Boka Team Second test

Boks one change- Burger in!

Also Hines the Scot band for 3 weeks.

Lions Vs Emerging Boks

As I sat in the stands of a wet, wet Cape Towns Newlands looking at a game being played in the middle of the park with the stadium built with apatite in place I still could not help but think wow I what a great game and that true I found the hole time I been here there is some thing special about the Lions.

Well today's game the wet and wind stop them being to special but our front row played well, second row. I can be bothered to have ago at Worsley and Powell again but they where rubbish. Ellis was not at his best but still played well. Fluty had his best game of Tour and his D was smashing! Shane look good I don't no if it was good to tack the test spot as Monye came on and look good. Earls has had a bit of a bashing from this blog but I must say he played well. Same for Fitzie as normal he was OK.

O'Gara came off after 45 which makes me think he could be in a shout of a test spot. Vickery came on from Boos from one part of the stands, which made me angry but he put his critics to rest with a excellent 14 minuets.

So with all this what went wrong. First the brake down was slow and second we where slow in the rain.  

First Test-What I think

We can blame the Ref, we can blame Vickery, we can blame Jones and we can blame Myne but at then end of the day we lost, and it relay dose not matter how we lost or what we could of dune just that those things don't happen next week.
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I do remember people tell me that this is not like 1997 as our pack are much more match, boy they where wrong. Vickery I can say had the worse game of his life after beest destroyed him. After the first couple of scrum Vickery mind blow and never came back. Mears had a shakie game but I would not say it was a shocker and still see him starting the next test even after Rees played well when came on. Jenkins was the out standing player of the front row.
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Second Row all three had good games, Jones Reilly could of put his hand up for the way he played the first half. Our back row played well. Wolles was all over and his ball caring was topnotch. Hislip had a quite game we rill needed him to stand up but you can not say he had a bad game just good. Croft the man who was left at home who is fighting for a plays in the England team and his club think he not good to play on the flank, was the best player for the Lions.
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Phillips was on fire he showed the pride of the Lions when we where down he stood up and put in the exsta pace which lacked in the first half. Jones had a good game in open play and in the D but did not kick all his goles will Geech drop him because of the kicks when he others so much?
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Robertes and BOD where great again amazing rugby in the mid field. Before he was taken off for a knock Burn had a OK game not a good game but was ok. He did not make mistakes but did not do any thing mouth dropping as we might hope. Moyne played well, yes he had to disallowed trys but he did pass the line. Bows lines are great.
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Attack was good, our D was good but we gave to many penalties and our scum was week.

My Pick of Lions Test Team

Today we will here from Geech on his team to take on the Bok this Saturday in the First test. I am going to go on record and put down the team I think he will pick, not nesery the team I would pick but the team he will.

My Lions Team:
Lee Byrne,Tommy Bowe,Brian O'Driscoll Jamie Roberts,Ugo Monye, Stephen Jones,M Phillips,G Jenkins, L Mears,P Vickery, A-W Jones , Paul O'Connell, T Croft, Martyn Williams, Jamie Heaslip.
Subs: Matthew Rees, Adam Jones,Nathan Hines,D Wallace, H Ellis,Ronan O'Gara, Riki Flutey.

I pick Wallace on the bench because Williams has to start and if he played 6 then AW Jones could not start as then we will not have a jumper at one. No Sheridan because I think Jenkins has been out standing in the open and we need a sub on the bench who can come on for Vickery as there no Murry Jones is that man. Shane Williams has not been on form.

