Lion's Team For 2nd Test Announced

qwertyup

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/4632577.stm

British & Irish Lions:
Josh Lewsey
Jason Robinson
Gareth Thomas (captain)
Gavin Henson
Shane Williams
Jonny Wilkinson
Dwayne Peel

Gethin Jenkins
Steve Thompson
Julian White
Paul O'Connell
Donncha O'Callaghan
Simon Easterby
Lewis Moody
Ryan Jones

Replacements:
Shane Byrne
Graham Rowntree
Martin Corry
Martyn Williams
Matt Dawson
Stephen Jones
Shane Horgan

MG

A much better, more in-form team. Would have preferred to see Darcy or Horgan at Centre and Thomas moved to the wing in place of Robinson. They'll at least put it up to the all blacks. The retention of Byrne is a tacid recognition that it wasn't all his fault in the line out.

Fearo

Yeah looks like a better selection. A bit surprised by Robinson, he hasnt played well so far. Wilkinson I think is still the right choice, just hope we get close enough to need his kicking skills! Cant wait for saturday, you never know!!! Felt better in work today in Auckland after the match last night but man will all the kiwis let rip if we dont put up a much better fight on saturday than last week.

Snickers Man

Fearo wrote:

Yeah looks like a better selection. A bit surprised by Robinson, he hasnt played well so far.

He's a dancer though. Jinks like an American footballer. Only rugby player I know whjo can do that. Here's hoping he can pull it off.

Fearo wrote:

Felt better in work today in Auckland after the match last night but man will all the kiwis let rip if we dont put up a much better fight on saturday than last week.

Well you could have a lousy Monday morning. Or you could have a great one.

evil_seed

Martyn Williams would have been the better choice at open-side imo. He was the player for Wales at the 6 Nations. Lewis Moody gives away far too many penalties, and with a place kicker in Carter, who is of equal ability to Johnny Wilkinson that could prove very costly. At least Neil Back wasn't named!!!!

Nukem

Its better thab the last team but still sh!te. Glad DOC got there he has looked good all tour. Moody robinson and peel?????????????? Still dunno

Nukem

evilhomer

interesting selection, Still can't understand why Robinson made the team again.
Horgan would be a much better selection at Centre with Thomas on the wing.

Moody is a good player, he hits the rucks as does Easterby. I would imagine he is keeping williams as an impact sub if things need a lift.

I am suprised that Sheridan didn't at least make the bench. If the weather is bad he is exactly the sort of player you need to stick it up his jumper and do the hard yards.

I'm also disgusted that Dawson made the bench as the second scrum half. Cussiter has being playing well enough to warrent a place on the bench.

It's a much better selection but still too much loyalty to the "Old boys".
Thompson on as Hooker! Now we will definately not win any lineout ball. with Byrne there is always the chance he will get it right!

As for the outhalf selection, Wilkinson does seem to be finding his defensive abilities again. I feel sorry for Stephen Jones though.

vorbis

A lot better selection wise but still a few atrocious choices: Wilinson and Robinson! Can woodward just not accept that they are out of form? Simon Easterby is a strange choice but hopefully he does well. How bad a hooker is Bulloch? Also Cusiter should definetly be on the bench ahead of Dawson. Woodward's probably pissed off the Scots now! At least we'll have some chance this time.

Trojan

Fair play to you guys for still being interested. As far as I'm concerned, there never was a Lions tour of 2005

Eoin

Trojan wrote:

Fair play to you guys for still being interested. As far as I'm concerned, there never was a Lions tour of 2005

Well, after yesterday we may win the series if we tot up the "for" and "against" points after all the games?

evilhomer

eoin_s wrote:

Well, after yesterday we may win the series if we tot up the "for" and "against" points after all the games?

Aggregate scoring, it's an idea

shuushh

Fair play to you guys for still being interested. As far as I'm concerned, there never was a Lions tour of 2005

haha jasus we're 1 game down and your giving up, dont forget australia cameback against us from 1 game down and kicked our arses in the series, i personally think we'll probably win our saturday and then who knows for the finale then again im an optimist

much better selection except horgan deserves that right wing spot and thats the end of it. moody has played well on the tour and the reality is players in that position always give away penalities, williams did it constantly in the maori game. wilkinson at out half is a good move

you just know thompson is gonna ****up the lineout though

Trojan

It's not the test results that disturb me, it's the pathetic team management shown by Woodward et al. I'm really surprised actually, I thought that a clever, world cup winning total manager like SCW would be on the ball - he's demonstrated that that is not the case at all, and has shown a complete lack of intelligent management.

*That's* what disturbs me about this test series. If we had played well and lost 3-0 to a markedly better team, that I could live with.

Eoin

Trojan wrote:

It's not the test results that disturb me, it's the pathetic team management shown by Woodward et al. I'm really surprised actually, I thought that a clever, world cup winning total manager like SCW would be on the ball - he's demonstrated that that is not the case at all, and has shown a complete lack of intelligent management.

