Lions v Australia. 1st test.

[suisse]

Aussie team.

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/wallab ... -released/

1. Robinson
2. Moore
3. Alexander
4. Horwill
5. Douglas
6. Mowen
7. Hooper
8. Palu
9. Genia
10. JOC
11. Ioane
12. Leali’ifano
13. AAC
14. Folau
15. Barnes

[Donny B.]

North available, Tuilagi touch and go and Roberts/Bowe highly unlikely

[Peg Leg]

North available, Tuilagi touch and go and Roberts/Bowe highly unlikely

Well at least with North available, there won't be a fullback starting on the wing.
Lets hope Cuthbert has his tackling boots on.

[Donny B.]

North fit is a major boost alright. With Jonny pulling the strings, BOD, North and Davies on great form and Halfpenny kicking superbly, there's a lot to be excited about.

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

[Peg Leg]

North fit is a major boost alright. With Jonny pulling the strings, BOD, North and Davies on great form and Halfpenny kicking superbly, there's a lot to be excited about.

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

Warburton is at a disadvantage without Lydiate. I think they should play together or not at all.

[hugonaut]

North fit is a major boost alright. With Jonny pulling the strings, BOD, North and Davies on great form and Halfpenny kicking superbly, there's a lot to be excited about.

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

Huge difference between the patty-cake rucking of Evans and Gray to the clearing out of POC and AWJ. The latter pairing are more accurate, stronger, far more aggressive, more canny and provide much more authority in every situation on the pitch.

[Donny B.]

North fit is a major boost alright. With Jonny pulling the strings, BOD, North and Davies on great form and Halfpenny kicking superbly, there's a lot to be excited about.

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

Huge difference between the patty-cake rucking of Evans and Gray to the clearing out of POC and AWJ. The latter pairing are more accurate, stronger, far more aggressive, more canny and provide much more authority in every situation on the pitch.

Let's hope so. With Parling on the bench, second row has become a really strong unit.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

North available, Tuilagi touch and go and Roberts/Bowe highly unlikely

Well at least with North available, there won't be a fullback starting on the wing.
Lets hope Cuthbert has his tackling boots on.

Isn't Zebo the only Lion who has tackling boots?

[LeRouxIsPHat]

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

This has worried me from the moment the squad was picked, I'm not sure it was designed with a plan B in mind.

[Peg Leg]

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

This has worried me from the moment the squad was picked, I'm not sure it was designed with a plan B in mind.

I don't like the cut and run look about it at all. If the ball is slow coming back Plan A is going to have to start hitting rucks instead of waiting for "go forward ball".

[JB1973]

North fit is a major boost alright. With Jonny pulling the strings, BOD, North and Davies on great form and Halfpenny kicking superbly, there's a lot to be excited about.

The worry could actually be the pack. As the Brumbies showed yesterday, stop the Lions at the breakdown and you stop their gameplan. Warburton's breakdown work has been average at best on this tour and it's not a big part of Croft's natural game. Jamie's breakdown skills could well be crucial if he's picked.

Warburton is at a disadvantage without Lydiate. I think they should play together or not at all.

100% agree,

Croft is great as a line out option and with ball in hand but is an average defender and offers next to nothing at the break down also I question if he has the "dog" needed to tough it out down under.

We all know Gatland loves big ball carriers boshing it up the middle, with no robers/tulagi he will either use north or cuthbert (if selected) for that role or look to one of the forwards to do it.

Felatau hasn't managed to get over the gain line much so I'd play heaslip there and look to bring on SOB at the 60 minute mark.

Watching england out in argentina I'm surpirsed Ben Morgan didn't get a call up he would be be ideal to crash the ball up the middle or pick and go from what should be a solid scrum.


I still would expect the lions to win saturday but unless we sort out the line out and breakdown we wonlt win anything

[flustered]

JOC at 10 and Barnes at 15, can see them being inter changeable as the game goes on, Barnes probably more comfortable at 10 and JOC at 15!!! Good side tho and will be very hard bet!

Watched most of the game against the Brumbies last night and was impressed with SOB, could see him on occasions getting frustrated with the lack of work of some of his teammates, gave Tipuric a couple of glares!!! Tipuric was good also tho!

[hugonaut]

Watching england out in argentina I'm surpirsed Ben Morgan didn't get a call up he would be be ideal to crash the ball up the middle or pick and go from what should be a solid scrum.

Morgan has been very impressive for England in Argentina, but Gatland made the point in his post-Brumbies interview that they've surprisingly suffered no backrow injuries yet. Warburton is the only one who has had to sit out a game.

It's in the backline where they've suffered most: Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, George North, Manu Tuilagi and Jamie Roberts have all sustained injuries of various degrees, and Sexton and O'Driscoll have had to manage niggles.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I've been defending Croft's workrate on here and saying that it's a myth that he doesn't make many tackles or do much at the breakdown but having said that, I don't think he's a workhorse either and I really hope that his selection doesn't negate the recent carrying form that Jamie has been in. It'd be a terrible shame if they just told Jamie to do all the donkey work. He'll probably need to help Warburton more than he'd have needed to help Tipuric too.

[ceemec]

I’m not as worried about the breakdown as some here are. That is, in part, due to Australia having their back row badly disrupted. They’ll still be strong there but not at the level we thought 6 months ago. Our back row has two guys that, on form, are very good breakdown players. I know Warburton hasn’t turned in the eye catching displays needed to earn a place in the side but he has still been heavily involved in a lot of breakdown work. He has slowed a lot of ball down and general been in and around the rucks making a nuisance of himself. No eye catching turnovers but won’t let Australia have the run of it.

