D Angelo Barksdale Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 I'll be supporting Australia next time round anyway since my mum's a born and bred Sheila, so not fussed if it's Gatland tbh. But he's had his time surely. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonS Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 3 hours ago, IrishBhoy said: I’m no authority on Rugby by any stretch of the imagination, but any time I watch Finn Russell he always seems to be the guy trying something different that none of his teammates are able to see coming. It’s like Iniesta playing inch perfect through balls for a couple of Junior level strikers who aren’t clever enough to make the run. That could very well be absolute nonsense and I wouldn’t disagree with someone who knows more about the game than me, but even when you see him for Scotland he always seems to be trying cute little kicks through or changing direction and punting out to the wings, but because no one has seen it coming he can end up looking daft. Not the way I see it tbh. The team are set up to play off him and very rarely does it break down. The wingers generally get on the end of his cross-field kicks and his passing is so completely immaculate that he actually forces his team-mates to go where he wants them. Two examples - after an intercept against Ireland at Murrayfield he was hunted down short of the line by haunted onion Keith Earls; he throws the ball off the deck to Sam Johnson, but he throws it outside to put Johnson away from the tackler. The best example though is this pass against England, forcing Maitland exactly where he wanted him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hard Graft Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 First rule of any test match - take the points when they are on offer and only when comfortabley in front go for the corners. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Hopefully Hamish doesn't suffer any Samson like after effects... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Back Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Quite funny reading taffs on social media trying to claim that despite butchering the try, missing the tackle that led to a try and dropping multiple high balls, that Williams still played better than Hogg. They’re trying to deflect blame onto Curry and the “English” pack and no way are having it that Williams is in any way culpable. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Having 7 forwards from the nation that finished 5th in the 6 Nations finishing the deciding Test is madness when you actually read it but it has barely been mentioned by the press. Losing two vital scrums on your own put in is absolutely criminal yet again it doesn't seem to matter because it was done by players that rugby journalists have man crushes on. Finn was excellent but I think the full team got a boost when he came on. They wouldn't have trained playing Russell's style but they all immediately got far more aggressive and started hitting lines that no one was attempting in the first 170 minutes. I think there would have been a lot of mixed feelings in the hotel last night, a lot of players had their tour ruined because Gatland was determined to make Biggar and AWJ the focal point. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 3 hours ago, Hard Graft said: First rule of any test match - take the points when they are on offer and only when comfortabley in front go for the corners. Only if you feel you are less likely to score a try. It’s the sign of a confident team if they kick for the corner. New Zealand do it against Scotland almost every time. Australia used to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTillEhDeh Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Next Lions coach? Farrell would be my guess at the moment.Almost certainly one of the favourites.Which is not good. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Given that they are going to Australia who are pish I think Toony will get it and they will rebrand as going back to being an attacking showcase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTillEhDeh Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Given that they are going to Australia who are pish I think Toony will get it and they will rebrand as going back to being an attacking showcase. He is one of the possibilities.Gatland hasn't ruled out coming back for 2025 - and I suspect the PTB would give it to him again.Other names include Stuart Lancaster (ex-England coach and currently testing up the turf at Leinster), Eddie Jones (the current bookies favourite), Toony and Farrell.Current odds are:Jones- 5/2Farrell - 3/1Gatland - 4/1Toony - 7/1Lancaster- 11/1 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 There's too much bad blood around Gatland now. Plus all the shite he talks about setting high standards and peak performance doesn't really work when you are 1/4 in series wins. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamonds are Forever Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 (edited) I'm a casual rugby fan so probably look at it more from an entertainment point of view than any in depth tactical one, but those 3 games were 3 of the worst matches I've seen. Genuinely dreadful to watch - the only time any rugby broke out across the 3 games was when Russell came on. Surely with the quality in that squad they are capable of playing a more expansive style of rugby. The likes of Hogg, Williams, Watson etc have all been criticised but in fairness to them they had nothing to work with in an attacking sense (with the exception of Williams yesterday messing up the one opening they had) to show any flair, and just had kicks being shelled at them all game, my sense was that they were on a hiding to nothing. I'd imagine a game plan involving Russell getting free rein might be a bit too much away to South Africa, but I don't believe that brutal (as in dreadful, not tough) style that Gatland employed is the best that squad can do. Surely he has to go and they get some fresh ideas in for next time. Any people watching those games who weren't big rugby fans would be put off for life watching that dross. Edited August 8, 2021 by Diamonds are Forever 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Looking at some stats and AWJ managed 18m carrying in his three starts and Tom Curry got 17m. Henderson, Jonny Gray, Hamish, Beirne and Navidi all have massive grounds for complaint. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignoramus Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/08/warren-gatland-favourite-among-lions-hierarchy-to-lead-2025-australia-tour?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Obviously a long way to go but I can see him boring us for a fourth tour unless a compelling alternative comes along. Townsend will never get it unless he does something silly like winning a GS. Jones is a possibility if he wants to get it up the Wallabies at that particular moment. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAD Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 8 hours ago, Ignoramus said: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/08/warren-gatland-favourite-among-lions-hierarchy-to-lead-2025-australia-tour?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Obviously a long way to go but I can see him boring us for a fourth tour unless a compelling alternative comes along. Townsend will never get it unless he does something silly like winning a GS. Jones is a possibility if he wants to get it up the Wallabies at that particular moment. I'm sure I read that one of the main reasons Townsend, Jones, Farrell etc won't be getting it is that the lions insist the manager has a year full time as Lions coach to prepare. If these guys are in jobs when it's announced then no way they'll be stepping down for a year. Gatland might be the only option. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTillEhDeh Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 I'm sure I read that one of the main reasons Townsend, Jones, Farrell etc won't be getting it is that the lions insist the manager has a year full time as Lions coach to prepare. If these guys are in jobs when it's announced then no way they'll be stepping down for a year. Gatland might be the only option.Gatland only did this because he had a sabbatical from the Chiefs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lambies Doos Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Gatland only did this because he had a sabbatical from the Chiefs.Parties in the streets of Waikato when that sabbatical was announced... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Parties in the streets of Waikato when that sabbatical was announced...Yep, he hadn't got off to a great start and if the online comments were anything to go by plenty of their fans would have been quite happy if he had gone to the Lions and never came back. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwffc Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 How can a player that was never picked and was in better form than the person picked in their place let them self down. https://www.ruck.co.uk/guardian-brutally-picks-five-lions-who-let-themself-down/3/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonS Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 On 08/08/2021 at 20:03, DeeTillEhDeh said: He is one of the possibilities. Gatland hasn't ruled out coming back for 2025 - and I suspect the PTB would give it to him again. Other names include Stuart Lancaster (ex-England coach and currently testing up the turf at Leinster), Eddie Jones (the current bookies favourite), Toony and Farrell. Current odds are: Jones- 5/2 Farrell - 3/1 Gatland - 4/1 Toony - 7/1 Lancaster- 11/1 Jones is a despicable p***k. Farrell is utterly boring. Gatland has shown us how tedious he is and how slow to learn. Any of the three favourites get it an it'll be unwatchable. I think Toony would be great for it but I'd rather he didn't. Our comrades in Irish and Welsh rugby have no respect for Scots and he'll get nothing but criticism and negativity all the way through. If he wins it'll be because of the Welsh and Irish boys; if he loses it'll be because they appointed a silly Jock. Even when he was managing a wee Scottish side to a Pro12 win in glorious style he never got the recognition from them that he deserved. Lancaster's a good guy and a decent coach, but his deficiencies were there for all to see in his managerial stint with England. Might as well give it to Wayne Pivac. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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