The thing you have to remember though (and someone has mentioned it recently on this forum), was that it took him 4/5 attempts to win the grand slam, when he had the best team at his disposal each time.

Trojan wrote:

*That's* what disturbs me about this test series. If we had played well and lost 3-0 to a markedly better team, that I could live with.

Exactly, he picked a team to play typical negative English rugby - i.e. choke the life out of the game, and it still backfired on him. I think he may well be now remembered for ruining the Lions tour, than winning the world cup.

shuushh wrote:

haha jasus we're 1 game down and your giving up, dont forget australia cameback against us from 1 game down and kicked our arses in the series, i personally think we'll probably win our saturday and then who knows for the finale then again im an optimist

As Mike Ford said, Australia are actually quite an easy team to defend against. To me, that means that you can study their play and have a good idea of what they are going to do after the first game. Therefore, the second and third tests give you a better chance of winning.

I think though, as Ireland found out on their last tour, your best chance of beating the All Blacks is in the first game, before they are too wise to you - they just get better and better after that.

Souless

I cant belive im seeing robinsons name again with horgan on the bench I mean Wtf, Theres Wilko on who had a average game at best last saturday and starting the game with Thompson I think he is blooming mad for this.

Other than those 3 totally stupid calls oh and dawson being on the bench instead of Cuisiter its is a better team selection than the last one.

Mighty_Mouse

Murphy must be seriously wonder whats going on

Davei141

Better team selection but i sit here gobsmacked, knowing robinson is starting. cusiter isnt even on the bench! Charlie hodgson must want to go home now, same with murphy, i dont think it matters how well they play. I dont know why steven jones is on the bench, his all round game has been poor and hodgson or O gara with their positional kicking could be a good sub. After saying that its a good team, could be better but were going in the right direction

eventually...

by August we might have a team selection capable of beating the All Blacks.

Although with so many injuries there might not be a team.

Big Ears

Deleted User wrote:

eventually...

by August we might have a team selection capable of beating the All Blacks.

Although with so many injuries there might not be a team.

Don't worry Clive could call out some of his old England favourites including Johnson and Leonard .

Trojan

Clive Woodward wrote:

"I have been involved in rugby for a long time, especially as a coach, and from my point of view, last Saturday's Test match I would put top of the list in terms of the most disappointing nights I have been involved in," said Woodward.

"Going into the game, I passionately believed I had picked the right team, but then to see it all unfold was very disappointing for everyone involved.

Going into the game, about a hundred thousand Lions fans passionately believed you had picked the wrong team, and to see it all unfold was bitterly disappointing for everyone involved, because we had the players to win the game, and you f#cked it up, Clive.

Clive Woodward wrote:

"I just had to take all the arrows, stones and feedback this week - that's all part of it - and just look forward to Saturday night.

You had to take the arrows, stones and feedback this week because you bloody well deserve them with your idiotic selection policies!

Clive Woodward wrote:

"Clearly, things were not right, and from the Lions' point of view, it is not a development tour.

Clearly the wrong team was selected, and from the Lions fans' point of view, it is not an England tour.

Clive Woodward wrote:

"I have made changes, which I think was important to give those players who deserved a chance to try to get the Test series back on the road," he added.

I can only hope that your changes are enough. I see that you're still going with Wilkinson, who is out of form, with Robinson, who is out of form, and with Thompson, who can't hit a barn door from 5 yards this tour.

Clive Woodward wrote:

"It was time to shake things up. There is not a single person who didn't try their best, but last weekend was a disappointment that I have got to take responsibility for.

You sure do.

Clive Woodward wrote:

"I promise you there will be a completely different show, come Saturday night."

I sure hope so. We've lost faith in your ability as a manager.

Sgtshaft

at last a proper team, still can´t believe hes persisting with Robinson
though, even on the wing, the guy is so over....he must have photos of old
Woody in a compromising clinch with a goat. Still at least we´ve got a
bloody game to look forward to.Hell they might even win..........

evilhomer

The more I think about woodward and his coaching/management style, the more I believe he was just lucky to win the RWC in 2003. Johnson and wilkinson pulled the team through the matches.

There is no way he could be picking the teams he picks if he in anyway knows what he is doing!!!

He should know the only way to beat the all blacks is to be more attacking then them. they are not used to being on the backfoot!

Wales showed this twice in the last year and a half that if you play broken running rugby they start to get upset and concede tries.

The All Blacks will always score tries you just have to score more then them!

zokrez

The All Blacks will always score tries you just have to score more then them!

Nearly always !

evilhomer

I knew somone would bring that up

[edit]
Does anyone else think that Woodward announced his test team for the weekend too early? It give the AB's plenty of time to work on defensive strategies(assuming they need to defend) or is that just me?[edit]

Chucky the tree

AB squad was announced before it. Doesnt make a huge difference i dont think.

Bri

If anything I think this week's AB team is more attacking. Kelleher in for Marshall and Gear starting.