Review - Queensland Reds 12 - 22 British & Irish Lions

The odd thing about this particular Lions tour above others is that it seems to have had a couple of false starts.  I mean, when did the tour really begin?  Was it when the players got selected?  Probably not, since Dylan Hartley didn’t even make it onto the plane following his stupidly honest outburst directed at Wayne Barnes.  The Barbarians game?  Still a bit of a no, because half the squad wasn’t available, the game was played in bizarrely bad conditions, and the opposition looked about as coherent as Freddie Flintoff on a stag-do.  In a pedalo.

Surely, then, it was when the Lions touched down in Australia, and played their first match on Wallaby turf?  Again, everyone seems to have said “Oh, that doesn’t count”.  Why?  Because the Force picked a side that posed as much threat as bag of bunnies and, once again, there was no real test for the Lions.  But nobody thought that would be the case against the Reds in Brisbane.  From the moment that Ewan McKenzie picked a squad stuffed with 12 full Wallabies, including the mercurial Quade Cooper as his captain, you knew this was the real deal.  This would be a “Welcome to Queensland” in the way the Aussies know best.  It was going to be fast, brutal and electrifyingly good to watch.

Memories of the farce against the Force were swiftly swept aside as the Reds tore out of the blocks in an explosive opening spell that had the tourists rattled.  Playing with tremendous speed and purpose, the hosts quick tapped at every opportunity – twice from kickable penalties – to stretch the tourists’ defence from the start, and twice the Queenslanders went close to crossing for a try.  Firstly, Luke Morahan was inches away from claiming a beautifully weighted box kick from Nick Frisby, before Beau Robinson knocked on within sight of the line following a sharp burst from Ben Tapuai and then ‘Rocket’ Rod Davies.  Thankfully for the Lions, the set piece was looking utterly dominant, with the Aussie scrum crumpling with alarming ease and Geoff Parling at his telepathic best in the lineout.

Five minutes later though, and the tourists proved that the hosts weren’t the only ones capable of playing sexy rugby, with winger Tommy Bowe hitting a lovely angle to burst through the defensive line, step inside the cover and heave a big pass out to Alex Cuthbert.  The big Welshman had been caught out in defence a couple of times already but pinned his not-insignificant ears back and went for the corner, only to be denied by a superb cover tackle from Morahan.  Despite missing the try, the Lions went back to work at the set piece and soon got their reward after the pack marmalised the Reds’ 8 in another scrum, giving Owen Farrell the chance to slot over from distance.

The game was finely poised and being played at a breathless pace, and it was no surprise when the first try came – although there were stunned faces all round at the quality of the score when it came long.  Luke Morahan fielded an average kick from Owen Farrell before stepping around Alex Cuthbert – with the help of a cheeky nudge from Ben Lucas – and setting off on a mazy run that took him inside the covering Ben Youngs, through past the desperate Sam Warburton and over (via a perfectly weighted chip) Stuart Hogg, collecting his kick to dive in under the posts for an outstanding try.  Quade Cooper, whose passing had been unlocking the Lions defence on a regular basis, added the extras and the hosts had a 4 point lead.

This game was a shining example of how rugby should be played – this was fast, entertaining and brutal in the purest form of the game.  Farrell added another 3 points with the boot, but every time one side had the ball, they would create something – even the Lions fly half got in on the act, with a show-and-go taking him within metres of the line before the Reds turned him over through the excellent Robinson.  O’Donoghue then made big inroads around the fringes to give Cooper a simple penalty attempt, that the fly half scuffed, before the Lions came within the centimetres of scoring a try themselves.  Ben Youngs made a smart dart to put George North away, and the big winger should superb speed and judgement to get away from his man and flick an inside ball back in to Farrell, who was hauled down by Morahan as he reached for the line.  The TMO was called in and showed it was another stunning piece of defensive play by the Reds winger, saving a try, and the hosts had a relieving scrum.  Danger averted?

Not quite.  Under huge pressure, Jake Schatz picked up and was scragged by Ben Youngs, who forced the pill loose, back heeled and then dived on the bouncing ball to claim a try for the Lions.  The TMO was inconclusive as to whether or not the Englishman had knocked it on, but the try was award, and Farrell’s conversion put the visitors ahead.  It was soon nearly so much better for the Lions, when George North set off on an incredible run from his own 22 metre line, charging past 6 players before feeding the ball to Warburton.  The flanker was hunted down well by the cover defence but, stepping inside, it looked like he may have made it – only to be denied by a superb tackle by Quade Cooper of all people, with the Reds fly half getting his foot under the ball to prevent a try.  Despite the disappointment of missing out on a 5 pointer, Farrell added another penalty on the stroke of half time to leave the score 16 – 7 to the visitors.

If the first half had been dynamite, the second was just as explosive – although perhaps half a pace slower, as the bodies understandably started to tire.  It meant more half breaks though, as North, Ben Youngs and Dom Shipperley – on for the superb Luke Morahan – all made dangerous in roads into the opposition defence.  The Lions struck first in the 2^nd half with another Farrell penalty, before Mako Vunipola and Robinson struck each other with one of the most full-on head clashes I’ve ever seen on the rugby field.  It led to a five minute break in play, a concussion and a substitution for Robinson and a look of mild irritation for Vunipola, who looked as though he’d just suffered a mosquito bite.  The combination of the breather and the increasing rain began to suck some of the ambition out of the game, but this was still an enthralling contest as the collisions increased in ferocity.

It was ding-dong stuff, with jabs going in from either side, but it was the Reds who landed the next haymaker.   Frisby sent Davies scorching down the right wing before collecting the inside ball and just evading George North to touch down for his team’s second try.  Although substitute Mike Harris missed the simple conversion, Brisbane was beginning to believe.

Ultimately though, the Lions played the smarter rugby, with Dan Cole counter-rucking superbly to turn over ball when the Reds were mounting an attack, before fellow substitute Paul O’Connell got his hands on the ball to force a penalty as the hosts tried to play from deep, which was knocked over by Farrell.  It sealed the game at 12 – 22, but that didn’t tell the whole story.

This one was where the tour really started.  This had speed, power, drama and ambition in abundance from both sides – and if that’s any sort of taster of what’s to come on this tour, well, call me greedy, but I can’t wait.

 

Reds Player Ratings

Ben Lucas – 6 – Solid at the back but didn't see anywhere near enough of him joining the line.

Rod Davies – 7 – Having a quiet day at the office and then…BAM! Screeches down the wing and sets up the score.  Great wheels from Rocket.
Ben Tapuai – 6 – Strong defensive presence and then a sharp break early on, but then faded out of the game.
Anthony Faingaa – 5 – An absolute rock in defence but utterly invisible with the ball in hand.
Luke Morahan – 8 – Scoring one of the best solo tries in recent years against the Lions is not a  bad effort.  Neither is a try saving tackle 10 minutes later.
Quade Cooper – 7 – Everything you'd expect from Quade.  Mesmeric footwork, delicious passing, dropped passes and scuffed kicks.  Had more good moments then bad, though.
Nick Frisby – 7 – Finished off his try well and looked lively throughout – a shame about a 5 minute period where he chucked a couple of howlers, however.
Ben Daley – 5 –Took a bit of a beasting in the scrum before being subbed early on
James Hanson – 4 – Not the best of days for the hooker, enduring a torrid time in the set piece, with Geoff Parling his chief tormentor at the lineout
Greg Holmes – 4 – Would have been targeting Vunipola in the scrum but came up a clear second best.
Ed O'Donoghue – 6 – Not great in the lineout but a workman like performance from the lock, making plenty of tackles.
Adam Wallace-Harrison – 6 – Kept up well with the pace of the game and a couple of decent rumbles with the ball caught the eye.
Ed Quirk – 7 – The blindside flanker was a real thorn in the side of the Lions pack, displaying a powerful physicality in the loose that more often than not forced slow ball.
Beau Robinson – 8 – The bloke may resemble a low-budget 80s pornstar but he was a real menace for the tourists, pilfering ball and really getting stuck into the Lions' pack.  How he got up after taking Vunipola's head to his face at full tilt I'll never know.
Jake Schatz – 7 – A real shame he lost the ball to Ben Youngs in contact as he was part of a backrow effort that was outshining their illustrious opponents for much of the game.

