Lions ratings: third Test
Rob Kearney - 8: Carried on where he left off last week. Superb under the high ball, allied great footwork with pace when he attacked and solid defensively. Highlight was a 40-metre break in the first half after he had gathered and evaded the attentions of Jongi Nokwe. Fine series for the Irishman.
Ugo Monye - 7: Quiet until he scored a 70-metre intercept try early in the second half. That allowed the Lions to breath a little more easily. Ends the tour as the Lions' leading try scorer with five, but memories of his missed opportunities in Durban will linger.
Tommy Bowe - 8: Played very well, especially when you consider he was away from his accustomed position on the wing. Made a couple of nice breaks before the interval and was always impressive in defence, most notably when he thwarted Odwa Ndungane on the line near the end.
Riki Flutey - 8: Deputised brilliantly for the superb Jamie Roberts. Excellent work for the second try, chasing his own chip before showing skill and awareness to offload to Shane Williams, who went in under the posts. An impressive all-round performance.
Shane Williams - 8: Started nervously, conceding a turnover and slicing a kick into touch. But showed his customary finishing skills and anticipation to grab two first-half tries. Ended the tour on a high after weeks of frustration.
Stephen Jones - 7: Slick distribution and impressive marshalling of the back line, yet again. Unlucky to miss the chance of an easy conversion when the ball dropped off the tee at the end of the first half. A strong end to a decent series for the Welsh fly-half.
Mike Phillips - 7: A characteristic performance from the tenacious scrum-half. Fierce in the tackle and a threat around the fringes, although his distribution was sometimes laboured. Adjusted well when switched to centre in the second half.
Jamie Heaslip - 8: His best performance of the series by far. Showed his dynamism, which had been under wraps for the last two weekends, with some lovely attacking cameos. A powerful surge was followed by a subtle offload for Williams' first try.
Martyn Williams - 8: A classic display of the open-side's arts. Quick to the break down, influential in attack and a thorough nuisance to the home side all afternoon. Got the better of the much-heralded Heinrich Brussow.
Joe Worsley - 7: Did exactly what was expected of him. Made tackle after tackle, was fearless and added bulk to the back row.
Paul O'Connell - 7: Led by example. Effective in the tight and never took a backward step. Sometimes looked laboured with ball in hand though.
Simon Shaw - 7: Aggressive, committed and made sure the Springbok forwards could never relax. Sin-binned after foolishly dropping his knees into Fourie du Preez's back though, which could have proved expensive.
Phil Vickery - 7: His performance will help to ease the painful memories of two weeks ago. There was no repeat of his Durban mauling by the Beast and he was a useful presence in the loose. A fitting way for the proud prop to sign off his Lions career.
Matthew Rees - 8: Another impressive performance from the Welsh hooker before he was forced off with concussion. Solid line-out throwing, part of a front row which more than matched their opposition and some strong ball carrying. Has emerged from this series with his reputation greatly enhanced.
Andrew Sheridan - 7: Looked as fired up as he was as a substitute in Pretoria last weekend. Key part of a scrum which was unrecognisable from two weeks ago and a threat with ball in hand.
Replacements:
Ross Ford - 7: Did a decent job after coming on late in the first half for Matthew Rees. Also gave Scotland its first taste of action in this Test series.
Harry Ellis - 7: Fiery and aggressive when he came on after the interval.
John Hayes - 6: Came on to win his first Test cap at the age of 35 and kept the scrum steady.
Tom Croft - 6: Saw little of his attacking prowess but busy in defence.
Alun Wyn Jones - 7: Made a couple of thumping tackles and took two line-outs.
David Wallace - 6: Too little time to make a real impact.
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Comments
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erm, Stephen Jones didn't miss the kick to touch before half time, Rob Kearney did. Also his conversion wasn't charged down, the ball fell over so he had to pick it up and try and kick it - hence the miss.
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Re: Stephen Jones' rating, go back and look at the tapes please:
a) His conversion was not charged down - fell off its tee and he actually did well to react and go for a drop goal.
b) It was Kearney who kicked and missed touch at the end of the second half.
I should be working for you guys!!! Give him an 8 - and I'm Irish just in case you thought that I was Welsh!!
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Hmmm, Jones gets a ower mark that Shane? That's just lazy. Other way around on those. And Heaslip should be a mark higher. MOM for an outstanding effort in attack and defence.
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well played boys, we lost overall but in the end we truely shone through at the end and we won. 2-1 is a lot better than 3-0
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I think that this match proved that the beast isn't the scrummaging monster he was made out to be after the first test; the bok scrum was struggling in the first half, but when bismarck du plessis came on vickery, and the lions' scrum as a whole, started getting pushed backwards again...
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Good to see the Bull getting his Lions cap. Isn't recognised as a good prop by many people outside the game, but ask anybody who's played with him and they'll tell you how good he is.
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As Geech said in the interview, the Lions could have been coming into this 2 nil up..........
Bring on Australia!
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Superb effort by all the team. Couldn't really say there were any real stand-out players as they were ALL GREAT. Fantastic commitment from all of the 15 that started and also from all those that came off the bench. Was a little surprised by the substitution of Flutey with Phillips, but obviously the management thought that Phillips's aggression (defensive qualities)were required in the mid-field rather than the more passive and creative skills of Hook at that crucial time - and without doubt they got it right.
Just loved the result because the Lions certainly didn't deserve to go home 3-0 losers.
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Following the comments re:Stephen Jones were we watching the same game or were you in the pub ?
O'Connell at last bossed the ref and we got some decisions, and look at the difference. To be fair though this ref is still the nemesis of the northern hemisphere and doesn't know his arse from his mouth encouraging even the French touch judge to come out on our side near the end. The video ref was clearly correct on the SA try as 'chalk dust' flew up before the ball was grounded, how appropriate on a Wimbledon final day !
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No way did Martyn Williams outplay Heinrich Brussow. Brussow was and has been the best backrower from either side over the whole tour. The guy is a machine. It is wrong to overlook his performance for South Africa because of the Lions win today, Martyn Williams was on the winning team but lost his individual battle comprehensively.
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All too late, the lesson was learned - involve the Scots and win (see 1997 and conversely 2001, 2005 and 2009)!!
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Only 7 for steven Jones???? He was imense in atack and defence, you must be a bit blind.
