The Lions Claw Their Way Back

No one said that this Springboks v. Lions test series was going to be pretty. Most said that it would be decided by penalties and goal kicking and close calls. If the first test was anything to go by, they were absolutely right. Not much prospect of open running rugby here just a fierce physical confrontation with high kicks the order of the day in Cape Town.

The first half belonged to the Springboks as they won the collisions and collected points via penalties to lead 12-3. The Lions were second best and conceded too many soft penalties as their discipline let them down. As we watched in the comfort of our home, we were more than a little concerned. Our only solace, apart from a beer or two, was that the Lions seemed to be gaining a measure of ascendancy as the half drew to a close. Both sides seemed to have adopted fairly similar tactics with plenty of box kicking it was just that the home side were doing it a bit better.

The second half saw a turn around with the Lions resurgent and applying the pressure that produced the valuable commodity that is penalties. First, they had to close the gap in the scores and in the first five minutes they elected to kick for touch when awarded a kickable penalty. The subsequent driving lineout worked to perfection with Cowan-Dickie getting the touch down for the first try of the match. Biggar converted and it was game on and those of us hiding behind the couch re-emerged.

A couple of minutes later it was agony. South Africa looked to have scored a try down the left wing. But wait was Le Roux offside? By the finest of margins, the TMO decided that he was and the try was disallowed – big sighs of relief. The score was still 12-10.

The Springboks were incensed and moments later the TMO was adjudicating on another home try following some really scrappy play which ended with de Clerk touching down. Was that a knock on by du Toit? This time the Lions didn’t get away with it. Fortunately, the conversion sailed wide and the Lions were still within a converted try at 17-10.

There were thirty minutes to go and it was time for the Lions to go to work and the catalyst was some storming play from Lawes who really took the game to the Boks. Both sides brought on their replacements and it was the tourists who seemed to benefit the most. The Lions had the momentum but could they turn it into points?

The home side started to give away penalties and through the boot of Biggar the Lions made inroads. Three penalties and the Lions are in the lead for the first time at 17-19 with around fifteen minutes to go. This was going to be close – cue another beer!

The Lions needed to keep cool but a tip tackle by substitute flanker Watson moments later looked like yellow card territory. Phew just a penalty and even better Pollard’s kick at goal sailed wide. “Don’t do anything stupid”, we roared.

Biggar took a bump on the head and departed for a HIA so Farrell slotted in at fly half and we were down to ten minutes remaining. A cock-up in mid-field by the Lions saw the ball go loose and de Allende touching down despite being held back by Daly. The TMO came to the Lions rescue again – a clear knock on by Kolbe was spotted. Scrum to the Lions but another close call.

Play became frenetic as the minutes ticked away. This could still have gone either way. Three minutes left and a penalty awarded to the Lions. Up steps Farrell. “Take your time young man”, we shrieked. He knows what to do and with a nano second of the time allowed for the kick running out he calmly slotted it. It’s 17-22 the Boks had to score a try now.

It was a long three minutes but the Lions defence was absolutely brilliant with Itoje to the fore. “They shall not pass”, was their motto. With the clock in the red, a turnover was forced by Itoje and Hogg booted the ball gleefully into the stand. The Lions had won. We all collapsed in a heap.

On reflection not a great game of rugby in terms of quality but fantastic endeavour and commitment with the Lions doing really well to bounce back from an unpromising first half display. Standout players for the Lions in the second half were Itoje and Lawes backed up by accurate goal kicking from Biggar. In the battle of the replacement front rows, the Lions did not suffer in the scrums as many predicted they would. Alun Wyn Jones lasted the full eighty minutes and was calm and authoritative as captain and managed the referee well. He must have paid a visit to Merlin when he was at home nursing his injured shoulder!

So, we move on to the second test next week. Will there be changes? First and foremost the injury list from a bruising encounter needs to be assessed – will Biggar be fit after his head knock for instance?  Is the use of Daly at outside centre worth another go? – it was not really a great success. The Lions didn’t really look like scoring tries which is a cause for concern. After such a bruising encounter, should there be some squad rotation particularly in the forwards? The management team just about got the first test right so we have to have confidence in them rather than try and second guess them.

Win the next test and win the series but of course the South Africans will have other ideas and can be expected to come storming back. It promises to be a cracker.

Well played everyone.

Come on Lions!    