 

Subs Used

Albert Anae – 5 – Wasn't comfortable in the scrum and couldn't make an impression around the park
Sam Denny – No time to make an impact
Jono Owen – No time to make an impact
Jarrad Butler – 6 – Showed some dynamism around the park and didn't seem overwhelmed by the pace of the game
Radike Samo – 6 – The fans favourite acquitted himself with typical gusto but couldn't quite dominate as much as he would have liked
Jono Lance – No time to make an impact
Mike Harris – 5 – Nearly went clean through with one good line but failed to hold on.  Missed a sitter of a conversion as well.
Dom Shipperley – 6 – Looked lively with some promising touches but didn't find the space Morahan did.

 

Lions Player Ratings

Stuart Hogg – 6 – A couple of lovely darts caught the eye but he was also caught out of position a couple of times

Alex Cuthbert – 5 – He didn't look quite fit to me.  Always a danger with the ball in hand but will be disappointed with his finish following Bowe's break and was caught out defensively for the 2nd try
Manu Tuilagi – 5 – Barely touched the ball before having to go off, but had played well in defence before then.
Jonathan Davies – 6 – A workmanlike display that wasn't flash, but made his tackles and carried with purpose
Tommy Bowe – 7 – Was looking really good before being forced off at the end of the first half, with one mazy run in particular nearly leading to a try.
Owen Farrell – 7 – An almost Quade-ish display, without the out-and-out flair.  Flawless goalkicking, a couple of breaks, powerful defence, some dodgy distribution and some aimless kicks summed up a mixed evening for the Saracens man.
Ben Youngs – 8 – A strong statement from the England scrum half.  Good box kicks, quick service and some sharp breaks caught the eye, but it was his tenacity that got him and the Lions on the scoresheet.
Mako Vunipola – 8 – Not quite as bulldozing as he was against the Force but his work in the scrum was superb and he worked tirelessly on the carry.
Tom Youngs – 7 – Flawless in the lineout and typically busy around the park, the Leicester hooker is giving Gatland some interesting selection decisions.
Matt Stevens – 6 – A great display in the scrum was backed up by a solid effort around the park, although he seemed to struggle with the pace as the game went on.
Richie Gray – 7 – Impressive showing from the Scottish giant.  Worked his socks off in defence and carried a fair bit as well.
Geoff Parling – 7 – Completed an impressive partnership in the second row.  He may not have been quite as impressive in the loose as his blonde-haired buddy but he was dominant in the lineout, winning a key battleground for the Lions.
Dan Lydiate – 7 – The best of the backrow, although he still isn't back to his best.  The game's top defensive player worked tirelessly, although it would have been good to see him more in attack.
Sam Warburton – 6 – It would be unfair to expect the Lions captain not to be rusty on his first game back, but he needs to get back into his stride ASAP.  Missed a key tackle on Morahan but grew in influence as the game wore on.
Toby Faletau – 5 – Disappointing from the talented 8.  One big charge aside, he was far too lateral on the carry and spilt the ball in contact several times, despite a good defensive shift.

Subs Used

Richard Hibbard – 6 – Carried on where Youngs left off with a busy showing off the bench

Dan Cole – 7 – Impressive cameo in the unfamiliar loosehead slot, and a superb piece of rucking won key turnover ball for the Lions late on.
Adam Jones – 6 – Like Cole, helped dominate the scrum and tried to get involved away from the set-piece too.
Paul O'Connell – 7 – Another to impress off the bench, looking strong in the lineout and winning the decisive penalty at the end of the game.
Justin Tipuric – No time to make an impact
Johnny Sexton – 6 – A sharp display from the Irishman added to his reputation as the overwhelming favourite to start the Tests at 10
George North – 9 – What an athlete.  The run he went on to set up Warburton for his near try was breathtaking in terms of speed and power, but he is a smart footballer as well.  The number 11 shirt is his.  Man of the match.

Preview - Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions

Jekyll and Hyde syndrome is a topic that intrigues many.  Being more than one person and not having any control over who pops out to say hello is both a fascinating and frightening idea – which is probably why it has formed the undercurrent for so many Hollywood films, such as 'Psycho', 'American Psycho' (I'm seeing a trend here) and, the worst of them all, 'Me Myself and Irene' starring Jim Carey.  Chilling stuff.  But perhaps we don't realise that varying degrees of split-personalities are all around us every day, and it's no different on the sports field.

Before I get accused of gross ignorance, I am of course referring to individuals characterised by casually blowing hot and cold with no indication as to which, as opposed to actual clinical schizophrenia, which is a serious issue.  I'm talking about your boss who will smile and buy you a cup of coffee one morning before attempting to hang you by your tie the next (perhaps that's just my office though) – you can't deny that there's nothing like a bit of unpredictability to keep you on your toes.  And of course, when it does come to sport, it becomes a very divisive topic – whilst some may refer to an interchangeable individual as inconsistent and a liability, I would refer to them as mercurial and a maverick.  It depends whether or not you're a glass half full kind of guy I suppose.  And nobody has earned that 'unpredictable' tag more than Quade Cooper.

I'll be honest – I think he's great.  Not necessarily the nicest (think of his cheap shots on Richie McCaw) or smartest (calling your coach 'toxic' won't endear you to selectors) bloke in the world, but he sure is good to watch on the rugby field.  You can't coach out that instinct to have a go and spot gaps and opportunities that others would miss – although the English coaching team does its best with their guys – and there is a reason why the Reds look so much more of a threat when he's in the side.  Ewan McKenzie has placed so much stock in him that he's handed the kiwi-born playmaker a captain's armband for the fixture against the British and Irish Lions – one final opportunity for Cooper to prove to Robbie Deans that he is the real deal for the Test series.  Of course, Cooper's captaincy credentials have been bolstered by the fact that the Reds are missing 7 players to the Wallaby camp, but it would be cynical to suggest that's the only reason the fly half will be leading his side out at Brisbane.

This Reds side still contains 9 full Test internationals, and a raft of powerful talent that has seen them turning over the likes of reigning Super XV Champions, the Chiefs, away from home.  Of course, that Jekyll and Hyde syndrome appears to have been caught by the rest of the side, with bizarrely bad performances against the Western Force providing particular disappointment, but there is no doubting that, on their day, the Queenslanders are a class act.  Their Achilles heel though may well be in the engine rooms of the pack and the backline.  With their first choice lock pairing on international duty, the less experienced duo of Adam Wallace-Harrison and Ed O'Donoghue will be required to provide the required grunt and rule the lineouts and whilst the international centre pairing of Ben Tapuai and Anthony Faingaa may be rock solid defensively, they're pretty limited in attack.  In those two areas, the Reds look vulnerable, but there's some serious wheels out wide – the Reds will be relying on Cooper's distribution skills and their pacey backrow to pull this Lions' defence from one side to another and see how they react under pressure.

Of course, nobody really knows how this Lions side will react to pressure because nobody has done it yet.  The most uncomfortable parts of the tour so far for the combined outfit have come courtesy of Cian Healy's teeth and ankle, as well as Gethin Jenkins' calf muscle.  From looking overloaded at loosehead prop, the Lions are now starting to look a bit vulnerable, with Mako Vunipola forced to start again despite playing over a half on Wednesday.  This Lions side as a whole, looks a bit more mix and match, but the main talking point is the fact that Captain Sam Warburton will finally get to lead his side out after recovering from a knee injury.  And what a job he has too – not only taking the reins in the Lions' toughest assignment of the Tour so far, but also knowing he has to put in a display to match the wonderful performances of Justin Tipuric and Sean O'Brien. 