Only 7 for Phillips. He was imense, distribution wasnt always perfect, but his agresion all over the field got under the boks skin, was also pretty good at center. although i dint understand why hook didnt come on.
I would have given Kearney 9 o'r even 10. imense!! if Byrne is the rolls royce of full back then Kearney is the Aston martin Vantage!!
Would have given Heaslip 9 as well.
Martin Williams was amazing. Bet linking No 7 in world rugby, yes better than MCcaw, although hes better at break down. His link up play was beyond belief at times, the cleverst rugby player on the pitch by far. Good to see a smile on his face as he was being thrown about by boks for not releasing ball. very canny.
well done the lions!! brilliant effort, glad shane got a couple of scores as well, superb instinc and finishing!!!
Roll on lions, look out australia in 4 years, much of this team is young enough to play in that series. (please take dwayne peel next time though to add proper competition for No 9).
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees
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I think you will find Adam Jones did a fine job of exposing the 'beast' to be not as good a player/scrummager as he was made to look after the first half of the first test. Great performance by the lads, and so great to see the togetherness of the players after the final whistle of all players from the four nations embracing like brothers. Also, hugely enjoyed Mike Phillips aggressive apporach, what a player. Well Done Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland!! we did ourselves proud!! LIONS FOREVER!!!!
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just noticed it is Simon Austin rather than Bryn, hence some of the inaccurate notes.
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I listened to 5-live commentary and I have to say, Matt Dawson, you are a superstar mate, best piece of work I have heard for many a long year on the beeb....
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Stephen Jones deserves Man of the Series.His distribution,defense and goalkicking have been top drawer.He was again superb and I can only assume that your telly was on the blink with that rating.
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As great a Lions side as I can remember. It is not the "Done thing£ in Rugby to complain about the refereeing, but I feel that had the first test been "Fair" The Lions would have been coming home triumphant. SA may have won 2 - 1, but I think the way they did it showed that they feared the Lions, were prepared to do anyuthing to win and have severely damaged their reputation on the world rugby stage by their actions and comments.
Quite frankly, when our four home rugby nations come together and produce a squad like this, I am immnesely proud of all of them
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Shane Williams, 8? He finished a couple of tries that any decent winger would have. Got turned over plenty, sliced a kick to touch, lightweight in defense, and chipped a kick to no one. 7.
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Heaslip had a good game....carrying the ball well and making tackles. Shame he waited until the dead rubber test.
Flutey was immense and brought such much needed bte in attack and defense.
Phillips was excellent. One wonders what might have happened if we had put him in the centers last week!
Williams had a good game, but then it s a bit harsh on Brussow to say that he was outplayed. I thougt Brussouw was very good at the break down again and he will defintely cause teams problems. He reminds me of a young George Smith.
Francosie Steyn? I don't see what all the fuss is about. He has a big boot but always runs into the people and dies with the ball. I don't think he's that quick either.
Finally, congrats to the Boks on a series win! Great series, evenly contested and the best team won in the end.
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Rees - 8 "Another impressive performance from the Welsh hooker before he was forced off with concussion. Solid line-out throwing, part of a front row which more than matched their opposite numbers and some strong ball carrying."
Do people only see what they want to see - Rees throwing was not solid (only 2 out 4 and a squint one) whereas Ford nailed all of his.
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stevearm8
why slag off shane??? he was there to finish and he did his job. wasnt the only player to get turned over, and out on the wing the support cant always get there. plus, he's only about 4 foot tall!!!!!
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stevearm08 Fact is he chipped the kick into mid field and there should of been players running onto it. I'm not a Monye fan but he did well as did Williams today.
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agree with expat. excellent series, well done boks!!
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#1&2 - I've looked at the tape and you're right.
I will change that in the copy...
Wish I'd had a monitor in the press box...
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well done boys!! well played, and thank god we've finally won a game! and it was good to see Williams doing what he does best: finishing chances! where he'd been fluffing them before today, im glad :-)
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Well, good performances in most of the tests, stuffing SA in the final test, but best of all the lions ethos is restored, more of the same in Oz please MacGeechan must be involved and should be knighted, speaking as an Englishman he deserves if much more than Woodward!
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Kearney is my man of the series. Fantastic last two tests and a very very solid opening test, when coming on for the injured Byrne. Solid under the high ball and showed his prowess going forward, which a lot of non-Irish posters thought he didn't have. Immense talent at only 23 years of age.
Heaslip, Jones and Phillips were all also fantastic today and Bowe played well as outside centre.
All in all, very proud of the Lions, great way to finish the series and under other circumstances....well who knows..
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also thought O'Connel had his best game. led from the front, and hassled ref.
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Lion of the Series realy has got to be Kearney, BOD and Roberts pushing very close Shaw also was amazing considering we keep being told how old he is supposed to be
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Thougth there were some outstanding performances today, notably Heaslip, O'Connell, Bowe, Phillips, Jones, Kearney and Flutey before he went off.
But I'd agree that M Williams was eclipsed by his opposite number.
And I'm afraid Simon Shaw could have been red carded for `kneeing' his opponent.
Men of the series: O Driscoll, Roberts, Kearney and I'd add O'Connell too. He was a seven out of ten in the opening two tests and an eight today.
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Great win for the Lions and good to put a big score on the Boks. It's been a series of "what ifs" for the Lions. I think from todays performance we see that Martyn and Shane Williams should definitely have been in the test team from the very beginning, they are players you want in any team. Flutey was class and Matthew Rees is the most improved player on the tour. Glad to see we stood up to the Boks (over)physical presence today, although a few yellow cards against them should have been shown. Possibly the best Lions team not to win a series.
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theeggchaser.
agree, kearney was amazing, also thought steven jones pushed him for man of the series. very consistent in atack and defence!
flutey was very good today as well
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"David Wallace - 6: Too little to make a real impact."
In fairness he is 6' 2"
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This kid Brussouw is a real find for the Safffas. He makes the balance of a back row so much better. He is a different type of plyer to Martin Williams though, who had a good game doing what he does best, linking and following at the break down.
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Immense performance by all of the Lions today. Not sure about Shane's MOM though. He did well to take his tries and his support play was excellent. Personally I would have given the entire pack MOM but honestly this was a game where the Lions kept composure and battled away. For me the captain gets credit for that and I think Paul O'Connell today led from the front, bossed the ref - politely - and generally made his presence felt.
