Rumour has it

by flyhalffactory Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:40 pm

That BOD who was not in the dressing room after the match stated he has never seen a centre display like Jonathan Davies produced today.

I for one agree. Apart from three fast tracks from the defensive line of which two produced massive benefits (an interception and a big tackle) which in my mind were certainly not defensive mistakes but an awareness that the others didn't show.

Its been my mind (before the tour even started) that Mr G should pencil in a fit and on form Foxy before anyone else.

Awesome tour performance and close to MOM with 1/2p

by HammerofThunor Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:46 pm

He was alright.

by Guest Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:47 pm

Gatland said. Real classy of BOD to say that. Think we are looking at BOD and Foxy playing centres and interchanging next week now. Doc or Tuilagi on the bench.

by jelly Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:49 pm

Still think Gatland will find it hard not to go with a power centre at 12. He has tried it in each game so far and if Roberts or Manu are fit I think he will prefer to go with them. Hard on Davies if he misses out as he was superb today.

by RubyGuby Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:50 pm

Davies has been a classy centre for 2 years but he doesn't court the media and vice versa - He is an all round footballer with power, guile, and awareness. Also has a great boot on him thumbsup

by littlejohn Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:53 pm

Davies was very good - he's hitting good form at the right time. Have Davies and BOD played together in the tour to date? I wonder if they would not complement each other as well as say Roberts/Davies or BOD/Tuilagi?

by RubyGuby Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:54 pm

Tuilagi and Roberts are limited compared to Davies but BOD would be a perfect foil for them. thumbsup

by nathan Sat 15 Jun 2013, 3:58 pm

He had a great game today but it wasn't without error. He came shooting out of the line which let the tars through for there first try. As usual there's a bit of hyping going on in here!

by GloriousEmpire Sat 15 Jun 2013, 4:05 pm

BoD playing mind games and media pandering??? Really??? Golly! What ever next?

by RubyGuby Sat 15 Jun 2013, 4:06 pm

Now what centre names come to mind when we think of Hype? Let's have a think thumbsup

by Guest Sat 15 Jun 2013, 4:32 pm

GloriousEmpire wrote:BoD playing mind games and media pandering??? Really??? Golly! What ever next?

Yeah, as people do tend to play mind games within their own squad Ghost

by wales606 Sat 15 Jun 2013, 4:35 pm

Rushing out of the line is always risky strategy

JD2 has been doing it for Wales for the last 2 seasons and he is one of the best at deciding when to blitz (along with Roberts) and that is one of the reasons Wales have such a stingy defense.

I can't remember JD2 have a better game than today, and it is certainly the best centre performance I have seen for a fair while

12. JD2
13. BOD

Roberts won't train no matter what, so won't start

Tuilagi is still struggling with an injury, and I would say JD2 is ahead of him anyway - he might take the 23 shirt.

by GloriousEmpire Sat 15 Jun 2013, 4:52 pm

Risca Rev

GloriousEmpire wrote:BoD playing mind games and media pandering??? Really??? Golly! What ever next?

Yeah, as people do tend to play mind games within their own squad Ghost

Bit naiive there risca

by Guest Sat 15 Jun 2013, 9:24 pm

GloriousEmpire wrote:

Risca Rev
GloriousEmpire wrote:BoD playing mind games and media pandering??? Really??? Golly! What ever next?

Yeah, as people do tend to play mind games within their own squad Ghost

Bit naiive there risca

by BamBam Sat 15 Jun 2013, 10:03 pm

RubyGuby wrote:Now what centre names come to mind when we think of Hype? Let's have a think

Shontayne Hape?

by majesticimperialman Sun 16 Jun 2013, 7:12 am

Rumor has it. Shane Williams as been called into the Lions squad.

Now they really must be getting desperate. Dont you think?

by doctor_grey Sun 16 Jun 2013, 7:16 am

Rumour has it

Adele was called in as one of the Lions Props?

by formerly known as Sam Sun 16 Jun 2013, 8:00 am

Davies had a very good game indeed. Most of his positives came from being in the wide channels and using his footballing skills. Taking the ball into contact he only made an impression if he could pass quickly or ghost onto the outside. He doesn't have a big step nor does he have the physicality to nosh through a small gap. Think he is only an option at 13 because of that in this Lions system. When trialled at 12 with Manu he offered no discernable threat.