Of course, Warburton is not alone in his need to impress.  Geoff Parling, who looked good against the Force during his cameo, will want to get stuck into the opposition lineout and prove his ability around the park, whilst Ben Youngs will need to be at his razor sharp best to cast doubt on the apparent 'dead cert' that is a starting spot for Mike Phillips.  Jonathan Davies and Manu Tuilagi will need to show more than just power to get through their opposite numbers, and Tom Youngs will be aware that neither Best nor Hibbard have looked entirely convincing so far on tour, and an accurate display from him will throw his hat into the ring.  For the Lions to get on top, they need to attack the fringes of this Reds defence and suck in their quick back row – that means runners off Youngs' shoulders around the fringes of the rucks.  If Gatland has chosen brutal physicality as the Lions' primary weapon, then the tourists need to go all out to hammer it home.

Because this is the first big test of the 2013 Tour.  There are so many things about this game that are unpredictable – will Quade show up, will the Reds gel as a team, will the Lions cope under pressure – but one thing is certain.  You don't get easy games in Queensland.

Queensland Reds Team News

Quade Cooper captains a side shorn of seven Wallabies but still including nine internationals in the starting line-up - including centres Anthony Faingaa and Ben Tapuai and props Greg Holmes and Ben Daley - and a further three on the bench with the most familiar name the versatile Radike Samo. Five of the side have featured in all 15 of the Reds' Super Rugby matches to this point, including hooker James Hanson and back-rowers Eddie Quirk and Jake Schatz.

Starting Line-up:  Ben Lucas; Rod Davies, Ben Tapuai, Anthony Faingaa, Luke Morahan; Quade Cooper, Nick Frisby; Ben Daley, James Hanson, Greg Holmes; Adam Wallace-Harrison, Ed O'Donoghue; Eddie Quirk, Beau Robinson, Jake Schatz

Subs: Albert Anae, Sam Denny, Jono Owen, Radike Sam, Jarrad Butler, Jono Lance, Mike Harris, Dom Shipperley

Key Player

Jake Schatz.  The mobile number 8 has been a key figure behind some of the Reds' impressive forwards displays this year but has noticeably gone missing in key times when they have struggled – notably against the Force of late.  A mobile ball carrier, his ability to get around the park and offer himself as a runner in the wider channels will be absolutely critical to stretching the Lions' defensive line and testing their organisational skills.  He'll be aware that the tourists also looked most vulnerable around the fringes and so will be looking to pop up on Frisby's shoulder to keep the pressure on the inside defenders.

British & Irish Lions Team News

Captain Sam Warburton will make his British and Irish Lions debut against Queensland Reds on Saturday after recovering from a knee injury.   There are first starts for England quartet Ben and Tom Youngs, prop Matt Stevens and lock Geoff Parling.  Prop Gethin Jenkins was also due to start but has suffered a calf strain that has caused sufficient concern for Ryan Grant to be called up as cover.

Starting Line up: Stuart Hogg; Alex Cuthbert, Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Davies, Tommy Bowe; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Gethin Jenkins, Tom Youngs, Matt Stevens, Richie Gray, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.

Subs: Richard Hibbard, Mako Vunipola, Adam Jones, Paul O'Connell, Justin Tipuric, Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton, George North.

Key Player

Sam Warburton.  The Captain (and his magnificent chin) finally gets a chance to make his mark on the tour and he will be fired up for it.  A revelation in the 2011 World Cup, the outstanding flanker has had a bit of an up and down time since then and will need to get back to his ball-snaffling, marauding best if he is to nail down a test spot.  He also has a point to prove against the Aussies, with his record against the Wallabies standing at a discouraging played 7, lost 7, with the last 4 coming as Captain.  He won't be thinking about though; he'll be focused on the need to stall the Reds pack to Cooper is forced to play under pressure off slow ball.  If he does his job, the Reds lose their main attacking threat.

Key Battle

Quade Cooper v Owen Farrell.  The mercurial genius-cum-moron that is Quade Cooper will be potentially pulling the strings for both the Reds and the Wallabies, if this one goes well, and his battle against Farrell is pretty much as chalk-and-cheese as you can get.  The Aussie bad-boy will be looking to wind Farrell up and expose the powerful centre combination with his quick footwork and razor sharp passing, whilst Farrell will be hoping to kick on from his impressive cameo against the Force, where he scored a Cooper-esque try and showed some slick hands on several occasions.  He will have to stand flat and threaten the gainline to force Cooper into difficult tackles, as well as manage the game better than his opposite number - or else he'll risk letting Cooper take charge of the proceedings. And there is nobody more dangerous when they're in control.

Prediction

For me, this where the Lions kick their tour off for real.  Not just because the Reds will provide some serious opposition and a genuine threat of defeat to the tourists, but because there are players on both sides who will be looking to force their way in contention for the test series.  The Youngs brothers, Parling and Warburton will all be looking forward to presenting their case for Test selection, whilst Quade Cooper will be hungry to show off what he can do, as will the hard tackling Anthony Faingaa.  I can see this one being a brutal battle across the pitch, with a settled Reds outfit giving this patchy Lions side a real run for their money.  I think that Test hunger, though, will just be more apparent in the Lions' ranks, so I'm going to plump for a 3rd win for the tourists.  Lions by 6.
 

Super XV Big Match Preview - Brumbies v Rebels

Being a support act is tricky assignment.  You go on stage, do your damnedest to impress, and are rewarded by luke-warm applause and an impatient tapping of feet from an audience who are simply waiting for the real show to start.  And that’s if you’re lucky – the less patient crowds will cheerily burn an effigy with your face on it if you are detracting in anyway whatsoever from the main event.  So it would seem fair to predict that the game between the Brumbies and the Rebels on Friday night won’t be a firecracker match supported by manic fans with well-oiled vocal chords; they are playing in the shadow of a Lions Tour and in the aftermath of a State of Origin match after all.   But you’d be dead wrong.

Canberra doesn’t concern itself with League – the State of Origin doesn’t involve them – but the Brumbies team is a source of pride.  And this new crop has the best shot at taking Super Rugby honours since the giddy days of Larkham and Gregan – if that’s not enough to spur on the locals, I don’t know what is.  The fact that the Brumbies are just a bonus point win away from securing their place in the knockouts should ensure a fanatical level of support to help get them across the line – a level of support made easier by the fact that they are watching one of the most attractive rugby playing sides in the southern hemisphere club competition.  And of course they have a Lions game themselves to look forward to.

And for the Rebels?  Sure, Melbourne is big on Aussie Rules and is in prime rugby league territory, with the Storm usually up there in the NRL, but they’re not involved in State of Origin either and, besides, their union side is so crammed full of star quality that you can’t help to be drawn in.  OK, most of those big names are either on international duty, injured or taking a break from the sauce, but there’s still a talented group of players performing for a side who are on the up, as they’ve shown with some great wins this year.  A win against the Brumbies would set them up nicely for the visit of the Lions and also confirm their move away from the ‘basement club’ status they’ve had over the last couple of years, leaving the Force trailing in the process.

Side show or not, this isn’t a dead rubber in the Super Rugby world.  And that’ll be enough to make this the main event for 80 minutes, for the 30 blokes on the pitch and those lucky enough to be watching on Friday night.

 

Brumbies Team News

The Brumbies team sheet shows five changes to the team that beat the Hurricanes last weekend.

With the absence of five Wallabies players and a shoulder dislocation to Fotu Auelua, the Brumbies have re-jigged the forward pack to include Leon Power at lock, Scott Fardy at blind-side flanker and Peter Kimlin at No 8.  Siliva Siliva will start at hooker and Dan Palmer returns to the starting side at tight-head prop.  Also returning to the starting side is Wallaby Pat McCabe at inside centre in place of Christian Lealiifano. Clyde Rathbone slides onto Joe Tomane's wing and the rest of last week's backline remains intact.

Starting Line up:  Jesse Mogg; Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani, Pat McCabe, Clyde Rathbone; Matt Toomua, Nic White (captain); Peter Kimlin, Colby Faingaa, Scott Fardy; Sam Carter, Leon Power; Dan Palmer, Siliva Siliva, Scott Sio.

