British and Irish Lions 2013

[Tal]

Have you ever played on the wing? Keep your 'phone on.

[MereNovice]

Have you ever played on the wing? Keep your 'phone on.

Once but I'm not quite the player I was.
Strangely the older I get, the better I was.

[MereNovice]

Shane Williams and Christian Wade play on Tuesday (which I guess is what you were referring to).

Lions team: Rob Kearney, Christian Wade, Brad Barritt, Billy Twelvetrees, Shane Williams, Stuart Hogg, Ben Youngs; Ryan Grant, Rory Best (capt), Matt Stevens, Ian Evans, Richie Gray, Sean O'Brien, Justin Tipuric, Toby Faletau

Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Alex Corbisiero, Dan Cole, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Conor Murray, Owen Farrell, Simon Zebo

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22922831

[MereNovice]

I would say that makes Faletau (and Tipuric) unlikely starters for the first test.

[Rubbish2407]

There's normally one player who starts the last midweek match and plays the first test. Ugo Monye did it four years ago, albeit because Shane Williams was ill on the morning of the match.

[MereNovice]

British & Irish Lions starting XV: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), George North (Wales), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Tom Youngs (England), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Tom Croft (England), Sam Warburton (Wales, capt), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland).

Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Ben Youngs (England), Owen Farrell (England), Sean Maitland (Scotland).

Australia starting XV: Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs); Israel Folau (NSW), Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW), Christian Leali'ifano (ACT Brumbies), Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds); James O'Connor (Melbourne Rebels), Will Genia (Reds); Benn Robinson (NSW), Stephen Moore (ACT), Ben Alexander (ACT), James Horwill (Reds - capt), Kane Douglas (NSW), Ben Mowen (ACT), Michael Hooper (NSW), Wycliff Palu (NSW).

Replacements: Saia Fainga'a (Reds), James Slipper (Reds), S Kepu (NSW), Rob Simmons (Reds), Liam Gill (Reds) Nick Phipps (Rebels), Pat McCabe (ACT), Kurtley Beale (Rebels).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22977651

[Tonji]

England Cricket Team's Message to The Lions

[Jamier-Host]

Feels a bit wrong but have taken some of the 10/1 on an Australia 3-0 series win.  Just seems like patriotic money has pushed the Lions prices in too far when both teams seems are pretty evenly matched.  Let's see them prove me wrong in the morning.

[TightEnd]

Brilliant player

[Jamier-Host]

Ha. Did one of those Tough Mudder things recently where you had to carry a log for a bit of it - there certainly wasn't much running going on in that section cos it's bloody tough!

[TightEnd]

 

[tikay]

 

Ha!

Is he allowed to do that?

Bet the other lad was a bit miffed by it.

Superb.

[MereNovice]

Lions selection for the third test:

British and Irish Lions: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales); Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Jamie Roberts (Wales), George North (Wales); Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (captain, Wales), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Toby Faletau (Wales).

Replacements: Tom Youngs (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Richie Gray (Scotland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Conor Murray (Ireland), Owen Farrell (England), Manu Tuilagi (England).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/23141552

[AndrewT]

Did O'Driscoll shoot Gatland's dog or something?

[TightEnd]

from TfT

In the second test match last weekend

The Lions made not one clean break past the Aussie defence

Ball won in open play Aus 100, Lions 53

Ball won in Opponents 22 Aus 28 Lions 5

Offloads when in possession Aus 9 Lions 3

Passes made Aus 150 Lions 70


Basically the Lions were lucky to only lose by a point, and this is the background to the third test selection which means the Lions need to attack to win, and free up creative players

The Team features 10 Welshmen and 6 changes from Melbourne including the very suprising dropping of Brian O'Driscoll

This is the first time in the 15 years since O'Driscoll was selected for International rugby that has been dropped when fit, and signals the beginning of the end for a talismanic and iconic figure, probably the best Northern Hemisphere rugby player of his generation

It is a huge call by Gatland, one that will define this tour either way.

The Team selected is full of ball carriers, designed to eradicate the flaws of last weekend with the likes of Falatau over Heaslip, Jamie Roberts returning etc picked to get over the gain line, create go forward and give momentum in attack, of which there was none last time

What it appears to lack is any sort of guile whatsoever

Alun Wyn Jones has been selected as Captain and this is another big one. O'Driscoll was the obvious candidate and if you look through the Lions 15 it is short of leaders, talkers on the field etc. Huge call for AWJ to galvanise this team as captain with three days notice

The Australians will not be worried. They will reckon they can tackle Lion battering rams all day and as we have seen in both games so far just have that bit more flair when it matters

Both of these teams would lose by 20-30 points to the All Blacks, by the way

Its going to be close, and in the last 48 hours the Aussies, underdogs in both the first two tests and priced as a pick em after the second test have gone marginal odds on favourites. I think this is probably correct