So do you move BOD to 12? He doesn't really offer a massive amount of power as a nosh option though he does have more of a step. I think Davies will be on the bench with a big lad at 12 and BOD at 13.

by Shifty Sun 16 Jun 2013, 11:06 am

15 Leigh Halfpenny
14 Alex Cuthbert
13 Jonathan Davies
12 Manu Tuilagi
11 George North
10 Jonathan Sexton
9 Conor Murray
8 Jamie Heaslip
7 Sam Warburton
6 Sean O'Brien
5 Richie Grey
4 Alun Wyn Jones
3 Dan Cole
2 Tom Youngs
1 Marko Vunipola

16 Stuart Hogg
17 Brian O'Driscoll
18 Mike Phillips
19 Justin Tipuric
20 Paul O'Connell
21 Adam Jones
22 Richard Hibbard
23 Alex Corbisiero

That's pretty much my team after much thought. It's big, aggressive and physical. Ideally we'll still be in touch just after half time, then we go for the kill. Smile

At 55 minutes I'd make 4 changes at he same time.
Brian O'Driscoll for Manu Tuilagi
Paul O'Connell for Richie Grey
Mike Phillips for Conor Murray
Adam Jones for Dan Cole

To see those 4 players join the game at the same time could be crushing for Austrlia.

I'd then bring on Tipuric for Warburton a few minutes later for when the games opens up.

Asking a full game of Brian, Adam and O'Connell is a lot, but asking them to be impact players for the last 35 minutes against Australia with all their experience could be brilliant. Mike Phillips strength and sniping runs against a tired Australia could be the difference.

by dragonbreath Sun 16 Jun 2013, 1:46 pm

Shifty wrote:15 Leigh Halfpenny
14 Alex Cuthbert
13 Jonathan Davies
12 Manu Tuilagi
11 George North
10 Jonathan Sexton
9 Conor Murray
8 Jamie Heaslip
7 Sam Warburton
6 Sean O'Brien
5 Richie Grey
4 Alun Wyn Jones
3 Dan Cole
2 Tom Youngs
1 Marko Vunipola

16 Stuart Hogg
17 Brian O'Driscoll
18 Mike Phillips
19 Justin Tipuric
20 Paul O'Connell
21 Adam Jones
22 Richard Hibbard
23 Alex Corbisiero

That's pretty much my team after much thought. It's big, aggressive and physical. Ideally we'll still be in touch just after half time, then we go for the kill.

At 55 minutes I'd make 4 changes at he same time.
Brian O'Driscoll for Manu Tuilagi
Paul O'Connell for Richie Grey
Mike Phillips for Conor Murray
Adam Jones for Dan Cole

To see those 4 players join the game at the same time could be crushing for Austrlia.

I'd then bring on Tipuric for Warburton a few minutes later for when the games opens up.

Asking a full game of Brian, Adam and O'Connell is a lot, but asking them to be impact players for the last 35 minutes against Australia with all their experience could be brilliant. Mike Phillips strength and sniping runs against a tired Australia could be the difference.

Strange I thought we were going to try and beast them in the front row. You clearly have a different plan

by flyhalffactory Sun 16 Jun 2013, 2:02 pm

nathan wrote:He had a great game today but it wasn't without error. He came shooting out of the line which let the tars through for there first try. As usual there's a bit of hyping going on in here!

Explain

Have you taped the match: just in case here is a UTUBE extract... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDwZnP6uLQ probably around 2 mins on it.

He was not to blame for their try, it was nothing like you said STREWTH!!
Sexton short inside pass to Davies saw him smash thro the midfield and redistribute successfully, Maitland and Halfpenny missed tackles........ watch it again. And before you suggest it he was nowhere near for their second try.

This is not hyping, just stating what BOD stated (this is not trying to hype someone else up to promote him to a test place or the reverse attempting to play down a performance to promote another...... as we know you want Manu to start).

His fast-tracks actually (in my mind) revealed fantastic awareness as on two occasions it produced a thumping tackle and a great interception (around the 9 mins on the extract) which led to the FOURTH try. However his final pass led to the first two... no actually the first THREE Lions tries.

Oh by the way he actually scored the FIFTH try himself

If you are going to run a player down get the facts right

by The Saint Sun 16 Jun 2013, 2:53 pm

I'm pleased for Davies, he is playing very well on this tour. He didn't have a good 6 Nations by his own standards which shows that he has had to really step things up a level.
Why can't the Wales backline play like that, no ball-playing 10 perhaps?

by t1000advancedprototype Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:02 pm

He was alright?

LOL

Very consistent player.

by flyhalffactory Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:07 pm

HammerofThunor wrote:He was alright.

Well done, concise and informative

by Scarpia Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:13 pm

nathan wrote:He had a great game today but it wasn't without error. He came shooting out of the line which let the tars through for there first try. As usual there's a bit of hyping going on in here!