Heaslip is playing well and his breakdown work is good. No worries about him. In the last 20 minutes against the Waratahs his breakdown work were central for two tries. He put in a great clear out after Davies intercepted for the ball to go wide to Croft. He then made a top class turnover on the deck for Youngs to break and spin it for Davies to go over against a disorganised defence.

Croft is the man that divides opinion. When I saw him named in the squad originally, I thought he’d have a great chance of making the side. Gatland is a fan and Gatland, more importantly, is a fan of clean line out ball and launching his big runners in the back line off clean ball off the top. That’s one of the big reasons Croft is in there along with his carrying in the wide channels which, for a back row forward, is arguably the best in the world. He makes a fair few tackles also, despite what many say. The stats don’t lie on that one. 7 tackles against the Waratahs (not spectacular but solid) and 12 against WF. He came off early in both games.

Another plus for the breakdown is the fact we’ve two excellent locks. POC has probably won as many, if not more, turnovers than anyone on tour. His breakdown work is superb and acts as an additional back row forward. AWJ doesn’t have that element to his game but is excellent at clearing out and the donkey work, giving quick ball.

Personally, like many here, I’d probably venture a back row of SOB, Tipuric (who wasn’t great yesterday) and Heaslip but I don’t have many problems with Croft being in there for what he can do in the right team.

[hugonaut]

I've been defending Croft's workrate on here and saying that it's a myth that he doesn't make many tackles or do much at the breakdown but having said that, I don't think he's a workhorse either and I really hope that his selection doesn't negate the recent carrying form that Jamie has been in. It'd be a terrible shame if they just told Jamie to do all the donkey work. He'll probably need to help Warburton more than he'd have needed to help Tipuric too.

Croft was good in pretty much every aspect of the game against the Waratahs [tackle-miss on Drew Mitchell excepted, but sh*t happens]. However, if I was picking the team there's no way I'd leave Sean O'Brien out of the starting XV [especially given the strength of the front five, which would allow him far more freedom to carry the ball and bash Wallabies].

His handling and ability to pose a huge carrying threat, draw in men and then slip out a pass [as demonstrated for the little slip to Wade yesterday morning and a couple of times during the CC match] has been really impressive, and it was a crying shame that he had to go around for the 55mins he was on the field against the Brumbies hitting ruck after ruck because his front five were so ineffective. I don't think that will have been missed by the coaching staff. They know their rugby, and that was a good example of a lad putting the team and the result in front of his own performance, even when he certainly wanted to have a big, flashy game where he carried the pill a lot in the middle of the backline.

However, Croft is genuinely a great lineout option, whereas O'Brien is only a middling one. Given that the lineout has been the weakest aspect of the Lions play, it's a big swing in his favour.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Yeah as much as I rate Croft, I'd definitely go with SOB, Tipuric, and Heaslip.

Barnes at full back is an interesting one. I think it'll mean the Lions kick more than they would have if Beale was there because the counter attacking threat is nowhere near as strong. Ioane will be rusty too.

[JB1973]

I've been defending Croft's workrate on here and saying that it's a myth that he doesn't make many tackles or do much at the breakdown but having said that, I don't think he's a workhorse either and I really hope that his selection doesn't negate the recent carrying form that Jamie has been in. It'd be a terrible shame if they just told Jamie to do all the donkey work. He'll probably need to help Warburton more than he'd have needed to help Tipuric too.

Warburton is very strong at the breakdown more so that Tupric (imo) Tupric can get out muscled at the breakdown warburton is very strong in this area althogh turpic maybe slightly faster to the breakdown warburton is a lot harder to move.

If you play croft 6 then heaslip is going to do a lot of donkey work (same as the first two tests out in sa) and you miss out on heaslip talent in the open field the stats for saturday showed he wasn;t in the top 6 players for making tackles bit strange from your number 6.

The second rows are both mobile and good at the breakdown so that will help and i have no worries in that department

The front row i suppose depends on selection at 1 and 2 , as adam although a beast in the scrum offers next to nothing in the loose (cole brings far more in that dept) . vuniopla /corberiso or hibbard / young both hookers can carry the ball and vuniopla certainly can but are any great at winning turn over ball?.

As for other turnover options North is actually quite good in this area and has won some ball for wales but BOD is a class aprt when it comes to backs who can jackle and he may have a huge part to play in this area

Any one seen much of folau? how is he under the high ball? I reckon we can certainly target ioane and barnes in that area , though i'd rather sexton kick the ball than phillips who is a very average box kicker

[ceemec]

Any one seen much of folau? how is he under the high ball? I reckon we can certainly target ioane and barnes in that area , though i'd rather sexton kick the ball than phillips who is a very average box kicker

He was playing professional AFL last year. Don't think we'd get much change from Folau in that area.

[Vamos los azules]

If you play croft 6 then heaslip is going to do a lot of donkey work (same as the first two tests out in sa) and you miss out on heaslip talent in the open field the stats for saturday showed he wasn;t in the top 6 players for making tackles bit strange from your number 6.

Heaslip is well used to the donkey work role though - reference Ireland's back row and the moans from certain parts about him going missing in games because he's doing that so that Fez/SOB/POM are the main ballcarriers. I don't think him playing that role for the Lions is much of a problem.

Croft's turn of pace is fairly lethal and I reckon getting him and Heaslip back together for the Lions was always in the coaches' minds, the way they rushed him back for the last couple of 6N matches. In fairness, he was outstandingly good in a couple of games for Leicester towards the end of the season, once he got match fit.