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Real quality performance and one that will give us all the boost we wanted for four years time. I just hope that the Rugby powers will heed Geech's advise and give the coaching team a bit more time in four years. This is the most important thing in Rugby for me, as I'm sure it is for the majority of British and Irish Rugby fans, and as much as this was year was great for me (Ireland fan), I have enjoyed this more than anything else. We gotta give ourselves the best chance we can. However now its all over, to my Scottish, English and Welsh friends, the rivalry is on again from September. I look forward to sharing these memories in four years. Bring on Aus!!
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Okay, thanks Simon for changing your comments about Stephen Jones, but surely this now means you should change his actual rating? You can't leave him on 7! He was definitely at least an 8
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I must admit Flutey is getting better the more he plays on the international scene, was not convinced when England first selected him lets hope France doesn't prove to be an obstacle.
Shane Williams, showed real class today, not having been seen as being on form in the Tour, showed he is a big match player, right to get IRB player of the year last year.
2-1 I can live with and dream about what could have been which is the great thing about sport, roll on the 6 Nations
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Hats off to the Williams' today, glad to see Shane prove he isa finisher, where was he in the first test? And Martyn for finally getting a test start in his third tour and playing a blinder, oh and the went and won. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Also wanted to commment on the moment of madness from the Lions that they were lucky to get away with, Ellis on for Flutey and putting Phillips at centre was nonsensical when Hook was on the bench.
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Where as the first 2 tests were soooooo close, and given some luck (or, and I hate to say it, some better officials) we could have won/drawn them, then you have to say 2-1 is bad, but OK. No doubt people will discuss the officials, but what counts is commitment. Both teams had it, but SA were prepared (rightly or wrongly) to step over the line and win dirty if they needed too. I have no complaints in that matter this is a game where to win is everything and to lose is nothing, what you only hope for is a team of officials prepared to make the calls and not bottle them.
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thought everyone played very very well, the scrum was composed throughout and got to the breakdown and cleared out the opposition very well, the backs when given service were decisive and used the ball a lot better than I had recently seen, they seemed to be keener to keep the ball in hand, rather than kick away the possesion.
Though Phillips was awesome at No 9, his work round the scrum and tackling really impressed me and showed how poor a scrum half harry ellis is when he came on. The Lions were a far worse team with him at scrum half with his lack of quick ball, as usual almost losing posession by taking far too long to use the ball at the break down. His tackling wasn't upto scratch either and was brocken through a number of times, I honestly don't know why Geech insisted on picking him.
Glad for Shane Williams as well, he has had a tough tour, with lack of quality balls being given to him he has had limited oppertunities to show what he can do, but was not shown wanting when he was presented with the chances today.
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im quite suprised to read some people think o'connell's performances have warranted him to be in the running for man of the series. his leadership in the last 20mins of the 1st test and the 3rd test were very commendable but i thought he was fairly anonymous and at times clumsy in posession on the whole.
as for stephen jones's kicking, people seem to have a very short memory. he missed 2 very kickable pens in the 1st half of the 1st test which had they gone over meant we would have won the 1st test. and he missed a another kickable pen today in the first half. in hindsight, it had no bearing on the game but he still should be nailing those. his range for an international kicker is also poor, highlighted by the decision to let kearney kick for goal today from just over half way.
i apologise for sounding negative on a day of many positives for the lions. phillips, heaslip, shaw, roberts, o'drsicoll, bowe and kearney are the players that will stand out for me on this tour. maybe croft as well, who i have no doubt will become one of the best backrowers in the world. special mention for martyn williams too. possibly the most under-used lions player in history?!
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These ratings are silly. I don't know about anyone else, but Mike Phillips was exceptional today. I thought Flutey played really well and as for Stephen Jones. Don't really see what he did wrong. Very good kicking display and unfortunate with the first conversion. After the first game i thought Vickers was outstanding considering.
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39 Gutoknowsbest
You, I and I suppose 1000's of others thought Ellis on for Phillips to move to centre was crazy at the time, but I now think it was a stroke of genius. Phillips was well into the game and is v. good defensively - more so than Hook - and it was these qualities that were most important at that stage rather than the creative flair of Hook. Great call in my opinion, and I am a big Hook fan! Hook's time will come for sure.
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Jeff86
Has Harry Ellis killed your cat? Something of an uneccessary rant i think. Ellis was solid if unspectacular when coming on and made all the right calls, whilst Phillips did a great job covering at centre.
Heaslip deserved MOM, Jones along with Flutey, Phillips, Rees and Kearney pushed him close. Well done to Vickery and Monye for banishing demons that were somewhat harshly cast upon them. Poor officiating made Vickery look worse than he was and Monye did'nt so much miss his chances in the first test as fall foul of some incredible Springbok defence.
Above all, i was proud to see a group of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh (alphabetically listed, no bias) team knit together and get the win that they richly deserved. It's gonna be a long four year wait until we can do it all again!!
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Thanks for your comments everyone and please keep them coming.
As I've said before, these ratings aren't scientific - they're just a reflection of the game as I saw it. I also didn't have replays in the press box, so you might have seen some things more clearly than I did.
On reflection, I think Stephen Jones did probably deserve an 8, as he had a fine all-round game to cap off a very good tour.
#44 - interesting what you say about the decision to switch Phillips to centre. Geech was asked about this in the presser and said the Welshman is big, a great tackler and likes to get his hands on the ball, which made him the ideal man to step into the midfield at that stage of the game.
He was also switched there against the Golden Lions earlier in the tour
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congratulations to the lions and all the lions supporters. you guys showed us a thing or two today. great series and great game. the lions played a great game of rugby today and kept the boks at bay. as a south african, i am proud of the boks series win, but the lions deserved a win. hope to see many more lion tours! congrats to both touring parties. now we just have to get rid of de villiers.....
