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!