Subs: Joshua Mann-Rea, Ruan Smith, Etienne Oosthuizen, Jordan Smiler, Ian Prior, Robbie Coleman, Zack Holmes.

Key Player

Pat McCabe.  The powerful centre has had a rotten time of it with injuries of late, making my torn acl seem pretty trivial by comparison, but he will be wanting to make this comeback stick and maybe even throw his hat into the ring as a late shout for a Wallaby spot against the Lions.  Hard carrying and real brute in defence, he would certainly add some beef to an area where the Australians are light and the Lions are heavy.  Against the Rebels though, McCabe will be fully concentrated on trying pressurise young stand-in stand-off Bryce Hegarty into making mistakes.

 

Rebels Team News

The Melbourne Rebels have named a team with ten changes to the one that lost to the Reds for this weekend's Super Rugby match against the Brumbies.  Luke Burgess will return to Super Rugby from the bench, arriving from France on Monday morning. The 37 Test halfback spent time in Canberra as part of the Brumbies Squad in the 2003 and 2007 seasons, before joining the Waratahs and gaining Wallabies selection. Following injuries to Scott Higginbotham, Hugh Pyle and Jarrod Saffy, Gareth Delve returns to the starting team as Captain, while Luke Jones and Jordy Reid join Cadeyrn Neville and Scott Fuglistaller in the back five. With their Wallaby preliminary squad selection, Nick Phipps and James O'Connor will both be unavailable for the Round 17 derby, and Nic Stirzaker and Bryce Hegarty are both promoted to the starting team. Shota Horie returns to Osaka for international duties, giving Pat Leafa his first opportunity to play Super Rugby.

Starting Line up:  Jason Woodward; Tom English, Mitch Inman, Rory Sidey, Lachlan Mitchell; Bryce Hegarty, Nic Stirzaker; Gareth Delve (captain), Scott Fuglistaller, Jordy Reid; Luke Jones, Cadeyrn Neville; Laurie Weeks, Ged Robinson, Nic Henderson.

Subs: Pat Leafa, Paul Alo-Emile, James King, Tim Davidson, Luke Burgess, James Hilgendorf, Kimami Sitauti.

Key Player

Bryce Hegarty.  The 20 year old fly half will be placed under extreme pressure by a physical Brumbies back row and centre combination, but if he keeps his head like he’s shown he can, he will be fine.  Blessed with quick feet and a sharp brain, the young 10 will need to ensure he is vocal and bossy to those much more experienced than he is so he can have all options available to relieve the pressure off his shoulders.

 

Key Battle

Peter Kimlin v Gareth Delve.  With key carriers and leaders Ben Mowen and Scott Higginbotham off with the Wallabies and medics respectively, the two number 8s on Friday will have a huge role to play in putting their sides on the front foot and organising the defence.  With 2 backlines capable of causing damage, they will need to be at their marauding best to suck in as many defenders as possible to give the pretty boys as much room as possible to do their thing.  Whoever wins the carries and yardage battles, probably wins his side the game.

 

Prediction

Whilst the Rebels have looked in very decent nick of late, going to play the Brumbies on their patch is a massively tough assignment, even if the hosts are missing key players to the Wallabies.  I can see the rather enticing incentive of securing the Aussie conference with a bonus point win being enough to drive this exciting young Brumbies side onto victory on Friday.  Brumbies by 12.

 

And for the only other Super Rugby game this weekend?

Waratahs v Force:  The Force will have a near-full strength side out thanks to their much-criticised decision to rest players against the Lions, but I still don’t think it will be enough to turn over a Waratahs side still in with a slim shot of sneaking into the playoffs.  Home advantage will make the difference.  Tahs by 6.

Super XV Big Match Review - Cheetahs 25 - 30 Bulls

South African rugby is not always the prettiest.  I’m not just talking about the fact that the stereotypical South African forward (i.e. Bakkies Botha) has a face like a scrunched up Picasso painting, I’m of course referring to the brand of rugby.  Peter de Villiers was famed for saying ‘this isn’t ballet’ – and I for one am glad, the thought of the Beast in a tutu is a troublesome image – which is a pretty decent summary of the South African mindset: to bully, take apart and smash to pieces.

In its own way, it’s pretty beautiful.  Seeing these big boys charging through the brick walls (otherwise known as South African defenders) is physics-defyingly good to watch.  But when you have one of the best exponents of that physical game, the Bulls, in town, you know you have to up it to another level.  That meant the Cheetahs, this year’s surprise packages, would have to pull out every trick in the book to get on top of their illustrious visitors to prevent them from building an unassailable lead at the top of the South African conference.  Now, both these sides can play some pretty nice rugby at times, but on this day the attitude was always going to be to “fight power with power.”

Speaking of power, the ‘p’ word was in abundance in the opening stages as the visitors made the strongest possible start after 5 minutes.  Off the back of a rock solid scrum, the Bulls played ‘round the corner’ rugby, with runners coming from depth around the fringes of rucks to hit the line at pace and, after Chiliboy Ralapelle had made good inroads, the ball was moved left to where the ominous figure of tighthead prop Werne Kruger was lurking to crash over the line.  Morne Steyn added the conversion, but the Cheetahs have become known for their speed this year – and they certainly didn’t hang about with their response.

6 minutes later, with the referee playing an advantage for offside in a ruck, flyer Willie Le Roux noticed that there was no full back at home and so chipped and re-gathered – showing serious wheels – to score under the posts from 30 metres.  Riaan Smith converted, and the crowd knew they were going to be in for an almighty scrap.  This was confirmed on the 20 minute mark, when the Bulls scored their second try, with a driving maul obliterating the Cheetahs’ pack and allowing Deon Steggman to claim the score – again converted by Steyn.  The game carried on swinging to and fro but the defences tightened and, following an exchange of penalties from Smit and Steyn, the halftime score was 17 – 10 to the Bulls.

The two fly halves quickly swapped another two 3-pointers after the break, before the power and experience of the visitors’ pack really took control.  Bossing the hosts in the scrum and the maul, the Bulls earned themselves another penalty (slotted by Steyn) and were showing just too much physicality for the Cheetahs on the carry – a glaringly obvious fact when lock Flip van der Merwe burst through the defence to offload to Dewald Potgieter, who in turn fed Jano Vermaak to allow the replacement scrum half to grab his 4^th try of the season, and his side’s 3^rd of the day.  It buried the game and the Cheetahs, from being right in contention, couldn’t recover from the brutal onslaught.

Or could they?  With 10 minutes remaining, Robert Ebersohn beautifully  flicked on Le Roux’s pass to allow Smit to score in the corner, before the hosts set up camp on the Bulls line to try and get within striking distance.  Despite some impressive rumbles, the Bulls just held on long enough and, by the time replacement prop Trevor Nyakane wriggled his way over, it was too little, too late.

That was about the only thing that could be classed as ‘too little’ during this explosive 25-30 win for the Bulls though – the levels of power on display from the Bulls front 8, not to mention the sheer doggedness of the Cheetahs, was off the scale in terms of physicality.  And with an 8 point cushion on top of the South African conference with 3 games to go , it’s hard to see that there’s anyone tough enough to outmuscle these Bulls.

 

What else was happening across Super Rugby last weekend?

Crusaders 23 – 22 Waratahs:  The Crusaders came from behind to snatch a dramatic win from the valiant Waratahs, who had played the better rugby throughout.  The hosts may have scored two tries through Corey Flynn and Matt Todd, but they were outscored through great tries from Cam Crawford, Peter Betham and Michael Foley.  Dan Carter knocked over a late penalty to give the Crusaders the lead before Berrick Barnes missed a last minute penalty to win it.

Brumbies 30 – 23 Hurricanes:  The Brumbies claimed a good win against a resilient but undisciplined Hurricanes side.  The home side scored tries through Nic White and Peter Kimlin, with the visitors responding through Reynold Lee-Lo  and TJ Perenara. 

