Lions v South Africa official thread

[warsaw]

The big day has arrived, really looking forward to this and with thousands of Lions fans in attendance should be a really good atmosphere.

Northern hemisphere rugby is in it's best shape for some years I think. We have plenty of experience and pace in the squad and if we can keep posession and move the SA pack around I think we have a great chance. And it's their first international of the season so they may be a bit rusty.

So I'll go for the Lions by 10 points.

 

[hart's shirt]

This has every possibility of being a fantastic series.

IMHO, we've got more quality in the backline than the Boks with the likes of BOD, Roberts, Byrne and Bowe.

Will be really interesting to see how POC and AWJ do against Matfield and Botha at the lineout. As you say, if our pack can move them around the field, we'll have a chance.

The Boks for the main part haven't been playing in their regional sides since the Super 14 season finished.

5 points in this one either way. C'mon Lions!

 

[warsaw]

C'mon boys, let's give the Dutch farmers a spanking!

 

[HP Seagull]

come on that has to be a try!

 

[sam86]

Hmm...

 

[warsaw]

Giving away to many penalties, scrum is a nightmare. I don't understand what the ref is finding wrong with othe srum, any ideas? SA much better at kicking game too.

But when we have the ball we look v good but must cut out the penalties.

 

[HP Seagull]

This ref's an absolute mug. The worst bit was when we had a break on but blew the whistle to give us a scrum instead, saying "oh, sorry...." then from the scrum gave them yet another penalty.

Then he told Vickery that if he wanted to speak to him to do at half time, then didn't look as if he wanted to when they tried to do so. Joke.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I enjoyed the ref's disagreement with the TV judge when the Lions had that try turned down. The TV judge wanted a scrum to the Lions to be awarded. The ref gave South Africa a kick from the 22.

The ref was right.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

ffs! The South Africans are now just taking the piss.

Humiliating stuff for the Lions.

 

[Scotty Mac]

this is turning into a raping - quite ironic in south africa really

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

What's happened? Last time I looked it was 13-7 with seven or eight minutes till halftime. Now it's 26-7 ten minutes into the second half! WTF?!

 

[warsaw]

What's happened? Last time I looked it was 13-7 with seven or eight minutes till halftime. Now it's 26-7 ten minutes into the second half! WTF?!

murdered by a rolling maul which went half the pitch

Forwards letting us down but we still like scoring when we have the ball

 

[warsaw]

C'mon!!!!" We can do it

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

What a bloody great game!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What a bloody great game!

Indeed.

Taking the piss was a tactical error by South Africa. They nearly paid the penalty.

 

[warsaw]

Fantastic last 25. Must sort out scrum line-out and break-down next week.

The backs can win it, no doubt about that .

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

5 points in this one either way. C'mon Lions!

Any money on that?

 

[Scotty Mac]

o'gara would have won that game

 

[Questions]

Pienaar had all the time in the world in that first 60 minutes and we have to get to him in the 2nd test.
What a bloody match though.

 

[Icy Gull]

I enjoyed the ref's disagreement with the TV judge when the Lions had that try turned down. The TV judge wanted a scrum to the Lions to be awarded. The ref gave South Africa a kick from the 22.

The ref was right.

Really? Looked to me like the South African knocked the ball out of the Lions players hand and then touched it down himself. How did the ref know he didn't do it before the ball reached the try line, in which case the SA player carried it over and it should have been a 5 metre scrum to the Lions surely? The ref went to video replay as he wasn't sure and then only half took the advice. Not saying he was wrong as we had the advantage of seeing that the ball was taken from behind the line, the ref didn't, so why didn't he accept the video ref's decision.

I thought the ref was a c.unt who gave any advantage to the South Africans and he got it wrong for a couple of the collapsed scrum penalties as the SA front row forward was going into the scrum at an angle forcing the Lions front row up and then being awarded the penalty. Most decent refs give a warning, he gave at least two very debatable penalties which resulted in points against the Lions.

Are all the refs going to be Southern Hemisphere, because if so we can expect more of the same poor/different interpretion of the rules.

Overall a great comeback and looking forward to the next one where I hope the ref doesn't have as much influence over the result.