British and Irish Lions vs Melbourne Rebels, 25th June 2013, Sky Sports 10.40am

irishbucsfan · 25-06-2013 2:13pm

Tox56 wrote: »

Go on?

Its basic Gatty ball!

I really don't want to repeat myself again, I said it repeatedly before the test and it must be getting boring. But its what they fought for and they achieved it. To have a phase count like that and gainline success of 72% shows just how good the pack were. Its Gatty ball and it worked up front.

Now we just need the backs on board and a ref who will let us compete a little more in defense.

andrewdcs · 25-06-2013 2:28pm

Melbourne Rebels

subfreq wrote: »

The enduring image I have of Phillips from the match is him jogging behind Genia as he makes the break for the first Falou try.

Other Lions are busting a gut to catch him and the way the play develops Phillips probably would have influenced play had he been chasing hard but he is just cantering behind him, no urgency.

He was a good 4 seconds behind a few rucks as well. Was wondering if he was being taken out off the ball / etc. but looked like he just didnt have it in him.

Maybe he was sick. He really should bench on Saturday. Dont think Murray did himself any favours today.

Hagz · 25-06-2013 2:31pm

andrewdcs wrote: »

Dont think Murray did himself any favours today.

In what way? I thought he had a good game. His delivery was nice and smooth and he recycled the ball quickly. Couple of mistakes here and there, but overall it was one of his best games.

I think this tour has really done him the world of good. He's looked much more mature and neater, and I'm looking forward to seeing him coached by Schmidt next season.

Buer · 25-06-2013 2:36pm

Hagz wrote: »

In what way? I thought he had a good game. His delivery was nice and smooth and he recycled the ball quickly. Couple of mistakes here and there, but overall it was one of his best games.

He was really smooth and snappy in his passing mostly but those mistakes were real black marks.

Can you imagine the reaction if the Lions had possession and their scrum half kicked the ball to touch on his 22 incorrectly thinking the clock had gone 40? There would be a meltdown by some. Those errors don't get brushed over at test level.

I think his service was far better than anything we've seen from Phillips since the Barbarians match but he needed to be flawless to leapfrog him. Youngs won't lose his place in the 23, he was good also.

Hagz · 25-06-2013 2:42pm

Still, I don't think he did himself harm. This was a mid-week game, players were asked to play a game that they wouldn't have licence to play in a Test. They were expected to keep tempo up and play a more risk filled game, so I think mistakes can be expected and go along with the territory. O'Brien made a handful of his own mistakes along with a good few other players.

With regard to the clock situation. That was pretty silly. I can only imagine that the stadium clock said 40 and he went by that. The half-time hooter is more of a Southern Hemisphere thing. Still a silly error, but I don't think it's fair to point to it and say "he didn't do himself any favours today", when the rest of his game was beautiful.

Buer · 25-06-2013 2:49pm

I wouldn't say it was beautiful. It was good. Nice and smooth. There were one or two passes that Farrell had to check to take in the second half. He was very good in the first half. Overall, I would say he had a good game with a few mistakes. Not enough to force himself into the 23.

SOB was similar. He was trying too much at times. Threw some heavy handed offloads, silly penalty conceded and spilled one in contact. His early departure suggests he's in the mix though.

Murray staying on another spell suggests he's out of the reckoning though. He has had a good tour and played well. He'll learn a lot and will surely come back a better player. Still might force his way into the 23 for the final test if depending on how this weekend goes.

Hagz · 25-06-2013 2:55pm

Buer wrote: »

Not enough to force himself into the 23.

Yeh but how did he not do himself any favours today?... He didn't come out of the game in a worse position than he went into it in my opinion.

Buer · 25-06-2013 3:00pm

Hagz wrote: »

Yeh but how did he not do himself any favours today?... He didn't come out of the game in a worse position than he went into it in my opinion.

I didn't say that he did, that was another poster. I'd say his status hasn't been improved or worsened by today.

andrewdcs · 25-06-2013 3:01pm

Melbourne Rebels

Hagz wrote: »

In what way? I thought he had a good game. His delivery was nice and smooth and he recycled the ball quickly. Couple of mistakes here and there, but overall it was one of his best games.