Highlanders 38 – 28 Blues:  The Highlanders claimed a surprising but entertaining win over an out of sorts Blues following a dominant first half.  The hosts scored 4 tries in the first 40 minutes through Ben Smith (2), Tamati Ellison and Hosea Gear, before the visitors launched a bonus point fightback thanks to scores from Waisake Naholo, Rene Ranger, Steven Luatua and Luke Braid. 

Reds 33 – 20 Rebels:  Quade Cooper was at his mercurial best and worst as the Reds dispatched of the Rebels in Brisbane.  Luke Morahan, Jack Schatz, Quade Cooper and Ben Lucas all went over for tries for the Queenslanders, with the Melbourne outfit scoring through Scott Fuglistaller and Rory Sidney – both tries coming from charge downs to Quade Cooper’s kicks.

Stormers 19 – 11 Kings:  The Stormers ground out a hard-fought victory against a tenacious and aggressive Kings side in Cape Town.  Deon Fourie scored the only try for the hosts whilst Wimpie van der Walt provided the sole response for the visitors.

Review - Western Force 17 - 69 British & Irish Lions

It’s sometimes difficult to make an occasion out of an event when a few of the big draw cards are no longer going to be on show.  Think of Bon Jovi’s latest tour without lead guitarist Richie Sambora,  Take That reforming without Robbie Williams or a Game of Thrones episode without gratuitous nudity – to many people, these kind of omissions are serious enough to stop you from viewing or attending the said show or event.  Or at least they may suck some of your expectations out before they’ve even started.  Which is why, perhaps, the crowd in Perth on Wednesday, although appreciative, were a tiny bit subdued.  That and the fact that most of them would have to be going to work the next day.

The announcement from coach Michael Foley that he would be playing a mix and match side of Australian international veterans and blokes who had never turned out in Super Rugby before was met with a mixture of empathy and anger.  Due to the fact that the Western Force are playing the Waratahs on Sunday, a weaker team than normal was fielded against the Lions, and there was a feeling that this would affect the quality of the game.  Perhaps, but just because a team is shorn of stars doesn’t mean you won’t have a quality event – one of most dramatic finishes I’ve seen in recent years was a Leicester Tigers (effectively 3^rd XV) taking on the second string touring South African side 3 years ago.  However, the fear remained that this would be another test of uncertain significance of various Test candidates and, if the Force weren’t careful, they may suffer a similar fate to the Western Australia side who faced the tourists in 2001.

The 119-point-barrier may never have been in danger of being breached in this game, but there must have been a few hearts in mouths of the Force fans as they saw their weakened side leave a gap as wide as Matt Stevens’ waist for winger Tommy Bowe to ghost through after 2 minutes and, although the winger ran out of steam surprisingly quickly, Jamie Heaslip took the ball on and the hosts were penalised for offside.  Leigh Halfpenny took on kicking duties and nudged the Lions into a 3 point lead.

The Force got a scrum straight back in the Lions 22 off the kick off following an accidental offside from Heaslip, but a combination of powerful scrummaging and jackal-like defensive work from Tom Croft saw the Lions turn the ball over and take play back into the hosts half – and within 5 minutes they had their first reward.  Johnny Sexton may not be first choice kicker but he showed everyone why he is first choice fly half, showing and going with an audacious dummy that left Richard Brown wafting at thin air and the Lions 10 strutting around under the posts.

Then followed a frustrating period for the Lions, where resilient Force defence kept them out by the skin of their teeth.  Firstly, Manu Tuilagi burst through the middle only to be denied by a full-stretch collar grab from lock Toby Lynn (perhaps the Lions shirts for the next tour could go without collars) and then Conor Murray dropped the ball in a promising position after another good Lions scrum.  Rory Best made matters worse by overthrowing his lineout and handing easy territory back to the Perth-based side following a great kick from Sam Norton-Knight and chase from Corey Brown.  From there, the underdogs earned themselves a penalty which Brett Sheehan slotted, earning the biggest cheer of the day so far.

It was as close as the Force were to come though, as the Lions turned up the heat for the last 10 minutes of the half.  Captain Brian O’Driscoll was the first to dive over following good hands from Tuilagi and a great offload from George North, before Croft scored in the exact same spot out wide on the left after nice hands Alun Wyn Jones and Sean O’Brien.  Halfpenny added two beautiful touchline conversions, along with another penalty in between, to leave the halftime score at 27 – 3 to the Lions, but it was the unlikely figure of Cian Healy who was providing the biggest talking points, firstly for an alleged nibble on the arm of Brett Sheehan (you know how props love their food) and then secondly for suffering a nasty looking ankle injury that may have ruled him out of the tour.

Following the resumption, though, it was back to business for the Lions, who were now dominant in all facets of play despite some passionate and aggressive defence from the Force.  The Western Australia side had managed to irritate the Lions by smartly slowing the ball down in the first half but they had no answer here, as Sexton threw the wide ball out to the unmarked Jamie Heaslip – who was smashing through tackles with a relish we haven’t seen in years – and the Irish number 8 dotted down on the right.

Halfpenny made the conversion look easy, and perhaps that was a feeling that pervaded down through the rest of the men in red as a series of unenforced turnovers gave the Force a foothold in the Lions 22.  Captain Matt Hodgson took a quick tap from a penalty and carried powerfully to allow number 8 Richard Brown to drive through Ian Evans for a try and, despite not having the invention in attack, the Force had shown real tenacity in defence and a score was richly deserved.

The joy didn’t last for long, however, as Mako Vunipola – as explosive as a Die Hard movie since his introduction for Healy – barrelled his way over from close range on the right, before Tommy Bowe repeated the trick with Force centre Ed Stubbs in the sin bin for not rolling away in the tackle.  Once again, Halfpenny showed off his imperious form with the boot to add two stunning conversions.

But once again, as soon as the Lions felt they were settled, the Force came straight back at them.  Once again it was captain Matt Hodgson who was making the initial inroads and leading the charge up close to the Lions’ line, before substitute Lachlan McCaffrey charged through Johnny Sexton to go over for his side’s second score, with Sheehan adding another conversion. 

The resistance had been admirable for a side that had been cobbled together from blokes who wouldn’t normally start for the Force, but tired bodies began to allow the tourists to show their class in the last 15 minutes.  Tuilagi busted through the centres before laying on a delightful offload for O’Driscoll to score his second, capping off a great performance by the Irishman and a promising debut for the Tuilagi-O’Driscoll axis. A Halfpenny conversion inevitably followed, before substitute Owen Farrell glided through a huge gap to touch down and irritate his critics, leaving Geoff Parling to bundle over late on – a deserved try following an impressive cameo from the “Sexiest Beard in the World”.

The final score, with Halfpenny’s 100% conversion rate, was 17 – 69 to the tourists.  Which, those of you Lions supporters who are attempting to learn how to sledge may like to know, is more points than the amount of runs the Aussies managed to score in their cricket match against India the other day.  Of course, like the cricket team though, the Aussies will be back.  This battle’s not over – it’s only just begun.

