townsend


I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it's EJ - he was asked for this tour, but turned it down, and it would tie in with him leaving the England role (leave after RWC, maybe a season in Japan, then a season driving up and down the motorways of the UK and Ireland watching teams play)

 

[General Melchett]

Andy Farrell probably gunning for it too, he'd be there had the covid sitch been under control.

Not convinced he'll be Ireland HC come 2025 though.

If Farrell gets the gig we could see a 40 year old Sexton as the starting 10 pulling the stings in Aus while AWJ is at home recovering from his hair transplant op.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I don't think its as easy as looking at how NZ play us and replicating that- not that I believe that is what people are actually saying precisely.

If you look at recent results since Erasmus took over:

NZ 25 - 24
SA 36 - 34
NZ 32 - 30
Draw 16 - 16

And then the RWC loss to NZ 23 - 13 where 12 points (their 2 tries) came within 3 minutes early in the first half and it was a game that would actually be a good game to lose context considered. Now am I implying we threw the game? I don't think we would ever seriously consider throwing any match on purpose really but at the same time I can't imagine we actually had our hearts in it. Not 100% at least.

So there's not been much in it is what I am getting at. And I can't imagine a semi-Barbarians side like the B&I Lions just suddenly getting as clinical as the ABs tend to be because of 1 the talent on hand and 2 the streamlined nature and 3 continuity of their structures. Sure the Lions have talent on hand but the rest is , again inevitably, rushed and clunky. That said all the Lions need for a win is one big moment and for the bounce of the ball to favor them more than it does us which is still a real shout not the foregone conclusion I see a lot of fans touting both sides of the fence.

 

[Gena_ZA]

Nothing wrong with that gameplan if it gets results. Similar tactics were employed by Saracens in the English Premiership, which they won for several consecutive years (before they got thrown out for breaching the salary cap).

The BIL really need to be watching videos of NZ wins over SA. The All Blacks do not try to out-muscle the Boks at their own game, they keep the ball moving, with constant changes of the direction of attack, and offloads at every opportunity. The Boks want to play a controlled, structured game, The way to beat that is to break the game up, keep the ball in play, and make the game as unstructured as possible.

But I'm not sure that will be the message from WG on Saturday.

True, NZ wins 99% of the games they have fast ball and they can express themselves, they lose the same margin when you are in their faces and slow them down, when you dominate the collisions and put pressure on 9 and 10.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Jones…..

Great at making an immediate impact

Probably less great at bonding together various nationalities

As capable as Gatland of producing teams that play dumb rugby, kick aimlessly and stink the place out. But produces the odd performance of genius

'Interesting' selector

Australian. Would he want to coach against his home nation?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

If Farrell gets the gig we could see a 40 year old Sexton as the starting 10 pulling the stings in Aus while AWJ is at home recovering from his hair transplant op.

The dream

 

[WaterboySA]

I believe with the RIGHT coaching the Lions should play any other team off the pitch. No questions asked. Maybe once or twice they had that coaching in history? It would be a sight to see. Like the AB's in full combat mode, just a bit meaner, lol......

 

[munstermuffin]

Issue with Gregor is he is like a dodgy viagra. He will always get maybe 75% of it up and going before it flops back like a legless fish.

Not enough winning pedigree. Hope the next Lions coach is someone completely out of blue. But then again is the thrill of it dying now.

Lions was supposed to be like the BaaBaas in that it plays fun expansive rugby. Now it worst than watching individual nations

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Hope the next Lions coach is someone completely out of blue.

Like out of the blue shirt of a Sale coach and into the red of a Lion?

 

[munstermuffin]

Like out of the blue shirt of a Sale coach and into the red of a Lion?

He'd definitely shake it up and bring a few "interesting aspects" to it.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Issue with Gregor is he is like a dodgy viagra. He will always get maybe 75% of it up and going before it flops back like a legless fish.

Not enough winning pedigree. Hope the next Lions coach is someone completely out of blue. But then again is the thrill of it dying now.

Lions was supposed to be like the BaaBaas in that it plays fun expansive rugby. Now it worst than watching individual nations

That metaphor is vintage muff!

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Like out of the blue shirt of a Sale coach and into the red of a Lion?

He would have been useful on this tour with his insider knowledge.

 

[Groundhog]

Realistically it will be Townsend and he will be appointed 3 years before the tour for no obvious reason. To be fair I don't rate any of the obvious choices. Jones is absolutely a no from me dawg

 

[munstermuffin]

That metaphor is vintage muff!

Maybe but the fact is true. Like a good tease they never fully deliver at end.
If anything this Lions Tour has shown how it i becoming a bit dated

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Maybe but the fact is true. Like a good tease they never fully deliver at end.
If anything this Lions Tour has shown how it i becoming a bit dated

Oh no, I fully agree, we're in the same boat when it comes to the Lions. I just found that hilarious!