Test Match 1: All Blacks v British & Irish Lions (Auckland)

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I share most of the positivity above but that's boring so let's focus on the negative!

- I'd have had Farrell at 12 and T'eo on the bench.
- Halfpenny redundant on bench as Watson could slot to fullback in an emergency.
- Its looking really stupid to have given Liam Williams 80mins against the Chiefs. The man is a known and proven quantity and was arguably the top foreign XV to play tests in NZ last year. He didn't need 80mins in a bounce game to show he was superior to Halfpenny and should have been an automatic pick once Hogg left the squad.

Still Gatland appears to have parked 'Warren-ball" and for that I think we can all be grateful come kick-off. He is not playing for a respectable defeat.

 

[valley commando]

Overall I'm happy with the selection, I would have started with Sexton and Murray and replaced them with Farrell and Webb on 60 minutes and I would have had Tips on the bench in place of Warbs if choosing a 5 - 3 bench split

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

I share most of the positivity above but that's boring so let's focus on the negative!

- I'd have had Farrell at 12 and T'eo on the bench.
- Halfpenny redundant on bench as Watson could slot to fullback in an emergency.
- Its looking really stupid to have given Liam Williams 80mins against the Chiefs. The man is a known and proven quantity and was arguably the top foreign XV to play tests in NZ last year. He didn't need 80mins in a bounce game to show he was superior to Halfpenny and should have been an automatic pick once Hogg left the squad.

Still Gatland appears to have parked 'Warren-ball" and for that I think we can all be grateful come kick-off. He is not playing for a respectable defeat.

He's gone for Faz-Te'o-Davies and you think he's parked Warrenball?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

He's almost got the best for what he's prepared for to be fair to him, Wyn Jones aside (there's locks sitting at home in Coventry and Limerick who'd be better right now), I just think what he's prepared for has zero chance of getting a win against NZ and even less of a chance in Eden Park!

 

[Thingimubob]

Henshaw poor? I don't know what you've been watching!

His best 12 option is at 10 and best 10 option on the bench though. Barrett, SBW and Crotty will have a field day considering they won't have to focus on defence.

Fair enough poor might be harsh, and I'll admit I didn't watch all of yesterdays game so I dunno if was any good, but don't think he's set the world alight enough to be in with a shout of starting.

 

[die_mole]

considering new zealand seals games after the 60th minute i like this selection

finish the game with sexton-faz-teo in the midfield and have krutoje there for the last 30 or so

 

[The Jones Boy]

Gatland just went and picked the real form team and is intent on winning this. After seeing that test team my excitement just really got fired up

Well said, I was about to post the same thing.
Gatland has his eyes on the big prize and he's put out a team the Lions fans can be proud of and can bring the fans together under one banner.
Well played Gatland.
However, Hansen is no mug and he's seen what was coming so this has just gone up a notch this is going to be an awesome contest now.
Many folk were worried that Gatland was going to be one eyed and pick a swag of Welsh players who wouldn't have deserved their spot but he came out and picked pretty much the best team available and it's a very strong looking outfit.
He took a lot of flak for dropping O'Driscoll at the last tour but it paid off in bundles.
Now he's foregone most of his Welsh faithful and picked on form.
He's done everyone a favour because this is now a serious contest.
Take a bow fatty Gatland.

 

[Mike88]

Heck of a risk leaving out Halfpenny with his 100% kicking record. While Farell is usually reliable his record on this tour has not been that great to date.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

He's gone for Faz-Te'o-Davies and you think he's parked Warrenball?

Everythings relative! I suppose I mean his first focus is not massively on defence and running through a zillion phases of low risk play.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Interesting Lions selection.

Vunipola is always better as a sub.

Fully understand AWJ over Itoje. Lawes is bloody unlucky.

Like back row and half backs.

On form you can't argue against Teo.

Davies and Williams are faith picks. They're good enough but need to find that top form pronto.

Daly concerns me. Excellent player, but it won't have escaped the ABs notice that he's not a winger. Could be a long evening for him.

Gatland's been bolder than many thought, but I can't see us getting within 10.

 

[General Melchett]

If AWJ doesn't deliver a big performance then Lawes or Itoje have to come in for the second test.
Feel sorry for Nowell after putting in as good a shift as Daly and Williams midweek. I would have Nowell on the bench instead of 1/2P with Watson covering 15.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Heck of a risk leaving out Halfpenny with his 100% kicking record. While Farell is usually reliable his record on this tour has not been that great to date.

Sexton and Faz are no slouches with the boot.
Both of them are better than any kicker in NZ now that Carter has departed.
Halfpenny has kicked well but looks off the pace in his running game
Liam Williams has got gas, now he needs to show it.

 

[Thingimubob]

If AWJ doesn't deliver a big performance then Lawes or Itoje have to come in for the second test.
Feel sorry for Nowell after putting in as good a shift as Daly and Williams midweek. I would have Nowell on the bench instead of 1/2P with Watson covering 15.