Western Force Player Ratings

 Sam Christie – 6 – Mopped up well at the back but couldn’t get into the line to attack

Dane Haylett-Petty – 7 – Not a day for him to show his offensive skills but kept track of North well with a couple of great tackles
Ed Stubbs – 6 – Another to enthusiastically hurl himself into the opposition in a bid to upset the Lions’ momentum.  Shame about the yellow card though.
Chris Tuatara-Morrison – 6 – Not a bad debut at all, considering who he was up against.  Sometimes got hammered off tackles but always got up to atone for it
Corey Brown – 6 – Er...wheels.  I gave him a mark just for looking lightning quick when chasing a kick in the first half.  No chance to show it off with the ball in hand, sadly.
Sam Norton-Knight – 8 – We’re used to seeing him get bullied physically in Super Rugby and in Pro 12 but this time he was really fired up and put in a strong defensive display
Brett Sheehan – 5 – Didn’t quite produce the display to back up what was coming out of his gob but tussled well enough, despite throwing some dodgy passes
Salesi Manu – 5 – Was on the back foot in the scrum but, to his credit, managed to just hold on long enough to allow the ball come out
James Hilterbrand – 5 – A workhorse around the park but the lineout had a few wobbles
Salesi Ma'afu – 6 – The big prop carried pretty well but also seemed to constantly be on the cusp of folding at scrum time
Toby Lynn – 7 – Some sterling defensive work was a real highlight, including a try-saver on Tuilagi
Phoenix Battye – 6 – Worked his socks off but always part of a pack in retreat
Angus Cottrell – 6 – Worked well with his 2 backrow partners at slowing the ball down – often illegally – and getting away with it.
Matt Hodgson – 8 – A good captain’s display.  Set up the first try for his team and was constantly a thorn in the tourists’ side.
Richard Brown – 7 – A well taken score but also surprisingly fell off a fair few tackles.

Subs

Hugh Roach – No time to make an impact
Sione Kolo – 5 – It was always going to be almost impossible for the prop to reverse fortunes in the scrum
Tim Metcher – No time to make an impact
Ben Matwijow – No time to make an impact
Lachlan McCaffrey – 7 – Scoring a try against the Lions is something he’ll cherish forever
Alby Mathewson – No time to make an impact
Nick Haining – 5 – Couldn’t get his hands on the ball to make the impact he would have wanted.
Junior Rasolea – No time to make an impact

 

British & Irish Lions Player Ratings

Leigh Halfpenny – 7 – A first rate kicking display...but I think he needs to show more in attack.  We saw one great little dance but not much else, and he was made to look slow by Corey Brown in the first half
Tommy Bowe – 7 – Industrious is the perfect word for Bowe.  He always hits beautiful lines but has he lost several yards of pace?  Well taken score though.
Brian O'Driscoll (capt) – 8 – The master of being in the right place at the right time showed he’s not ready to hand his Test spot over yet.  Two very well taken scores.
Manu Tuilagi – 7 – Had 3 men on him on all times it seemed, but played a smart game – distributing well enough and waiting for his opportunities.  A couple of delightful link ups with O’Driscoll would have caught the eye.
George North – 6 – Always seemed on the cusp of breaking free and running over or around everyone, but it just didn’t quite happen for the big winger.
Jonny Sexton – 8 – So, so smooth.  Lovely vision and array of skills was typified by a trademark show and go for his try and a perfect long pass for his country-mate, Jamie Heaslip
Conor Murray – 5 – Not the best day at the office, butchering a couple of decent chances. Didn’t seem particularly speedy in his delivery either.
Cian Healy – 6 – A shame to see the big Irish powerhouse leave the field with potentially a tour-threatening injury.  Was scrummaging well beforehand.
Rory Best – 5 – Not brilliant, with a couple of overthrows at key times almost proving costly to the team – and potentially to his test claims
Dan Cole – 7 – Scrummaged and rucked well throughout, and for one heart-stopping moment there was a genuine fear he may score a try, as he received the ball 2 metres out.  Not to be, though.
Alun Wyn Jones – 7 – Such a solid performance until the sinbin.  The big Welshman was a powerful presence in the loose and on the carry.
Ian Evans – 6 – Failed to have the impact of some of his second row colleagues but never stopped going.
Tom Croft – 7 – A well taken try and some sterling work in defence were particularly noticeable.  Managed to get himself knocked out again, though.
Sean O'Brien – 8 – Strong display for the big flanker.  With a phenomenal workrate and ability to bounce tackles, he was one of the chief sources of go forward ball.  
Jamie Heaslip – 9 – After a pants season, he brings it out the bag.  I’m not sure where his terminator-playing-rugby impression has come from, but it’s looking good.  Gallop after gallop made inroads into the Force defence.  Man of the Match.

Subs

Tom Youngs – 6 – Solid on the throw and his usual bundle of energy around the park

Mako Vunipola – 8 – Stunning impact for a replacement prop, making a huge amount of metres with the ball in hand and maintaining dominance in the scrum as well.  Made Healy’s loss seem not quite as critical.
Matt Stevens – Not enough time to have an impact
Geoff Parling – 7 – Another to make a strong impression.  A flying catch, a couple of powerful drives and a try showed that the bearded wonder is not just hear to make up the numbers.
Toby Faletau – Not enough time to have an impact
Ben Youngs – 6 – Picked up the speed of the game and the Lions looked more threatening as a result Owen Farrell – 7 – Would have silenced a few critics with a couple of lovely passes and a well taken try
Sean Maitland – Not enough time to have an impact

Preview - Western Force v British & Irish Lions

I’ve always been terrible at the tough-talking stuff.  Perhaps it’s because, as a middle-class English male, when I do try it I end up sounding like (and looking about as hard as) a grumpy David Cameron – but I think it’s more to do with the fact that I can never think of something good to say at the time.  The French call it “L'esprit de l'escalier” (meaning “Staircase wit”) – where you get halfway up the stairs before thinking of the perfect retort.  Of course, I take comfort in the fact that, as an Englishman, I am born without the key component for first-class ‘sledging’ in my brain – a component which, I am certain, the Aussies develop first before they’ve even learned how to walk.  From Glenn McGrath to Merv Hughes (“Mate, if you turn the bat over, you’ll find the instructions on the other side”), they are the kings of winding you up.

And they’ve started at the Lions literally the second the tourists hopped off the plane in Perth.  Western Force Captain Matt Hodgson announced that he was hoping to ‘hurt’ the Lions as soon as his side got a chance, whilst scrum half Brett Sheehan cheekily revealed their plan to ‘get under their skin’.  Big talk – surely we could expect some restraint from the head coach of the Wallabies?  Er...no.  Not at all.  “The Force will take ‘em apart limb by limb”, Robbie Deans frothed, with crazed glint in his eye.  Of course, these statements all sound great – but can they walk the walk?  The Force are under strength despite the presence of a several Wallabies in the form of Richard Brown and Hodgson – with a game on Sunday against the Waratahs, coach Michael Foley has called in the reserves from the extended training squad.  It means that 2 of the side facing down the Lions will never have even played a game of Super Rugby before.

But the Lions will be not be complacent.  This will not be like the 100-point annihilation administered 12 years ago against a largely-amateur Western Australia side (full match replay of that below) – even though the Force are bottom of the Australian conference, they’ve managed to turn over the Reds and the Crusaders this year through sheer, dogged physicality and have a useful knack of rising to the occasion.  Certainly in the pack there’s plenty of experience and grunt, with Brown, Hodgson and Salesi Ma’afu all capable of rattling some ribcages and there’s every chance that, if they really get into the Lions’ faces and slow their ball down, they may just force a little bit of doubt into the tourists’ minds.

But the Lions know that, after the sweat-show in Hong Kong, this is now the real deal.  The backline for this side looks ominous, with pace, guile and power in abundance, and if they get quick ball the disparity in experience and quality between the two set of backs should set the visitors’ on their way.  Of particular interest is the way Tuilagi and O’Driscoll play together – it could be a match made in heaven (or hell, depending on which side you’re on) – but I personally can’t wait to see the 2 flankers getting around the park.  Tom Croft and Sean O’Brien may be two completely different types of player but they are both lethal on the carry and it will be fascinating to see how that combination – and in fact all the combinations – come together.

Because the Lions have done their talking.  They’ll be quite happy to let the Aussies go about their sledging – as long as they’ll be eating their words afterwards.

Western Force Team News

With the Force facing the Waratahs on Sunday, coach Michael Foley has opted for a rather 'mix and match' approach, bringing seven debutants in their 23-man squad with two starting - Corey Brown on the wing and Chris Tuatara-Morrison in the centres, who has the pleasant task of marking Manu Tuilagi.  That said, 5 players do boast international experience - tight-head prop Salesi Ma'afu (13 caps), flanker Matt Hodgson (6), number eight Richard Brown (23), scrum-half Brett Sheehan (6) and fly-half Sam Norton-Knight (2.)