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Superb performance from the Lions today gave SA plenty of problems and fantastic defence. Phillips and Kearney were the men of the series for me for the Lions. Kearney has showed himself to be a world class full back, and Phillips to be a world class scrum half. Phillips' physicality was also very pleasing to see, he was not prepared to take a backward step in the entire series. Standout performances today from both Williams, Heaslip, Phillips, Jones, Flutey and Kearney. Pity it took Heaslip until the 3rd Test to produce the performance everyone knew he was capable of. Brussow looks a real find for the Boks but probably won't get many more matches for them after the return of Burger which will be a shame. All in all looks good for the Lions in a few years time, some pieces of bad luck and poor officiating are ultimately what decided this series, along with beautiful SA moves from set pieces, I lost count of the amount of times they pierced the Lions defence off scrums and lineouts. When you look at the players who the Lions could have in 4 years time though they could have a fantastic team AWJ, Croft, Heaslip, Ferris, Phillips, Hook, Fitzgerald, Roberts, Earls, Bowe and Kearney will all presumably return as better players, with this tour having been a fantastic experience for them. Anyway, roll on Australia and congratulations to the Boks for winning what was a fantastic series!
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As a very proud Welshman living in England I would just like to congratulate all of the Lions. With a different ref in the first test the overall result just could have been.... Thought Kearney was man of the series closely followed by BOD and Roberts, with Jones and Phillips playing consistently well. Loved the second test when the Lions front row murdered the Boks until both props had to leave the field. A tour of many 'what ifs' but the results will show that the Boks won.
Can we all now please stop sniping at players from other countries and just congratulate the team on a fine (and surprisingly good) performance today.
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Good performance today and at least the series score has a more realistic look to it now, 3-0 to the Boks would have been harsh.
Glad to see that Phil Vickery exorcised some of his ghosts from the first test.
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Boy was I wrong!!
What a game! Players of the tour (lions) Kearney, Bowe, Phillips(despite that xray extra step he takes) Roberts, and BOD. I think n that order. For the record, great game last week, average this week, but S Jones, any chance of you learning how to kick?? This could have been the decider. S Williams, very opportunistic, about as threatening as a 99yr old pensioner.
Plus sides, M Williams,what a game!!! And I thought Shaw was awesome! PoC doing what he does best, and Vickery, great Swan song, would hate to see a player like that go out on a low! And |Flutey, what a performance!
Anyway, heres to the lions, victorous in defeat!!
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I didn't realise it was Lions V Australia in 2013. Are there any fan clubs out there that are starting to save now to go on the venture - I would like to join as I have quite a few cousins in Oz.
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Well done to the Lions for beating the Springbok B team. There needs to be order and discipline in the Springbok squad if the want to win. Lack of focus prevented them from winning. Lets not blame the ref, it's typical for the losing team to blame the ref. The lions just need to believe in themselves. That's all they need to win games. They have lost some respect in South Africa from all the complaining and whinging. Overall it was a good series. Could have gone either way. The Springboks were lucky to come out with the two wins in the first two tests.
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Well played Lions. A convincing and deserved victory - no real weak links today. Stephen Jones should be 8 IMO. Heaslip was immense after going missing in last 2 tests.
For some of the whingers from last week, please note the contrast of the Bok supporters comments - only congratulations and no complaints, despite losing 7 of 9 games refereed by Mr Dickinson! Obviously easier for them having won the series, but still a lesson for some.
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Brilliant. The lions earned their win today, and there wasn't a player on the pitch who didn't look comfortable in that red jersey. Now bring on the Wallabies!
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It has been a memorable series, with three fanstastic games (though let's face it the Boks wouldn't have made 10 changes if the series were still alive).
Especially pleased today for Vickery, Monye and S Williams, who all came back from their personal tour hells. For those saying how little Shane did apart from the two finishes, re-watch his efforts in securing Lions ball at numerous breakdowns. It's not always the eye-catching back play which wins matches (think Shaw, Worsley or the Welsh front row last week). It might have been different if we'd seen the same presence from Heaslip & POC throughout the series - so many what-ifs.
I think most posters have nailed the Lions players who really stepped up throughout.
p.s. I'm glad for the win if only to banish the anti Wales/Irish/Wasps (delete as applicable) posts.
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Delighted for John Hayes, did nothing at all wrong and if anything steadied the scrum even further.
Did the Sth Africans look very silly with their armbands ??????
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Good to see Shane take his chances, other players has have failed to do so in this Test Series. He also got 2 tries for Wales v South Africa out there last summer.
As someone said before from is temporary, class is permanent.
Also good to see Phillips back to his best, after that bad injury at the Millennium, an 8 at least for me.
Pity that Hook didn't come on, hopefully his time will come in 4 years.
Well done also to Vickery, and Monye today as well for banishing some ghosts.
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As for 57. the South Africans did look silly, their player is out for 2 weeks, Adam Jones is now out for 6 months as a result of that challenge.
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Firstly, congratulations to the Lions. That was some performance today, and the whole squad can be proud of themselves and head home with their heads held high. The sheer passion and hunger to win was fantastic to watch.
Secondly, a message to all those who consistently slam NH rugby and the British and Irish Lions, and I quote Rowan Atkinson's devil character Toby, from his 1991 one man stand up show, as he welcomed the athesists to eternity - "well you must be feeling a right bunch of nitt witts!" You will no doubt continue to slate our teams, even after the win today and success of this series. Petty comments from SH countries only makes our teams hungrier for more success! Learn from it.
Finally, congratulations to SA for winning the series. Roll on the World Cup and the Lions in 2013! Man to watch for future England and Lions captain - Tom Croft.
Here endeth the lesson.
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They looked so childish with their "Justice" armbands. Maybe the Lions should have come out with similar ones in the 2nd half regarding the eye gouging events? And it was a charge into the ruck, not counter rucking. It was reckless
Good to see a proper referee this week doing a good job
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If there were any doubts about the lack of English players in the Test teams, note the off loading in the tackle. Irish and Welsh players miles ahead in this area and with Johnson as coach can't see England improving.
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Some bizarre relative ratings particularly for Phillips (7? were you watching the same match?). You give Bowe 8 Ok and comment on his change of position, Phillips played the last 30 mins in the centre and was a talisman throughout the game!!. I think Shane is great but no way was he an 8 and Jones and Philips 7. Heaslip too deserved a 9. Maybe Kearney too. Bizarre.
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Would agree with some of the ratings, although quite unfair on Jones and Phillips, who both had great games again. Jones has really shone this series, showing great leadership and control, and Phillips did very well again. Heaslip was great and O'Connell also deserved an 8 for his performance.
