Random Lions tidbits TL;dr

Requiem4adream · 07-07-2009 2:13am #1

Just thought i'd kill some time and throw together some of the better Lions related stuff doing the rounds of the broadsheets.

Particularly interesting how highly they speak of POC, i suppose you should expect nothing less but it seems to be spoken from the heart. They really rate him.

lol @ Vickery

Humour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqlHot-HKYE&feature=related - Get him in!

"You know you've had a sh1t game when your mum and your missus send you texts saying they still love you," the prop remarked. - Vickery on the 1st Test

"When I crashed into Danie Rossouw a little later, I was away with the birds and I did not need cognitive tests to tell me I was going to have to take a mandatory three-week count." - BOD

Class Act

"Before the wild game with the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth, the Irish lock Donncha O'Callaghan, captain for the day, took the field accompanied by a skinny little eight-year-old mascot from a local township. After gathering his men together to bark a few last orders, O'Callaghan noticed his new friend standing alone and forlorn in the middle of the pitch, led him by the hand into the middle of the huddle and treated him to one last burst of effing and blinding. The lucky lad will not forget it as long as he lives."

3rd Test Inspiration/Lions Praise/POC Praise

"The reprieved English wing (Monye) said: 'When Warren lifted up the jersey and talked about the guys who will never play again, that really brought it home. You looked around and you saw the tears, you knew what it meant. Everyone was in the right place. From then on, losing was not going to be an option.'

Another of those who sat and listened realised there and then that the emotional stimuli rescued a tour which had been heading for the rocks at the start of the week after the shattering experience of losing the series to the last kick in Pretoria. Martyn Williams, one of the eight over-30s in the now-or-never category referred to by Gatland, revealed the mood in one telling sentence: 'We felt like men possessed.'

The fire lit by Gatland had then been stoked by O'Connell and, most tellingly, by Phil Vickery's reference to his very own manual on inspiration. O'Connell said: 'He spoke very well and I'll probably be plagiarising it for Munster and Ireland. He galvanised everyone. We were all playing for each other, of course but the guys were also playing in a big way for Phil Vickery. He was outstanding.'

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"Anyone who says the Lions cannot be competitive cannot possibly have seen the last three games," said the tour manager, Gerald Davies. At least one Lions forward could be heard insisting he would follow the captain, Paul O'Connell, to the ends of the earth, while Vickery summed up the prevailing mood: "I can honestly say I've never been on a tour with so many good men. I think we've put a huge amount of pride back into the Lions shirt."

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“That was emotional,” admitted Shane Williams. “There were a lot of harsh words said, a lot of honesty, and that’s Paul. He doesn’t bully you about anything and he tells you how it is. I thought Paul was going to cry – one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played against and with,” said Williams with a smile.

“It was just emotions really, what it meant to him. Paul said that it was an honour to captain a great bunch of guys, and I agree with him. From the start we’ve been a good family, we’ve stuck by each other and I think it was reflected on the field today. And Paul was an inspiration to anyone who wants to be captain. Not only does he talk the talk, he walks the walk.” - Shane Williams

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After the game, McGeechan had spoken of how O’Connell epitomised what a Lions captain should be in the way he pulled the players together, and yesterday, after ruling out the possibility of coaching the Lions in Australia in four years, he added: “He’s done a fantastic job. He’s been a great captain and he’s played every single minute of the three Tests. You can see what he’s put in, he’s been very good with the players and he’s leaned on the other experienced players in setting the highest standards. He’s been an outstanding captain.” - Geech

"Paul has been absolutely immense on this tour and is the best captain I have ever worked with. The way he has handled himself in the last week of the tour speaks volumes about the man.

He spoke to the group on Friday night, telling us what the final Test meant to him and what an honour it had been for him to play for the Lions.

Paul told us our performance in the game would leave a legacy for the next four years. It was real hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck stuff.

I don't think Paul gets the credit he deserves. When you play with or against him you realise just how good a player he is. " - Martyn Williams

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It has been a privilege for me to be involved and if I admit that I probably need a rest after a full-on couple of months, there will be sadness in saying farewell to a very special group who showed that rugby in the northern hemisphere has a lot to shout about. - Gareth Edwards

"I think the players take huge credit for the level at which they have performed," said Lions head coach Ian McGeechan.

"It is the best three Test matches in terms of quality that I think I have ever been involved in.

"Last Saturday night or Sunday was probably the lowest I have ever felt. It took us two or three days to get over that.

"The players came back well and were absolutely excellent. The players were very ready for a Test match - they have been absolutely outstanding.

I'm really proud of the way they finished it. " - Geech

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Also liked this random blog comment (Guardian i think) :

"What fascinated me about this tour was the pretty obvious bonding between the 4 nations. I'm interested in seeing what happens in the 6N and Heineken Cup when they start again as rivals.

For instance, Joe Worsley would always be seen as the villain of the piece by many non-English, but it was cool to see BOD or Phillips or whoever slapping him on the back for a tackle or turnover or penatly won or whatever. In fact, the same goes of Phillips himself - unless you are Welsh he is the classic gobby scrum-half that you love to hate, and yet there was Jamie Heaslip going in to bail him out when the fisticuffs started - kinda contrasts with my recollections of the Lions reaction when ROG was being assaulted in Australia."

handsomecake · 07-07-2009 3:47am

as hugh farrelly said in his article in the indo.....................it doesnt matter squat.they will fly home losers,bridesmaids,second best etc. winners **** the prom queen

thomond2006 · 07-07-2009 6:34am

Good man Roberts.

Bowe is the new John Bentley.

anonymous_joe · 07-07-2009 9:14am

handsomecake wrote: »

as hugh farrelly said in his article in the indo.....................it doesnt matter squat.they will fly home losers,bridesmaids,second best etc. winners **** the prom queen

The Lions always do, it's the natural offshoot of a composite team. Alloys aren't necessarily stronger in rugby.

A team like South Africa is much more cohesive than the Lions, even so, they were outplayed and outscored over three games.

Given that they won two of those three games it's a sure sign that they were a bit lucky.

Comparing this to the New Zealand tour, it's been infinitely better for the Lions and their constituent parts.