I think this tour has really done him the world of good. He's looked much more mature and neater, and I'm looking forward to seeing him coached by Schmidt next season.

I thinkhe's been better than Phillips, and deserves a spot in one of the match day squads, but he needed a tear away, scruff of the neck game, he was always a long shot to displace Phillips (wrongly) and Youngs.

i.e. I think some players need to go way above and beyond to change mindsets, SOB and Murray for instance, (not an Irish thing, I just pay them closer attention) and I didnt think he got there today.

I dont know that anyone did...

Hagz · 25-06-2013 3:06pm

Buer wrote: »

I didn't say that he did, that was another poster. I'd say his status hasn't been improved or worsened by today.

Yeh but that's the only thing I'm disputing. I don't think he did enough to force himself into the 23, nor do I think he put in a man of the match performance. But I don't think he did his chances harm today.

SlickRic · 25-06-2013 3:15pm

after Sky bigged up everyone but SOB on air, he got MOTM on the Sky website.

Seán O'Brien

The Irishman was a surprise omission from the squad for the first Test and he took his anger out on the Rebels. He was seemingly everywhere as he carried nine times, looked to offload and made 10 tackles. He fully deserved his try. 9

astonaidan · 25-06-2013 3:18pm

Melbourne Rebels

I know hes coming back from injury and all, but I was disappointed with Rob Kearney today, he really never looks for the pass

LostArt · 25-06-2013 3:19pm

astonaidan wrote: »

I know hes coming back from injury and all, but I was disappointed with Rob Kearney today, he really never looks for the pass

that's nothing new to be honest

Hagz · 25-06-2013 3:20pm

astonaidan wrote: »

I know hes coming back from injury and all, but I was disappointed with Rob Kearney today, he really never looks for the pass

Agreed. I think he new it was probably his last game on tour and he looked a little frustrated. He definitely looked to be lacking in composure whenever he got the ball.

.ak · 25-06-2013 3:22pm

Hagz wrote: »

Agreed. I think he new it was probably his last game on tour and he looked a little frustrated. He definitely looked to be lacking in composure whenever he got the ball.

Probably should've just enjoyed himself and forget about the tests.

Easier said than done, I suppose.

25-06-2013 3:24pm

.ak wrote: »

Probably should've just enjoyed himself and forget about the tests.

Easier said than done, I suppose.

move all these new posts to today's match thread you goof

:pac:

.ak · 25-06-2013 3:28pm

Deleted User wrote: »

move all these new posts to today's match thread you goof

:pac:

Ugh, I'm even confused myself. Moved.

Rightwing · 25-06-2013 3:30pm

I thought SOB & Gray were the 2 best on the field, both should get a bench spot on the back of it.

.ak · 25-06-2013 3:31pm

SlickRic wrote: »

after Sky bigged up everyone but SOB on air, he got MOTM on the Sky website.

Any chance of posting the rest of the ratings? I'm in work...

sydthebeat · 25-06-2013 3:33pm

astonaidan wrote: »

I know hes coming back from injury and all, but I was disappointed with Rob Kearney today, he really never looks for the pass

Amazingly he actually was our biggest ball carrier with 90 meters from eight carries....

Statistics eh

25-06-2013 3:34pm

astonaidan wrote: »

I know hes coming back from injury and all, but I was disappointed with Rob Kearney today, he really never looks for the pass

tried too hard to impress.

Needed an absolutely sublime performance to even put the thoughts of him starting a test with Halfpenny playing so well, and considering he was left out of the game for large parts (wasn't attacked at all by the Rebels) so only had a bit part to play.

Pity for him, not a stellar season by his standards, but he will feel hard done by

.ak · 25-06-2013 3:34pm

sydthebeat wrote: »

Amazingly he actually was our biggest ball carrier with 90 meters from eight carries....

Statistics eh

Well even the worst FBs will have massive carry stats due to the space they work with....

Hagz · 25-06-2013 3:35pm

It's not unusual for a full-back to make the most metres carried. After all, they can just eat up the metres when they receive kicks.