Don't agree that Martyn Williams outplayed Brussow, who I think is an outstanding flanker, will be keeping Burger out of the team at this rate! Also, you cannot forget that having Rees alongside Vickery rather than Mears made a huge difference. It was actually their hooker who was going up in a lot of the scrums.
I also hope people will stop going on about Shane now, saying that he has lost it in the last year. That type of skill and his reading of the game is second to none and wont be lost overnight. If he had started the first test he would have finished at least one of Monye's missed opportunities.
Not going to get over excited about this as we did lose the series, and the Boks had nothing to play for today and showed that. But it is nice to go out with a win.
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Justice 4 the Lions, and we didn't whine or protest when our players were banned did we...
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Shane Williams was distinctly average today with his only real input being running, unopposed, to the tryline twice. He never found his form despite being given every opportunity. Stephen Jones was excellent as was Mike Phillips who has been the most consistent player on tour. Monye's try was a brilliant moment but it was two weeks late I'm afraid. Kearney was solid as a rock.
As for the forwards, POC played like a captain today for the first time on tour. Heaslip showed his class after two average test performances, and Martyn Williams was great. Front row was solid as well.
Great Lions squad but you can't help but feel that they should have taken the series. Unlucky but they were up against a fantastic SA team. Well done SA, bring on 2021!!!
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This Third Test proves everything that I have said before the 1st Test even began and have consistently said throughout the series:
1) that if we play Rugy at them and don't kick we will beat them, they'll open up
2) That kicking to them is a waste of time
3) Ugo Monye is very good at running in straight lines
4) Shane Williams is a really good, play a type of game that will suit him ie keeping the ball alive and you'll see what you get
5) Martin Williams should have been playing from the start in every Test side
6) What a wasted opportunity this will be that we approached the game trying to out muscle them and instead we should have focused on playing our game as they wont be able to handle it
We won that game because we did not play into their strengths, we kept possession and they couldn't touch us. WShen box kick billy ie Ellis came on and we started kickig to them they looked good, started coming back into the game even though it was for about 4 minutes it still showed what happens when you kick to them, Steyn will blast you off the park.
What a shame, let's wait another 4 years for mass bouts of insecurity about whether we should try and contain the opposition or just pick our best players and play a style of Rugby that was present when we had a our greatest years in NZ and SA in the seventies.
Sad that I predicted this from the outset, wish I had been wrong.
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Fair play, one of the best and hardest test series ever played and congratulations to South Africa they were the most streetwise throughtout. It's all about ifs and buts, we can all choose our favourite players depending on which country we're from, but at the end of the day the Lions coaches chose the best 15 for each game and 90% of the time they got it right.
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Shane Williams looked pretty embarrassed himself to be named Man of the match. He took his chances well, looked for work and the kick into midfield would've looked genius if there had been any chasers but he wasn't man of the match. It's a tough call to pick anyone as man of the match because I thought everyone played really well and I don't think any one player stood head and shoulders above the others. Stephen Jones was excellent but I think it should go to Jamie Heaslip.
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Great Lions victory. As a Bok supporter I am happy to see a side who played a great game of rugby win. Your forwards played with distinction and your backs showed some brilliant touches. The try involving Flutey's flick pass was a delight to watch.
But its just horrible to have to put up with such poor narrow minded losers that many of the Lions bloggers are. Its quite pathetic. You have blamed everything under the sun for the two losses, and used every excuse to to explain the Bok victories. The harping on about terrible refereeing when you lose but good refereeing when you win. Your accusations of Bok thuggery whilst you never fail to dish out your own (you had a player sent off this last test - Shawknee - not to be swept under the carpet).
Saffas are not trying to blame the ref or thuggery or any other such excuse for losing. No. It was a deserved Lions win over a very good SA side and great to see some brilliant rugby from the Lions.
So if I can take this opportunity of farewell to say: my impression of you Lions supporters during this tour, is this:
Bleat, bleat followed by gloat.
Glad to see the back of this side of you.
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Thrilling to read SuperGedwards spamming the same comment across the boards, truly thrilling. Shane Williams managed the impossible of scoring two tries but being mediocre in every other facet of the game - accept it, he's past it.
If this pack had started the first game, we'd have won the first game;
Jenkins, Rees / Ford, Murray, Hines, Shaw, Croft, Heaslip, M Williams.
As it was, the pack selection in the first game cost us the series as we were still experimenting come the second test. People are being very positive about this tour - not getting it myself. The pre Test games were poor, we were pumped for an hour of the first test and choked horribly with 15 minutes to go at the end of the second. End of the day, these are the only two tests that count.
Roll on the next season . . . Looking forward to the Tri Nations too.
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squaremoffie-
Interesting how you have a go at the Lions supporters for complaining when decisions dont go our way, but the whole of the SA side wear pathetic armbands when a decision goes against them! Looks to me like they were the ones whining!! Maybe should have focussed more on the match!!
Anyway, well done SA, earned there serious win, and the lions will be back!
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well here's my final say on the matter:
I didnt agree with a lot of the selections before the boys went out, but everyone of them regardless of form or ability has put it on the line everytime they were asked;
the final test with 6 English 5 Irish and 4 Welsh was more like a typical Lions side (sorry couldent resist) anyway my veiw (which dosent mean anything even in my own livingroom)
15 Kerny Couldnt do anything better
11 Williams The first try was a gimmy but the second took some scorring good hands and sharp acceleration (noticed he held the ball in the wrong hand which i beleive is a scoolboy error)
13 Bowe Yeah first class all tour and very good this test
12 Flutty Sharp hands and quick feet we expect but fantastic defence aswell we didnt miss Roberts and i thought we might
14 Monye big, strong, in the right place, fast and scores 5 tries youll have to explain to me what you want from the man
10 Jones not polished like predesesors but what a fine tour (probbably one i would have taken grudgingly but if the player of the tour is a back then he is in with a loud shout)great game
9 Philips would not have took him, service too slow... went missing for larg chunks of the match and, and, and well if we had 15 of him we'd have won it easy well played
1 Sheridan, should not have gone, if the squad was picked on form (he had a lousie 6N along with Shane)but was up there for man of the match
2 Reese forget technicalities throwing not perfect perhaps hes been a presence and the much needed balest in the scrum
3 Vickery good game
4 Shaw didnt see the boks pushing him about even after he stupidly kneed the scrummy the only blot on a fantastic tour
5 O'Connol cant be captain when O'Driscals on the pitch his best game by a country mile
6 Melon head usual no nonsence muscular prescence
7 Williams was Williams and thats complement enough
8 Heslip man of the match amongs a number of overperformers
Of the others: Ellis is better than given credit for, slow, controled ball was what we wanted at that time of the game if they'd have played him instead of O'Gara last week... Croft needs to leave Liecster or get them to play him at backrow he has all the tools+ but not yet the instinct, AW Jones i dont know fantastic and then anonimouse in equal measure could be huge, Wallace as been one of my favourite players for the last few years but has been quiet this tour Ford and Hayes did what they do
Thats it look forwards to your comments it was 6 English but if it had been fourteen welsh and a scotsman fron Jersey i would have been just as proud of them
i think a lot of our whinging has been a mixture of pasion and failiour to explain (not to mention spelling) its frustrating when your so far away from the action South Africa have been rugged and in your face they came to defend their corner and took what they could in the end we have no complaints
Compair the Rugby to that dished out in the world cups THANKS LADS
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Probably felt as proud yesterday as when England won the World Cup in 2003 (sorry to harp on about it!). The commitment from the squad and the way they've conducted themselves over the past 4 or 5 weeks is commendable.