Definitely true on AWJ, absolutely needs to perform now that he's been selected, or he's out.

Nowell was definitely very below par in the two games prior to yesterday, so I think that might have factored against him. I'm gonna admit I don't relish the idea of him up against Ioane again, so for now I'm happy with him having another chance to prove himself in the midweek - if he has another big shift then he's 100% back in contention.

North will be frustrated too, so hope we see a big reaction from him to force himself back into contention.

 

[Penne Rara]

hard luck naholo and ALB.
i suppose reiko deserves to be ahead of julian but naholo is playing out of his skin at the moment.
ALB did everything right last week and has had a full on solid season.
SBW again squeaks ahead on rep but like SBW usually does chances are he'll deliver in the big game.
cant say i'm worried with this team tho. all proven big game players and against this lions side its needed.
hope both teams have massive games, that they both play with honour and style , they can hold their heads up high after the game, good spirit is shown and that neither teams suffer any major injuries.
loving this tour and the lions have fully justified continuation of this tradition.
lions came here without much hope and have shown the world how not only how to take on the best of the best of NZ rugby but also how to endure, grow and learn our systems. the lions players that leave these shores are gonna be world class players for a long long time i reckon.
thank you lions for showing NZ humility and gatland for showing why he should be the next ABs coach

Ach mate, I was ready to upvote but held back when I read your last sentence. There's no way Gatland will become Hansen's successor! His gameplan suits Wales and the Lions pretty well but New Zealand is not ready for Warrenball. No offense to his rugby mind but I'd still prefer that the All Blacks lost that series 3-0 than have him as the next ABs coach! His style is boring and it would be a shame to base NZ rugby on structure, percentage play and a very narrow-sighted rugby when every kiwi player relies on skills, flair and total rugby.

 

[munstermuffin]

Interesting comments there on tv about maybe he's hesitant on starting Sexton and Farrell tigether as he's rewarding Te'o form and equally he's conscious of the attrition both guys will take over 3 tests. In 2005 from 1st test there was 9 changes to 3rd test due to injury

 

[MikeTheNative]

Overall I'm quite happy, it could have been a lot worse. Only questionable starter is Wyn Jones but I'm sure he will rise to the occasion, if not we have itjoe to come on. Bench looks good apart from the selections of Warburton and Halfpenny who don't really any impact from the bench like Stander, Tipruic, Nowell hell even North would add.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

O.K. All in all pretty good but AWJ is the anomaly and picked partly on sentiment. All of the Lions apart from the nonsensical bench warmers Gatland called up are great players and it's curmudgeonly to pick on particular selections. I'm going to anyway. Wyn Jones in stupid football parlance will give 100% of that I have no doubt. But KruisWynJonestoje < Kruistojlawesy in my opinion. Straight and tough ain't getting it done and AWJ and Kruis will carry hard and straight and get eaten up.

Poor JJ he's probably wondering why he didn't get a chance to prove hi,self where other did. Davies had better learn to pass in the next day or so (unlikely). That said this team ain't going wider than Teo except off turnover. It's a team to suffocate and kill. Risky but it might just work.

Go Lions!

 

[corny]

No Stander or Tipuric but i fancy every one of our subs (bar maybe Halfpennny) to hit the ground running in a tight test match. Imagine 55 minutes gone and Sexton, Warburton and Itoje run onto the pitch. Its fantasy rugby stuff.

 

[General Melchett]

Definitely true on AWJ, absolutely needs to perform now that he's been selected, or he's out.

Nowell was definitely very below par in the two games prior to yesterday, so I think that might have factored against him. I'm gonna admit I don't relish the idea of him up against Ioane again, so for now I'm happy with him having another chance to prove himsgelf in the midweek - if he has another big shift then he's 100% back in contention.

North will be frustrated too, so hope we see a big reaction from him to force himself back into contention.

Fair points but the same could apply to Williams who was as underwhelming
as Nowell until a few days ago.

 

[mania]

Ach mate, I was ready to upvote but held back when I read your last sentence. There's no way Gatland will become Hansen's successor! His gameplan suits Wales and the Lions pretty well but New Zealand is not ready for Warrenball. No offense to his rugby mind but I'd still prefer that the All Blacks lost that series 3-0 than have him as the next ABs coach! His style is boring and it would be a shame to base NZ rugby on structure, percentage play and a very narrow-sighted rugby when every kiwi player relies on skills, flair and total rugby.

agree penne but i imagine warrenBall would evolve into its nth degree and become something else entirely. u cant make kiwi's play boring rugby. trust me, i coach 10 yr olds and they are constantly coming up with new plays based on audacity.
different cattle shape different gameplans. i know that when i coach a new team i'll spend the first 2-3 games getting to know the teams style and then try and evolve it from there...im not saying that i'm gatland and hansens calibre but i'm sure the principle stays the same.
but i seriously doubt that gatland would get it. NZRFU just dont seem to rate him for some reason. possilbly for the same views u share. NZRFU would have to be pretty desperate to appoint gatland, i'm just putting it out there.