Starting Line-up:  Sam Christie, Dane Haylett-Petty, Ed Stubbs, Chris Tuatara-Morrison, Corey Brown; Sam Norton-Knight, Brett Sheehan; Salesi Manu, James Hilterbrand, Salesi Ma'afu, Toby Lynn, Phoenix Battye, Angus Cottrell, Matt Hodgson (capt), Richard Brown.

Subs: Hugh Roach, Sione Kolo, Tim Metcher, Ben Matwijow Lachlan McCaffrey, Alby Mathewson, Nick Haining, Junior Rasolea.

Key Player

Richard Brown.  The number 8 has one of the most simple names in rugby and is also an appropriately simple player – and by that I don't mean he's one shrimp short of a barby, I mean he does the basics very well and leads from the front.  The likelihood is that this Force side will spend plenty of time on the back foot, but Brown is strong runner and an absolute rock in defence, and he will be a rallying point for his side when the going gets tough.  A Wallaby veteran, he's played against the best players in the world and won't be overawed by the occasion, and if he can make some sort of impact early on, it may just inspire the less experienced figures around him to deliver something special.

British & Irish Lions Team News

Brian O'Driscoll will captain an all-changed Lions side and form an exciting midfield partnership with Manu Tuilagi, who will sit in his less-familiar 12 position and make his Lions debut.  England prop Dan Cole, Wales lock Ian Evans, and Ireland duo Rory Best and Sean O'Brien also get their first taste of Lions action.

Starting Line-up:  Leigh Halfpenny, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (captain), Manu Tuilagi, George North, Jonny Sexton; Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Dan Cole, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Tom Croft, Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip.

Subs: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Matt Stevens, Geoff Parling, Toby Faletau, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Sean Maitland.

Key Player

Manu Tuilagi.  A lot of the pre-match build up has focused in on Tuilagi playing at 12 instead of 13, and his potentially 'dream' combination with Brian O'Driscoll.  It was pretty clear from the squad selection that Warren Gatland was taking Jamie Roberts and Tuilagi as the 2 options at 12 – and equally clear that the Kiwi wants his inside centre to be a powerhouse carrier as opposed to some namby-pamby "second receiver" (Gatters scoffs at that idea).  Which is just as well since neither is particularly renowned for their distribution.  I have no doubt that Tuilagi can do the carrying job to an even greater effect than Roberts – he made more yards, beat far more defenders and made more offloads during the Six Nations – but the concern is if he can up his communication and defensive awareness to the appropriate level to be an international-class 12.  I have no doubt that having O'Driscoll outside him will make his job far easier – and if they click, we could potentially be looking at the Test combination…it sure looks good on paper.

Key Battle

Matt Hodgson v Sean O'Brien.  Whilst there looks to be a huge gulf in quality in the backlines of the two sides, things look a little more even in the pack and the experienced and powerful figure of Matt Hodgson will be more than capable of causing a few bruises.  The Force captain is an aggressive defender and loves creating chaos in the loose at rucktime, and there's every chance he'll live up to his promise of 'hurting' a few Lions players, unless the backrow take him out of the game.  That means Sean O'Brien in particular, as the strongest carrier in the Lions pack, will need to target him with the ball in hand and ensure that he's spending more time on his backside than forcing Lions players to do similar.

Prediction

The Force can be tricky blighters at home – just ask the Reds and Crusaders, but due to the bonkers schedule they've been Forced (sorry) into fielding a bit of a mix and match side filled with several class-players and a couple of newcomers to top flight rugby.  You sense that the Perth-based side will be particularly vulnerable in the backline and in the middle of the park, where there is a dearth of experience and, whilst the Lions will be testing out a fair few new combinations, I can see there being far too much class in the red-shirted ranks.  Lions by 25.

 

Review - Barbarians 8 - 59 British & Irish Lions

You have to question the validity and importance of game where all the build up chat has avoided any in depth rugby-related discussion and instead focused almost entirely on the fact that conditions at the ground will be bearing a close resemblance to a gorilla’s underarms after a 45 minute spin class.  Yes, Hong Kong was the venue for the first game of the British and Irish Lions’ 2013 Tour to Australia, and of course the tour organisers had forgotten to acknowledge the fact that temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees and 80% humidity at this time of year...and Saturday was a particularly pleasant day, with the mercury hitting 35 and the humidity hitting a rather uncomfortable 95%.  I should imagine the sides were unsure whether they should be running or swimming through the air as they ran out onto the pitch.

Of course, all this discomfort was made up for by the fact that the Lions were back.  Their first game in Asia, their first match at all for 4 years, and a side containing just 4 starters with previous Lions experience.  Pain and discomfort can take a backseat when you pull on the famous red jersey – especially when you’re playing the famous black-and-white ones as well.  The Barbarians were stuffed to the brim with stars – Joe Rocokoko, Sergio Parisse, Schalk Brits and Nick Evans to name just a few.  Although there may have been some doubt about how useful this game was going to be, as the already-sweating players entered the field of play there could be no question of the talent on display.

If the temperatures were sweltering, the game didn’t exactly start at boiling point.  With a half-full stadium (or half-empty, depending which side of the fence you sit) the atmosphere around the stadium was somewhat muted, and it wasn’t until fullback Stuart Hogg decided to hurtle headfirst into Casey Lualala that the crowd really woke up, with the Munster centre’s hit sending shockwaves through the stuffy air.  Luckily for the Lions, a penalty came swiftly afterwards and Owen Farrell slotted the first points of the 2013 tour with a well struck kick.  With the scoreboard moving, surely everything would settle now for the Tourists?

Not quite.  Farrell then seemed to get rattled by the occasion and a couple of scuffed kicks – including a charge down by Nick Evans – was proof that the youngster was struggling to get his confidence back after a difficult end to the season.  His Saracens’ team mate, Schalk Brits, then sportingly decided to knock some sense into his mate by planting a cracking left hook on the fly-half’s face whilst the Englishman was holding him into a ruck.  All credit to Farrell, he took the hit pretty well and only half retaliated with a shove to Brits’ face, but that was still enough for the media to jump on the “Farrell’s a red-mist-viewing psycho” bandwagon.  Try getting lamped in the face at point blank range and not reacting and I’ll show you a player who’s going to spend the rest of the game getting dominated.  Referee Steve Walsh, showing a surprising degree of common sense, gave just a yellow card to Brits, citing the ‘nature of the game’ as the reason for not showing him a red.

Despite the 1-man advantage, the Lions were still not looking cohesive and couldn’t make the extra man count – with Maitland going close from a beautiful Jonathan Davies chip that was well covered by Dimitri Yachvilli and Stuart Hogg failing to hang onto the slippy ball after picking some glorious lines from fullback.  Indeed, after Farrell missed a penalty, Elliot Daly levelled the scores with a booming 50 metre effort and although they hadn’t looked like scoring, their defensive effort – led by Martin Castrogiovanni – was keeping them in the hunt.

But eventually the class of the Lions told.   Mike Phillips was held up short of the line by the wonderful Castro before Paul O’Connell through the least convincing dummy of all time and hurled himself over the middle of the ruck to score.  Farrell added the conversion, and 5 minutes later he was slotting another after Phillips dummied and eased past Sergio Parisse, allowing the Welshman to power over the line despite the close attentions of Joe Rokocoko.  Farrell then added another 3 points after a scrum penalty, with the sweat off the front row protagonists in each scrum threatening to waterlog the pitch at this point.  It made the halftime score 23 – 3 to the Lions, but with an utterly dominant scrum, it was difficult to see any way back for the Baabaas.