Am I the only person that felt aggrieved about Simon Shaw being binned for that genuine accident? From what I saw, Du Preez went down on the ball under the pressure of Shaw, Shaw couldn't stop quick enough and just caught Du Preez with his knee by accident. It shouldn't have even been a penalty. You can tell by Shaw's reaction that he hasn't meant to do it.
I can't wait to see the likes of Kearney, Earls, Croft, Heaslip, Roberts and Phillips in Australia in 4 years tearing up with good experience under their belts.
Well done boys!
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I'm surprised to see the lack of plaudits on here for Flutey. I thought he was superb today and at the heart of excellent attacking play. His defence was awesome too.
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Agree with most of the ratings however a bit harsh on Jones and hillips who were very good. Also, Martyn Williams was good but Brussow is just outstanding, the guy shows that you don't have to be a monster to have a monster game, he is up there with Smith and McCaw, outstanding and consistant all series, phenomenal in the Cheetahs game when he was left out of the Boks squad. Well done the Lions, great effort, Heaslip, Phillips, Flutey and Shane Williams played out of their skins.
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What is this love fest with Shane?? Players all over the park more worthy of an 8, including his opposite wing who scored 14 points of his OWN making by killing a try scoring overlap and turning it into a Lions score the other end.
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I have to say - what a wonderful game. The players that came in for the injured ones had a storming game and just showed what a great squad it was. I think we should thank the Boks for a competitive test series which could have gone either - (I think a drawn series would have been fair).
Geech got it right again and I think got the best out of the players even though I do think he had got his bench wrong last week and the week before. However I agree he should be knighted for what he has brought to the game and the passion and commitment he has shown.
There wasn't a man of the match yesterday - there were men of the match.
1) Vickery - Well done bud - After your mauling two weeks ago you showed what a cracking player you are.
2) O'Connell - I think overall on the tour he hasn't been strong and with hindsight shouldn't have been captain - But great game yesterday.
3) Shaw - When he was picked I thought why are we picking such a donkey - Ian Gough would have been so much better. I'm now eating my words - Fantastic commitment, great player.
4) Shane Williams - I still don't think he should have gone - He hasn't been the same since the Scotland game when he got injured but take nothing away from him yesterday he did well - Not man of match - but did well.
I am Welsh and do like to see the Welsh guys do well but yesterday I was British and very proud!!!!!!!!
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Heaslip couldn't have been MOM.. granted he was a great presence on the field but he also gzave away a ridiculous amount of penalties! I mean ridiculous.. he was lucky not to have been sin binned!
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It`s simple, newtraditionalhak.
Shane doesn't drop scoring chances on the try line. ;o)
Great effort yesterday from all the squad.
Rather than give individual plaudits in a team game.
Give all 22 players a collective 9/10 for a sterling performance and a
much deserved win.
On a different note, after nearly 50 yrs of playing and watching rugby. Can someone tell me what all the oooooooo's and aaaaaaaaaaa's are about. When a mediocre player like the so called "Beast", tackles or carries the ball.
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Owain. Nor does Monye. At least one of those drops was an amazing piece of defence play which too many in their haste to roast Monye and promote Shane completely ignored.
They also completely ignored that in this test, unlike Shaney, Monye didnt lose the ball in contact, slip off tackles or slice a kick ;-)
Wasnt it also a nice touch to see that the first player arriving to enthusiastically congratulate Shane after both his tries was Ugo. Class act and typical of all the Lions players today.
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Are you sure you actually watched the game? I have now watched the full match over 4 times.
Phillips and Heaslip were phenomenal and deserve 9 each at least. O'Connell the same, Vickery and Sheridan and Rees all deserve 8.
Shane Williams is never an 8. He ran unchallenged under the posts twice and did one mini break. He almost cost 2 tries but for brilliant defence by Bowe.
Maybe you need to go watch the tape and you might take off those rose tinted or Shane tinted glasses
Well done the Lions and Boks, a fantastic series!
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Calling Monye's game quiet is a little disingenuous. A little recognition of his work in rucks would be welcome. How many times was he first to a ruck yesterday (because he was waiting for the forward to pass the ball to him I suppose)? 23 minutes in with South Africa on the Lions 5 metre line, it was Ugo that got the ball.
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how can fluety and bowe get the same rating, bowe was awful, and im a fan of him. He dropped the ball and did little right, fluety made some beastly hits and his set up for the try was world class. Im convinced on another tour him and o'driscol would have set the world alight, shame about his injuries. Yer yer Roberts I know, he was amazing but in the second test he was nulified as i thought he would have been in the first. Heaslip deserved and 9 and williams a 7. Monye deserved and 8. The amount of tackles and his work at the breakdown is immence. Also thought sheridan and williams were exerlent.
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Didn't Croft win the turnover for Shane's 2nd? Worth more than a 6, surely?
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Why the veneration for S. Williams? Of course, he managed to benefit from Heaslip's hard work and Flutey's ingenuity but have the missed tackles, poor kicks, and the nervous, scuttling runs into dead ends been forgotten?
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SuperGedwards9
like we have been hanging on your every word....
Martyn Williams wasn't fit enough to start the 2 tests and was been nursed through the series.