The Lion, the Puma and the Wallaby

Yesterday I had a triple helping of rugby. The third test between Australia and France was by far the most exciting with little to choose between the two sides in what has been a close series. Australia won narrowly (33-30) to secure the decider despite being down to fourteen men for most of the match. France has by no means been at full strength for this series but has demonstrated that their strength in depth is becoming formidable.

Wales against Argentina was like watching men against boys as the brawny South Americans quickly took a stranglehold on the match. Unlike the first test last week, Argentina managed to keep fifteen men on the field and were far too strong for what was very much a second/third string Welsh side.

Wales started well enough with a fine try from Lane but, from then on, they were really up against it as the powerful Puma forwards made ground with virtually every carry. The visitors scored two tries to take an 8-17 half time lead and it could have been worse.

The second half was even more difficult to watch as a Welsh supporter. The yellow card for Amos didn’t help but Wales were on the back foot for most of the time. With what little good possession that they did have, they tried to spread the ball wide but their handling was just not up to the job. Meanwhile the pressure exerted by the Puma forwards led to a series of penalties and the scoreboard kept ticking along in Argentina’s favour. Wales never gave up trying but wilted in the heat - what are we doing playing rugby in July on the hottest day of the year? It was no surprise when the Pumas scored their third try from yet another forward surge to take the final score to a chastening 11-33.

Wales can at least take comfort in blooding a number of young players against what is, after all, strong opposition. There is some potential there that is for sure. Yesterday though, few Welsh players came out in credit. Definitely one to forget!

The third match was the Lions against the Stormers. The Lions had suffered a defeat in midweek against a South Africa “A” team stacked with seasoned internationals so needed to bounce back convincingly. The first twenty minutes or so belonged to the home team who had plenty of possession and troubled the Lions in all aspects of the game but only had three points to show for it. The Lions gradually established a level of control with a try from Beard settling the nerves. Beard has really grasped his opportunity with both hands and is looking pretty comfortable amongst the more exalted names in the second row.

From then on, it was reasonably plain sailing for the tourists with forwards dominating the try scoring. The Lions held a comfortable half time lead at 3-21 thanks to tries from the effervescent Cowan-Dickie and Hill.

After the break, the Lions added a further four tries through Conan, Fagerson, Rees-Zammit and Simmonds to wrap up a satisfying 3-49 victory. The second half was noteworthy for the return of Alun Wyn Jones who looked pretty sprightly against all the odds. A special word also for Marcus Smith making his first start and who certainly looked the part.

All thoughts now turn to the first test next Saturday and endless speculation as to who will be in the Lions team. Others far more knowledgeable than I will be pontificating on who should and shouldn’t be picked but one thing is for sure the pack needs to be the strongest that we can make it with emphasis on the set piece and breakdown for at least the first hour. What happened to England in the RWC Final shows what the Springboks can do if they gain dominance up front. Should Alun Wyn Jones play? It seems incredible that he has a decent chance of doing so. The three definite starters in the pack should be Furlong, Itoje and Curry after that it is up for grabs. Beyond that I will not speculate as it is far too early on a Sunday morning but surely Cowan-Dickie had earned a place with his performance yesterday.

It is a three match series crammed into three consecutive weekends so winning the first test is incredibly important. It is a big ask for anyone to play all three tests so managing the squad through the series will be important as there are bound to be many injuries.

I wish the team and the management all the best on coming up with a winning formula.

Come on Lions!

Wales Find Argentinian Beef Tough

A double header on the couch yesterday with Wales v Argentina followed by the Lions v Sharks II. There was of course competition from Wimbledon and the remote suddenly went missing and got into management’s hands fortunately a compromise was quickly established.

In Cardiff it was clear right from the start that the tough Argentinians were an entirely different prospect to the Canadians the previous week. Mano a mano they looked physically stronger than their Welsh counterparts and this was going to be hard going for a below strength Wales team. There was little rugby played in an error strewn first half with neither side being particularly impressive. The Pumas were on top in the scrums which were a constant source of frustration that ultimately led to a yellow card for Lewis and Chaparro as the referee lost patience quite a while after the rest of us.

With the scores at 6-6 following a couple of penalties each, the Welsh cause was helped by the red card for Argentinian fullback Mallia after a high tackle on Hardy. Strangely Hardy was not required to undergo a HIA after what looked like a considerable whack on the head.  Equally strangely the numerical advantage that the Welsh now had (14-13) did not seem to help at all as the Pumas enjoyed their best spell of the match scoring a try either side of half time to take a deserved 6-20 lead.