The restart may have offered a pleasant opportunity to cool things down, but it was the men in red who were on fire from the restart.  A tap down from the lineout gave Phillips space, and this time young Sam Jones fell for the Welshman’s dummy, meaning the huge scrum half had time to gloat at club colleague Joe Rocokoko before dotting down for his second.  Farrell hit another conversion, but he could have had a try 8 minutes later after a sweeping Lions counter attack.  Hogg and Cuthbert combined well on the right to free the ball up for Maitland on the opposite side, and his perfect chip was gathered by Tipuric, who offloaded to Farrell.  If the Englishman had put his head down and gone for it he may have made the line, but instead his attempted basketball pass back to Maitland was batted down and the Barbarians cleared their lines.

If that was one chance for a spectacular try missed, the crowd didn’t have to wait long for the real deal – and it came from the Barbarians in a moment of magic worth waiting for.  Joe Rocokoko received the ball in space and then bamboozled Faletau with a mesmeric sidestep to give Kahn Fotuali’i an easy run in for the score.  Nick Evans missed the conversions, but the crowd had loved every second of it.

It was only a brief respite though as the Lions went back to business, with Jonathan Davies touching down on a loose ball after good defensive pressure on Evans from Jamie Roberts, before the big Welsh centre helped set up another with a smart inside ball to allow Cuthbert to breeze past Jim Hamilton for another score.  Johnny Sexton, on for Farrell, could only convert the first, but the floodgates were well and truly opened.

On 70 minutes, Cuthbert strolled in for his second following a smart break from substitute Conor Murray, taking advantage of a fringe defence that had been as watertight as a sieve all evening.  There was still time for a rolling maul to crash over the line from a well-worked lineout, with Dan Lydiate being the man to emerge with the ball, before Alun Wynn Jones popped up on the wing to finish off a move involving slick hands from the backs – Sexton in particular.  It left the final score as Barbarians 8 – 59 Lions.

The wisdom of playing a game in temperatures resembling some form of unpleasant spa treatment may be debated, as will how much can be taken from an easy win against a team that effectively gave up after 60 minutes.  But this was a decent performance, and markers have been laid down by several players.  Now the real fun begins – who’s going to raise the bar again?

 

Barbarians Player Ratings

Jared Payne – 5 – Pretty anonymous all around really for the Ulster man, barring one kick chase in the first half.
Joe Rocokoko – 8 – The best of the Baabaas by some distance.  A physics defying sidestep and 2 superb try saving tackles showed the big Kiwi’s class
Elliot Daly – 6 – Had no real opportunities to shine with the ball in hand but at least looked sharp on the odd occasion he did see the pill.  Solid in defence.
Casey Lualala – 6 – One thunderous hit on Hogg early on was his biggest contribution, but it was one heck of a good way to get the game going
Takudzwa Ngwenya – 5 – What a shame his pack couldn’t get him in any ball.  One good turnover was his best contribution – no chance to demonstrate his explosive speed.
Nick Evans – 5 – Was consistently on the back foot or defending – neither of which plays to the great Kiwi’s strengths
Dimitri Yachvilli – 6 – A couple of dodgy kicks but one superb piece of defensive pressure prevented a certain try for Maitland.
Paul James – 4 – Obliterated in the scrum by his fellow countryman, Adam Jones, and his contribution was pretty negligible.
Schalk Brits – 5 – Lineout was decent but moronically got himself yellow carded with a left hook on Sarries’ teammate, Farrell.  Would have seen red on any other day.
Martin Castrogiovanni – 6 – Had a difficult time in the scrum but was dynamite in defence, hurling himself into contact at every opportunity
Dean Mumm – 6 – Probably the most notable Barbarians forward, certainly when it came to carries.  The Wallaby was fired up but was all fighting a losing cause
Marco Wentzel – 5 – Solid as ever in the lineout but couldn’t provide the necessary grunt to resist the unstoppable Lions pack
Samu Manoa – 4 – Missed a couple of key tackles which is a big fall from grace from the man who was single-handedly obliterating Saracens a few weeks ago.
Sam Jones – 5 – Utterly outclassed at the breakdown but he kept fighting and working his socks off, despite playing in a retreating pack
Sergio Parisse – 5 – Was noticeable only through a couple of rare missed tackles...you know things aren’t quite right with Barbarians when the Italian legend has a bad day at the office

Subs Used

Leonardo Ghiraldini – 6 – Impressively mobile as ever in the loose but the lineout did wobble a little when he arrived.
Duncan Jones – 5 – The scrum didn’t really improve with his arrival unfortunately, but by that point the Barbarians’ resolve had crumbled
Andrea Lo Cicero – No time to make an impact.
Jim Hamilton – 5 – Surprisingly, the introduction of Big Jim did little to improve the Barbarians’ physicality but he could hardly be expected to change things on his own
Imanol Harinordoquy – 5 – The back row was getting bossed long before the introduction of the Biarritz stalwart
Kahn Fotuali’i – 7 – Scored a well taken try which was about the only opportunity the Baabaas had.  Can’t ask for much more than that.
James Hook – No time to make an impact.
Mike Tindall – 5 – Anonymous when he came on but in fairness he saw no ball whatsoever.

 

Lions Player Ratings

Stuart Hogg – 6 – Looked sharp but couldn’t quite find the open spaces and his hands let him down once or twice in the first half.

Alex Cuthbert – 8 – Some good predatory finishing from the big Welshman in a good showing.  Would have liked to have seen him involved off his wing more though.
Jonathan Davies – 7 – A strong display from the Scarlets man, banishing his passing demons with a delightful flick in the first half and carrying well throughout
Jamie Roberts – 8 – The big man made some good yardage with some thunderous charges in the midfield – a strong statement from the Welshman
Sean Maitland – 6 – Didn’t quite get the open spaces he would have wanted to show off his pace but came a whisker away from scoring early on
Owen Farrell – 6 – Not great but not as bad as some people would like to believe.  A couple of scuffed kicks and a poor pass aside, the Englishman was fairly solid without being spectacular.
Mike Phillips – 8 – Got the man of the match award but I actually thought his distribution and kicking was pretty average – may well have been down to the greasy ball though, and you can’t argue with 2 tries.
Mako Vunipola – 7 – A powerful scrummaging display would have allayed some concerns after his last outing in a Saracens shirt, but the heat probably stopped in from being as destructive as usual on the carry
Richard Hibbard – 7 – Mobile and committed, he didn’t have too much impact with the ball in hand but the lineout was solid by and large
Adam Jones – 7 – Utterly dominant in the set piece but once again I do wander if he should be offering more around the park
Richie Gray – 7 – A good showing after a difficult year for the Scotsman.  Will be glad to have got 80 minutes under his belt and to have caught the eye with some decent carries too.
Paul O’Connell – 8 – A fine showing from the skipper.  Dived over for a try following arguably the most obvious dummy of all time, but led from the front throughout.
Dan Lydiate – 6 – He looked rusty to me.  A couple of dropped balls and bad passes early on seemed to shake his confidence but he grew into the game and ended with a try.
Justin Tipuric – 9 – A really impressive showing from the Ospreys openside – forcing a couple of turnovers and his support play was top notch.  Man of the match.
Toby Faletau – 7 – Not at his most conspicuous but always there to pick up a metre or 2 when required – a real workhorse.

Subs Used

Tom Youngs – 6 – Recovered well from an early wobble in the lineout to contribute fully to a dominant forward display, adding some thrust with his carries.

Cian Healy – 7 – Maintained the scrummaging dominance and showed his power with the ball in hand on a couple of occasions as well
Matt Stevens – 6 – Nearly gave him man of the match for not giving any penalties away, but in all seriousness a decent showing from the big guy
Alun Wyn Jones – 7 – An impressive statement from the Welshman.  Looked fired up during his time on the pitch and ended with a try as well.
Jamie Heaslip – 6 – Solid performance from the Irishman, picking up where Faletau left off.  Will need to show more urgency when he starts though.
Conor Murray – 7 – A nice little cameo from the scrumhalf.  Set up a try with a sharp break around the fringes and generally looked lively.
Jonathan Sexton – 7 – Didn’t have too long to impress but the Lions just looked slicker with him on the pitch.
George North – Not enough time for an impact.