Shane wasn't good enough to start the first 2 tests.
I am glad you can go back to the Principality and bang your drum where the rest of us can't hear it.
We won the game because they made 10 changes from the team we played last week. We won the game because there was something for us and nothing for them to play for. We won the game because Botha was caught up in the IRB's "hang em all out to dry"knee jerk reactionary policy to indiscipline.
your grip on reality is slipping slowly...you cannot ignore the physical side of rugby, especially when you go to SA. When Shaw played instead of Wynn-Jones, it showed in spades that you need a physical presence.
Saying that "keeping the ball"; sounds good but you need big guys to either
A; Strip and win the ball in the first place
B; hold on to the thing when you've got it.
It is very simple to say that we should hold on to it whilst ignoring the fact that we are facing one of the most physical teams to ever play the game.
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The tackling stints put in By Jones and Phillips in the final quarter was really quite outstanding imo, so a 7 for these two guys is is a poor reflection on their contribution yesterday. Also think that Jones has had a very good tour, and been excellent in the 3 tests.
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rating through the 3 tests
Jenkins= 6(Made tackles and high work rate but to lightweight to stop mauls)
Sheridan= 6(Good Physicality but lacking disciplin and mobility)
Mears=5 (Sadly had a poor game, one brilliant offload to Walace)
Rees=6 (Very average player but played well enough)
Ford= No Chance to show rating
Vickery= 5 (Harsly critised, not entierly his fault as 3rd test suggests)
Jones= 7 (Average performer but did a good job when he was on the pitch)
AWJ= 5 (Lightweight and did very little) (I do think he is very good though)
O'Connol= 6 (Made a few important turnovers but carried poorly and captaincy average)
Shaw= 8 (Gave away a few penalties to many but was the best tight 5 forward of the series if u ask me)
Callaghan= not enough play to warrant rating
Croft= 8 (Best hands i've ever seen in a forward, slightly weak deffensively but pure world class)
Worsley= 6 (1 test, played well but not important game to get better rating)
Wallace= 6 (Annymus for to much of the games sadly)
Williams= 7 (Slightly lightweight but good link play)
Heaslip= 7( His first to matches were poor but prooved he is good in the 3rd)
Phillips= 7 (Many think he was brilliant, he was very physical but his pass is to slow to be a world class 9)
Ellis= 6(Some good, some bad)
Jones= 7(Weak 1st test but solid in the 2nd 2)
O'Gara= No comment
Fitzgerald= 5 (Awful imo, to weak deffensively, cant kick)
Monye= 6/7 (May have missed oppertunities but made countless tackles and ruck work, as well as a superb invidual try)
Williams= 6(Scored two tries but average elsewhere)
Roberts= 9 (Quality, but i said if you mark him he is suspect elsewhere, as was shown in the second test) (Man of the Series)
Fluety= 7(Would have been more but didnt get the chance sadly)
BOD= 8 (Class, nuff said)
Bowe= 6(Sadly dissapointing)
Byrne= 6(Injured too early which was a real shame)
Kearney= 8/9 (Prooved me wrong and is very classy indeed)
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I love the way people criticise Shane especially in regards to him having 2 easy run in tries-the guys positional play in attack is superb no-one else in this tour put themselves in positions shane does. He did at times get slaughtered in the tackle but he made a few good 1 on 1 tackles and even protected the ball in the ruck on few occasions-so he deserved a 7.
Phillips is a class act physical throws bullets and is far superior to anyone in the n/hemisphere.
Sheridan I thought was outstanding and covered alot of ground
Shaw gives away far too many penalties and has a tendancy to attract the yellow card. Commits too many high tackles. Lose that and he would be much better
Flutey was brilliant and again physical and has talented quick hands.
Jones has played well on tour but needs more consistency in his kicking
Kearney has been fantastic and probably been player of the tournament
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williams is a finisher but he did not deserve to start either of the first 2 tests!
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I see an awful lot of unfair praise and even more unfair criticism of Shane Williams here. What I saw of him today is a truly great player who was mighty low on confidence. You could almost see that lift from his shoulders with the first try. Not everything he tries comes off, he will run sideways looking to offload and trying to suck in defenders or find a mismatch. Not much came of that today except on that lovely loop around involving Flutey and Bowe I think it was? That move deserved a try but the Boks fullback positioned himself perfectly. Take that away and yes it looks like he runs up some blind alleys and he did get turned over once or twice, though he was hardly the only Lion who fell prey to the Boks at the breakdown. In a few other tackles he recycled the ball well, even though the Boks were probably favourites to steal it.
I saw his confidence gradually come back through that game though, he was looking for the ball, trying to create something but the Lions players were standing too flat and not running on which is what I think he was begging for on a lot of those lateral runs.
I don't think he deserved an 8 for this match, probably a 7, I don't think he deserved the Man of the Match award (from the sheepish look on his face when he was collecting it, he didn't look like he thought he deserved it either). But he does run great support lines and that's why he had 2 run in tries. In addition to that he spent all game trying to make something happen. Once the excellent Rikki Flutey was gone he was about the only Lion doing that. I can't help but think that if he'd gotten those run in tries Monye scored early on the tour he might've made the difference in that first Test with a bit more confidence.
Sadly I think this is a series the Lions will look back on and see that tiny margins lost them both the first 2 tests, not just on the scoreboard either. I don't think the Springboks were the best side in this series, but for a couple of decisions from the selectors, a little more luck of the bounce or a couple of 50/50 decisions going the other way, we could've been looking at a 3-0 series win. Gutting.
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Better late than never (ex pat in Cyprus)Great win, great series.Geech and his management team certainly built a fantastic sense of purpose and unity in the squad, unlike the bloated and mismanaged NZ tour nanaged by SCW, style over substance.
Special mention also for the Boks skipper,John Smit, who has conducted himself ,both on and off the park, with dignity and fairness.
Well done lads.
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One of the Great Test Series. Even without a series win, all 3 games were thrilling stuff thanks to commitment from both teams.
Surprise of the tour : Shaw - Shored up the scrum and the maul. Probably down as 5th choice initially, but played superbly well.
Good to see Bowe get some ball in a test match. He'd seen very little ball in the last 2 tests. People slagging him off in this game need to look again. He tackled well, made some great breaks, superb offloads and was involved in most of the try opportunities we had and he and Flutey (who was immense) made some great yardage.