Rightwing · 25-06-2013 3:37pm

.ak wrote: »

Any chance of posting the rest of the ratings? I'm in work...

15 Rob Kearney

The Ireland international will be pleased with his run out and will be in contention for a place on the bench on Saturday. He was always looking to get involved, made 90m with the ball in hand and linked up well with the wingers. 7
14 Sean Maitland

The winger enjoyed his best match on the tour to date. He scored one try and made good yardage with the ball in hand. Unlikely to break into the Test XV, though, while there is intense competition for a place on the bench. 8
13 Manu Tuilagi

Another player who took his chance. Tuilagi needed a big performance after being sidelined with a shoulder injury and he duly delivered. Made the sort of inroads going forward the Lions will be looking for while he also showed greater awareness to pass. 7
12 Brad Barritt

A quietly effective performance from the England centre. He is not going to be threatening the Test team but his defence certainly deserves credit. He made eight tackles and was happy to act as a link man in attack. 6
11 Simon Zebo

The Irish winger brings something different to the party and there is a buzz when he has the ball. He covered 75m with the ball in hand, unselfishly passed to put Maitland over and was constantly trying to find a way through. Turnovers are a worry, though. 7
10 Owen Farrell

Asked to play on the gainline rather than sitting deep, Farrell showed a different side to his game. He looked lively with the ball in hand a showed a greater awareness to what was going on around him. 7
9 Conor Murray

The Ireland scrum-half put in a solid shift but it will not be enough to displace Mike Phillips from the Test time. He was alert enough to snaffle the opening score and got the Lions moving over the gainline. 7
1 Ryan Grant

He has been tipped as a possible starter against the Wallabies and he showed his strength up front in the scrum, however he did come up short in the loose. If Alex Corbisiero is missing then Warren Gatland has a real headache. 7
2 Richard Hibbard

It was a disappointing night for the Wales hooker, who would have wanted to make a bigger impression ahead of the second Test. He missed three of his throws - although he did attempt to mix things up a little - and four tackles, but he did carry well. 6
3 Dan Cole

The Lions scrum was impressive throughout and Cole played his part in that. However he did not do anywhere near enough to close the gap between himself and Test tighthead Adam Jones. 7
4 Richie Gray

In a straight shoot out for a place on the Test bench with Ian Evans and Gray just edged it with an all-round display. He carried impressively, he won his six lineouts and put in an impressive shift defensive. 8
5 Ian Evans

The Wales internationals did his best to force his way in to the Test equation and got stuck into the breakdown. He was also a menace to the Rebels' lineout, snaffling three throws. 7
6 Dan Lydiate

The captain faces an all-out war to claim a place in the Test squad however he cannot be faulted for his display. He does all the dirty, unseen work on the deck, while his tackle count is something special.8
7 Sean O'Brien

The Irishman was a surprise omission from the squad for the first Test and he took his anger out on the Rebels. He was seemingly everywhere as he carried nine times, looked to offload and made 10 tackles. He fully deserved his try. 9
8 Toby Faletau

The Wales No 8 was a colossus as he formed part of an impressive back-row combination. Made 60m from 16 carries, while he also weighed in with 13 tackles and three lineout takes as he put pressure on Jamie Heaslip. 8
Replacements

16 Rory Best (Did everything that was asked of him)
17 Tom Court (A 20-minute run out foer the late call-up)
18 Matt Stevens (He defended well but little else.)
19 Tom Croft (Had a hand in the last try and got stuck in)
20 Justin Tipuric (Lively introduction, especially at the breakdown)
21 Ben Youngs (A try-scoring appearance)
22 Billy Twelvetrees (Stepped in at fly-half and did little wrong)
23 Stuart Hogg (Put the nightmare of seven days ago behind him)

Fireball07 · 25-06-2013 3:41pm

Melbourne Rebels

Hope Tuilagi starts, give us a bit of go-forward ball.

SlickRic · 25-06-2013 3:43pm

Lydiate, SOB, Heaslip is the form backrow.

you can talk about balance, captains, mistakes, etc all you like. that unit will have you going forward, and it will give you solidity around the fringes at the breakdown.

obviously SOB won't start, but if it truly was on form and impact, he'd be there.