Lions Vs Southern Kings -What I Think

I think you will find I said "This could go wrong for the Lions". Well I was kind of right it was a crap game. The first half I felt like I prefer to watch paint dry. There where no death in attack and the pace of the game was slow, was this because no one wonted to be over dune for the test? People like Monye and Fitz had slow game but Monye probably has got that test shirt now. Earls was better he look good running before he bugged up, so at least he is doing some right before he messes up. I can not help if any of the other players who where playing fallback we would be tow more trys up.
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The boys in the Mid filed where boring and flat. Hook got a bad knock and O'Gara came on and played OK. I don't know why but he seems to be playing in a different style and I would like to see him play like he dues for Ireland and Munster even it boring he is danders instead of trying to be Cipiarni.
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Worsley and Powell the Barbarian did what they do and hang out in the mid Field and Waite for the ball. Hines had a great game he got stuck in and was keen infarct the other second rows Shaw D O'Callaghan also played well but at times you could tell we had three second row on the pitch. Could this mean that Hines will be on the test bench as a back row cover and second row?
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Our Front three today where great Murray came of early and I just hope he is OK. Sheridan R Ford and Jones; who came on for Murry. Where great I think Geech will be asking him self do I do for the power of Sheridan or do you go for the open play of Jenkins?
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The D was good again I think Edwards is doing a outstanding job. So could be said for the kicking. I don't know if they went slow and uncreative because they are tired or that they are just saving them self. I hope the latter. I think I can say it again but Job Done!

6 Bok down 4 to go. It the big 4 next come on BOYOS!!!

Springbok team for The First Test

The Boks have put out there team for the first game. It a bloody good team to say the least! If I was going to pick I will have to say they don't have much pace off the bench, that me trying to find a weakness. I think with this team they will be hard running in midfield and looking for quick ball and drag defenders in and force the penaltys. They wont be eclectic just brutal and if they win it, its because of 80 minuets of fall on power and the kicks will win it.

Springboks 2009 first test Durban 20Th June:

3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira

5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha,

8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussow,

10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez,

12 Jean de Villiers,13 Adi Jacobs,

15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen,11 Bryan Habana

Subs:16 Deon Carstens, 17 Gurthro Steenkamp, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Morne Steyn, 22 Jaque Fourie.

Lions Vs Southern Kings -Preview

I done a write up on the Southern Kings Squid as there was a wee bit of gossip that Mike Catt was going to play for them. You can read it here. There have a good pool of players to pick from the pick being: Former Boks, De Wet Barry, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Solly Tyibilika and Bevin Fortuin . Springbok Sevens captain Mzwandile Stick and team mates from South Africa first IRB World Sevens Championship also join: Rayno Benjamin and Mpho Mbiyozo. Other Champions in the team are Derick Kuün, Jaco Engels and Francois Hougaard, recently crowned Super 14 champions with the Bulls. The Southern King is not yet a 'Super' team but hope that a good game against the Lions it will help them in there bid to be in a Super 15.

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The Lions have pick what I would say is a B team. The player here are fighting for a place on the test bench with S Williams Vs Fitzgerald, Flutey Vs D'Arcy, Hook Vs O'Gara,Ford Vs Rees,Murray Vs Jones and Hines,O'Callaghan, Shaw all fighting for the second row first bench spot.

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This could go wrong for the Lions but as a lot of the players are fighting it could go right. Murry still got a shot of a staring place he just need a excellent game to stop Vickery. In case the back row gos wrong Geech has put a class acts on the bench Croft,Wallace who could still be fighting for test shirt.

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Southern Kings have played less together than the Lions so it could be a tryfest for the Lions or a slip up. You never know, we might find out Young Earls is the best 15 in the world. The game being played at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday at 1400 UK&Paddy time.

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Lions Team to take on the Southern Kings:

K Earls (Munster); S Williams (Wales), R Flutey (England), G D'Arcy (Ireland), L Fitzgerald (Ireland), J Hook (Wales), M Blair (Scotland); A Sheridan (England), R Ford (Scotland), E Murray (Scotland), S Shaw (England), D O'Callaghan (Ireland-capt), N Hines (Scotland), J Worsley (England), A Powell (Wales).

Subs: M Rees (Wales), A Jones (Wales), T Croft (England), D Wallace (Ireland), H Ellis (England), R O'Gara (Ireland), U Monye (England).