Wales had to react and they did. The Puma’s defence was uncompromising and Wales struggled to make the extra man count. The introduction of Tomos Williams at scrum half helped to increase the tempo of the Welsh attacking play and, ten minutes later, Wales at last scored their first try when Rowlands ploughed over from short range (13-20). Wales continued to attack in fits and starts and finally with ten minutes left Williams darted over from close range and with the conversion the game was tied up at 20-20.

Could Wales go on and win it? Well both sides had opportunities to break the deadlock with late penalty attempts but neither were successful. I suppose a draw was a fair reflection on the game but it is fair to say the Welsh team has plenty to work on before they face the Pumas next weekend.

In South Africa, the Lions’ tour is becoming disjointed to say the least with the impact of Covid disrupting both schedule and selection. Last Wednesday the Lions had to make wholesale late changes to the backs before their game against the Sharks due to Covid isolations. They still won comfortably (7-54) with Adams and van der Merwe helping themselves to a hat trick of tries each. The Bulls game scheduled for yesterday was called off and the Lions faced the Sharks again in a hastily arranged fixture.

Both teams were much changed with the Sharks fielding a more youthful team. The first half came a as a bit of a shock if the Lions were expecting an easy runout. A highly motivated Sharks team seized on every Lions mistake (and there were many of them) with glee and went toe to toe with their more illustrious opponents. The lead changed hands several times with the score after a breathless first half tied up at 26-26. The Sharks had troubled the Lions in all areas and were clearly enjoying the challenge.

The Lions had to improve in the second half and they did with the error count much reduced as they tightened up their style of play. The sending off of Sharks scrum half Hendrikse for elbowing Liam Williams was a turning point and the Lions quickly stamped their authority on the game to eventually win 31-71 with a total of eleven tries scored. They did concede five tries which will be of great concern to the coaching team.

The battle for places in the test team looks far from being resolved in many areas with few players enhancing their chances yesterday – Watson, George and van der Merwe being honourable exceptions. Injuries/Covid could have a part to play no doubt but how would you like to choose between the wings available? The scrum didn’t go particularly well in the first half or in the game on Wednesday and selection here will be crucial if the Lions are to match the Springboks in a key area of the game where they are so strong.

There is plenty more rugby to come with no competition from Wimbledon. The remote is safely under lock and key.  Happy days! 

Well, it is the cricket season

It is back to some serious rugby watching in couchland. Yesterday we had Wales v Canada from Cardiff and the B&I Lions v the Sigma Lions from Jo’burg. Both games turned out to be very one-sided but at least the right side won in both cases. This followed on from the All Blacks beating Tonga by a 100+ points and the Springboks winning by 40 against Georgia. A collection of cricket scores indeed.

Wales fielded a blend of new and old and proved to be far too strong for the Canadians. For large parts of the match Wales played with verve and invention and at times rang the opposition ragged. It was good to see a large contingent of Dragons show what they could do. Carter in the second row looks a real prospect. The only really sour note in the match was what looked to be a serious knee injury to the redoubtable Halfpenny on what was his one hundredth international appearance. He has been a great servant to Wales and I wish him a speedy recovery. For the record Wales won 68-12. They now take on Argentina who will no doubt provide much stiffer opposition.

Following on from their victory over Japan the B&I Lions played their first game in South Africa. Understandably there were a few misfires along the way but the tourists never really looked like losing in what was a useful warm up game with the final score a resounding 14-56 victory. Josh Adams continued his scoring streak with four tries and did his test ambitions no harm at all. Louis Rees Zammit scored the first try but thereafter the scoring passes went out to the left wing for Adams to gobble up. Man of the match was Hamish Watson who put in a storming performance and he does remind me of David Pocock the great Australian flanker. In fact, put Navidi and Watson together and you might have something like the Pocock and Hooper combination that the Aussies deployed so successfully.

None of the players who played did their chances of test selection any harm at all and all will have benefited from a game at altitude. There will be selection conundrums for Gatland and co to work through as the tour progresses. Not least of which will be the 10,12 & 13 combination. Russell and Farrell together was not a great success yesterday but it is early days. Both Farrell and Biggar are proven top class goal kickers and as such you would probably expect both to be in the twenty-three man test squad. The question is how to deploy them along with the fine centres available. There are four more matches before the first test for the management team to firm up their ideas.

Someone told me that the England football team won yesterday. I wonder if there will be anything about it in the Sunday papers. I will go and find out.

Come on Wales

Come on Lions