Fireball07 · 25-06-2013 3:45pm

Melbourne Rebels

Has that Zebo interview been posted? Kinda funny... he can't stop laughing through it.

Buer · 25-06-2013 3:49pm

astonaidan wrote: »

I know hes coming back from injury and all, but I was disappointed with Rob Kearney today, he really never looks for the pass

Thought he threw one great one off his left on their 22. He can pass but never looks for the offload enough. He's much more of a tactical full back than an exciting one. If you get sucked into a kicking match with him, generally he'll end up gaining good yardage. If he runs it, he's most likely to take contact and set up a quick recycle. Very pragmatic but not exactly exciting. He's becoming more like Girv each year!

SlickRic · 25-06-2013 3:52pm

wonderfullife wrote: »

The problem isnt just Warburton hasnt justified his selection and is not in peak form. The problem is his guaranteed selection means Gatland has to base the entire "balance" of the backrow around him.

that sentence is perfection.

beautifully articulated, and gets to the crux of the matter IMO.

simonmln · 25-06-2013 3:53pm

Fireball07 wrote: »

Has that Zebo interview been posted? Kinda funny... he can't stop laughing through it.

Missed everything because of work. What was he saying?

Fireball07 · 25-06-2013 3:55pm

Melbourne Rebels

simonmln wrote: »

Missed everything because of work. What was he saying?

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/8792082/zebo-flying-high

Nothing overly insightful, just that he went out, tried to have fun. And the crowd keep chanting his name throughout the interview, so he starts laughing through it.

astonaidan · 25-06-2013 6:22pm

Melbourne Rebels

sydthebeat wrote: »

Amazingly he actually was our biggest ball carrier with 90 meters from eight carries....

Statistics eh

That wouldnt be hard when everytime he got the ball he ran foward ten metres into contact rather than offload to the outside man.
He only seemed today to want to run into contact or try the dummy pass and run into contact

almostover · 26-06-2013 12:28am

Missed the game today but have watched a couple of sets of highlights. Few points of contention:

1. Oh please god let Corbisiero be fit!! Grant is a tidy scrummager but sluggish in the loose and if he strays farther than 2 feet from a ruck could be badly exposed in defence. As seen last Sat, Vunipola isnt a technically competent scrummager. Cian Healy's loss is huge given the gulf in ability between him and these pretenders. My call - No change from last week's set up if Corbs fit.

2. Tough choice for the #19 jersey, Gray showed well but Evans performs better at the coalface. Evans is more forceful at ruck time and reads the opposition lineout well. My call - Evans in at reserve 2nd row.

3. The much squabbled about backrow: SOB showing well, especially displaying talent in different areas, carried well, tackled hard, won some lineouts 1 turnover. Played his way into matchday 23 without question. Lydiate did what he does best, put his body on the line and shut down space. Can, and will be used to shut down Genia next Saturday. Felateau, like SOB, displayed a good repertoire of skills but will not usurp Heaslip, especially with POC ruled out. My Call - 6. D. Lydiate, 7. S. Warburton, 8. J. Heaslip, 20. SOB.

4. Youngs on bench for Sat, Phillips will start. Too many unforced errors by Murray and loses out to Youngs based on similar playing style to Phillips.

5. Farrell shows his worth as Sexton's back up. Exemplary goal kicking and good distribution. Able and willing deputy if Sexton cries off. Temperament still questionable.

6. Maitland will keep his place on bench. Question is will T. Bowe get the nod ahead of Cuthbert. My answer is yes, Cuthbert has many BIL tours in his future.

GiftofGab · 26-06-2013 3:04am

I was at the match. A sea of red but the game itself was a bit dull for something to cheer for.

My 2 cents;

There is a massive gulf in class between the Lions 1st team and 2nd team.

1st time seeing Zebo play live. Looked sharp in attack. His defence appeared weak at times. Rushed up in defence and went to smash a rebels player (can't remember who) and completely bounced off him and slightly injuried his shoulder doing so. A minute later he was then caught offside by stepping a yard or so in front of the ruck. Another instance he chased a kick but failed to put his man on the ground. He just slid down his legs and held on. Fantastic player that will develop great with time. Very exciting player.