People have very short memories. Remember how awful NZ was 4 years ago? Well done Geechs for getting the formula back on track. This had a completely different feel to it. Next series should be a week longer, have a larger squad and they need to find someway to allow players to recuperate. The number of injuries was ridiculous (O'Leary, Shanklin, Jones, Jenkins, BOD, Roberts, Ferris, Byrne, Flannery, Halfpenny, Jones and probably more).
One of the great sporting occasions and almost unique in the world of sport, long may it continue. Roll on Australia.
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Well done to the Lions for a superb win - I am of the opinion that Rob Kearney is a fantastic full back, kicks brilliantly and made few mistakes. Riki Flutey played well and unfortunately Brian O' Driscoll was unable to play but has to be one of the best centres currently worldwide. Not to take anything away from the forwards who also played well and denied ball to the boks. Unfortunately for us - Ian McGeechan also outwitted the bok management and coaches.
Marty, Cape Town - Sprinbok supporter.
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Thought Heaslip kept Pierre Spies quiet (silent ?) for the first two tests, remember he was supposedly a "Springbok Superman" going into the Series.
Stephen Jones was average for the first, good in the second and equally good in the third test. Thought Martyn Williams was excellent when he started and was unlucky to get injured earlier in the tour.
Hard to argue against Jamie Roberts as Man of the Series, but hey he was playing alongside a bona fide legend.
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I thought that the lions played very well on Saturday, fair play to them picking themselves up for the last test, couldnt have been easy !
I thought that kearney was the player of the series, a huge talent with a very bright future, have never seen anybody take so many ridiculous high balls under pressure, quality try in the second test too not to mention other mazing runs throughout. I thought Shaw, BOD, Roberts, Phillips and Bowe were the other stand out players over the course of the tour.
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1. It was Jones's fault the ball fell off the tee, learn how to place it better.
Stand further back, even though the angle gets smaller, if sumfin like tht happens u cud calmly pik it up and slot a drop-goal without much pressure.
2. I feel the Lions shud have piled in wen Brussow picked up Williams and crashed him into the ground, if i had seen tht done to one my players i wud have literally killed brussow.
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So what a fantastic tour (and not just the tests). I think a fair series result would have been 1 -1. Not doubt SA deserved the first. Yes we crossed the line three times in the first game but their defence saved two and PDV went nuts in the second half taking off all their influential players. I thought the second should have been a draw we would have won but for injuries and some poor bench selection but those events happened and we let them back in. The final penalty was a penalty but was a crazy one to give away. Credit where its due what a kick. I think wed have won the final test no matter which SA team was on the pitch.
Huge credit to all the players on both sides. As has been posted here already you cant fault the Saffa will to win and they showed champion mentality.
A joy to see all the Lions players fill their jersey and play with such pride all the way through. I think only ROG & Powell left the tour with reputations marginally less than when they went, but pleasingly many returned with enhanced reputations.
Kearney was a delight to watch, Bowe was an excellent find, BoD and Roberts were excellent together (although I do think SA did a job on him in the 2nd test so to speak of him in the same class as BoD is unfounded as teams have been trying to man mark him for years and he still comes up with the goods).
Philips got the 9 shirt by default and I thought his passing was a bit slow for much of the tour. However, credit to him and the management team because it improved significantly in the 2nd & 3rd tests. He was also a physical menace and that was great to see. Jones at fly half was steady and he ran the backline well.
The Welsh front row unit is now one to fear they were excellent. Im glad Vickery got a chance to redeem himself. Mears was a little harshly treated but Geech knows his stuff and so I am sure it was the right decision.
Shaw was a revelation. I dont think PoC was a great leader on the field (up until the last game) but it was with interest I read Martyn Williams column and so happy to bow to his assessment. Heaslip came to the party in the last test (but I think of talk of him as the best 8 in the NH or world is very sensationalist). Croft, Williams, Wallace and much to my surprise Worsley (in the last test) were also a credit to the team.
The only issue was some bad luck on injuries not least in the 2nd test. Also Williams and Fluety not getting much time in the lead-in matches. I think they could have put their hand up to start under different circumstances.
Apart from (in my opinion) some poor bench decisions throughout the tour the management deserve credit. Geech is obvious what a job he understands the lions like no other (in recent history). Credit to the backroom coaching team. They worked out a number of the major flaws. The Beast being one and our shocking breakdown work and lack of phase play leading up to the first test another.
All in all an excellent 5 weeks and long live the lions.
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MarineNick - like your second comment. When I saw him pick Williams up and slam him, I thought "yeah, I'd like to see you do that in a Saturday league game and get away with it"
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im sorry harry elis a 7 and he is the same rating as mike philips as i recall when the south affricans had a fight guess who was on the floor and who was on his feet. elis fine had a decent tour but mike and stephen should easily be an 8! but agree with the rest well done lions and 4 years if the team is like this i can see us giving the aussies a run!!
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Said it before on these pages - Didn't win until a Scottish player got on the park - coincidence NO WAY its the winning mentality that we bring to the table. Admittedly we normally hide it well but we bring it none the less
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tomo1978 wot did u fink of Brussow again grabbing Phillips collar and dragging him to the ground?
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I thought that Rob Kearney was brilliant ! - and I am from SA so I am not biased - however my man of the series has got to go to Ian McGeechan. If only SA had a coach of his quality!
Marty - Cape Town
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Great tour, and amazing to see a proper Test series. Fair play to Boks for winning, but pride has ben restored in Lions. 3rd test was unbelievable, but not sure if would have been such margin if Boks hadn't made so many changes to starting line up. Kearney, Heaslip, Flutey, and Phillips - class. I' not sure Vickery did as well as people say. First scrum was good, but it was Ralepelle who popped up, not Beast. After that Vickery got done, and came off again at half time - would he if he was thumping his opposite man? Shaw luck yto escape with yellow, although am disgusted Burger only got yellow and then only 8 week ban. Swings and roundabouts with referees. Don't really get the anti-southern hemisphere vibe though. They play a faster, more physical, more skilful game than us up north and generally beat us as a result. The Lions though is a special unique entity, and can be equated to North v South rugby. But roll on Autralia 2013, and every tour after that! The Lions remains the Everest of rugby for every B&I player.
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