Maitland had a solid performance. Did great for the build up for his own try. Appeared alot faster than I though he would. Thou I would feel alot better if Zebo came off the bench on Saturday but I can't see it happening. Hopefully Bowe is back from injury.

SOB should at least be on the bench on Saturday. He carried well. Offloaded a few times. I think he gave away a penalty of two thou and I believe that's what the main issue Gatland has. He was also a lineout option yesterday. You have to take into consideration that the Rebels were a very weak opposition. SOB playing 7 yesterday shows that he is not going to start on Saturday. Warburton will stay captain.

The centre's didn't set the world alight. Tuilagi distributed well but wasn't the boshing centre I was expecting. Did well but didn't warrant a test spot. Maybe he's still suffering from injury.

Kearney was solid. He didn't do much wrong at all. Attacked well but wasn't under too much pressure in defence. He did get turned once in defence but other than that he put up a good performance. He needed an exceptional performance to get anywhere near Halfpenny.

Again Farrell was solid. Kicked well. Good distribution. Nowhere near the class of Sexton but developed well on this tour.

Grey had a bad start to the game. Gave away a penalty and knocked the ball in some attacking positions. The 2nd half was alot better. Close call between him and Evans for the bench spot.

The front row is difficult to gauge. They were solid enough but against a weak opposition. They're still along way off a test spot. Corbs + Jones are vital to the scrum.

Lydiate and Falatau put in a good performance. Won't have too many complaints (despite what everybody says here) if Falatau nicks the no.8 jersey off Heaslip. It's a very close call between the two of them.

Murray did OK. Did what was expected from a scrum half. I though he should have up'd the tempo a bit more. Youngs would be my choice for scrum half on Saturday.

I couldn't get a pint before the match due to all the pubs being too full with Lions fans. Expecting town to be jammers with fans this Saturday. I'll be going in early to soak some of the atomosphere.

Lelantos · 26-06-2013 9:27am

Mitchell has been banned for 1 game for his tackle on Zebo

For Paws · 26-06-2013 11:20am

Melbourne Rebels

Lelantos wrote: »

Mitchell has been banned for 1 game for his tackle on Zebo

Nigel Hampton QC, the same judicial officer who adjudicated on the Horwill citing has decided to impose a one match ban.

“I found that the incident was clearly at the lowest level for this offence,” said judicial officer Nigel Hampton QC, in a statement released by the Australian Rugby Union.
“The penalty associated for the lower level breach of Law 10.4 (j) is a suspension of four matches.
“Because of the circumstances and Lachlan Mitchell’s good on-field record, I have determined that the maximum reduction to the sentence of 50 per cent should be applied.
“Further to this, I found that an additional discount to the suspension should be made as I believe a two-match penalty would be disproportionate to the level and type of offence that has occurred.
“As such, I have delivered a sanction of a one-match suspension, which will be fulfilled following the Rebels’ next Super Rugby fixture on July 12th.”

What is the point of having 'minimum' penalties if the judicial officer can further minimise them ?

The Horwill finding was a joke, and now this.

.ak · 26-06-2013 11:28am

In fairness it's not minimum, it's entry level.

For Paws · 26-06-2013 7:48pm

Melbourne Rebels

.ak wrote: »

In fairness it's not minimum, it's entry level.

Eh, seems I'm confused here.

So the 'entry level' associated with this type of offence is a 4 match ban.

Grand.

So now we'll halve that as the guy has a clean record & he admitted the offence.
Generous but fair enough.

What other possible consideration can be cited to halve the remaining ban ?

If this 'penalty associated' with this type of offence is a 4 match ban, why hasn't he been banned for 4 matches ?
If 'entry level' meant anything, his clean record & admission of guilt should mean that he is not subject to a longer ban. Nothing else.

As it happens, a 1 match ban means he misses the entirely inconsequential final game of the season against the Highlanders.

That certainly sends out the right message.
Spear tackle & get your hols on before your mates.

British and Irish Lions vs Melbourne Rebels, 25th June 2013, Sky Sports 10.40am

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