Well, we all make mistakes. Like using "there" instead of "their" for instance. laughing

by t1000advancedprototype Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:14 pm

A lot of jealousy of welsh players being picked but they're justifying their selections.

by robbo277 Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:34 pm

Davies had a fantastic game. For me you could pick any combination of the four original centres and it would be a strong combination going into the first test. It may come down to who is fit though, Barritt being called up shortly after Twelvetrees' call-up suggesting that the injuries to O'Driscoll, Tuilagi and Roberts could possibly be tour ending in some cases.

by wanderingdragon Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:39 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:
nathan wrote:He had a great game today but it wasn't without error. He came shooting out of the line which let the tars through for there first try. As usual there's a bit of hyping going on in here!

Explain

Have you taped the match: just in case here is a UTUBE extract... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDwZnP6uLQ probably around 2 mins on it.

He was not to blame for their try, it was nothing like you said STREWTH!!
Sexton short inside pass to Davies saw him smash thro the midfield and redistribute successfully, Maitland and Halfpenny missed tackles........ watch it again. And before you suggest it he was nowhere near for their second try.

This is not hyping, just stating what BOD stated (this is not trying to hype someone else up to promote him to a test place or the reverse attempting to play down a performance to promote another...... as we know you want Manu to start).

His fast-tracks actually (in my mind) revealed fantastic awareness as on two occasions it produced a thumping tackle and a great interception (around the 9 mins on the extract) which led to the FOURTH try. However his final pass led to the first two... no actually the first THREE Lions tries.

Oh by the way he actually scored the FIFTH try himself

If you are going to run a player down get the facts right

What tackle did Halfpenny miss?

by belovedfrosties Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:52 pm

I thought that JD had a great game but that what BOD said was a bit of hyperbole, but fair enough, encouraging and supporting your team mates is great to see so no issue.

My original centre choice was Doc and BOD with Tuilagi for impact, with doc out i'm not sure as i still feel that with the quality we have in the centres that Manu would be best used as an impact sub as none of the other players really suit this role. However, as has been pointed out, Davies hasn't been as good at 12 as he has at 13 so either switch he and BOD around or start with Manu and BOD and have see what happens. Either way i'm fairly happy with any of the centre combos but feel that Manu and BOD has the most potential.

Shifty, the aussies would love to see Murray at sh, he has been the worst by far of those on tour (not bad, but the other 2 have just been better) and i worry that Genia will have a field day against him. The only 9 that has held Genia in check consistently and has actually had the better of him is youngs, i'd like to see him start a test for this reason with Philips on the bench.

by HammerofThunor Sun 16 Jun 2013, 3:54 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:
HammerofThunor wrote:He was alright.

Well done, concise and informative

Thanks. I try to avoid hype. There are more than enough groupies to blow the various players trumpets.

by flyhalffactory Sun 16 Jun 2013, 4:11 pm

wanderingdragon wrote:
flyhalffactory wrote:
nathan wrote:He had a great game today but it wasn't without error. He came shooting out of the line which let the tars through for there first try. As usual there's a bit of hyping going on in here!

Explain

Have you taped the match: just in case here is a UTUBE extract... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDwZnP6uLQ probably around 2 mins on it.

He was not to blame for their try, it was nothing like you said STREWTH!!
Sexton short inside pass to Davies saw him smash thro the midfield and redistribute successfully, Maitland and Halfpenny missed tackles........ watch it again. And before you suggest it he was nowhere near for their second try.

This is not hyping, just stating what BOD stated (this is not trying to hype someone else up to promote him to a test place or the reverse attempting to play down a performance to promote another...... as we know you want Manu to start).

His fast-tracks actually (in my mind) revealed fantastic awareness as on two occasions it produced a thumping tackle and a great interception (around the 9 mins on the extract) which led to the FOURTH try. However his final pass led to the first two... no actually the first THREE Lions tries.

Oh by the way he actually scored the FIFTH try himself

If you are going to run a player down get the facts right

What tackle did Halfpenny miss?

The first try
Maitland missed then 1/2p (last man) covered his man had hand on the player but didn't stop him............ technically a tackle if you look at the stats on ESPN what is deemed to be a tackle

by flyhalffactory Sun 16 Jun 2013, 4:13 pm

HammerofThunor wrote:
flyhalffactory wrote:
HammerofThunor wrote:He was alright.

Well done, concise and informative

Thanks. I try to avoid hype. There are more than enough groupies to blow the various players trumpets.

Making a poor attempt then Hammer, coming online to say you are avoiding coming online....... silly boy

by HammerofThunor Sun 16 Jun 2013, 4:51 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:
HammerofThunor wrote:
flyhalffactory wrote:
HammerofThunor wrote:He was alright.

Well done, concise and informative

Thanks. I try to avoid hype. There are more than enough groupies to blow the various players trumpets.

Making a poor attempt then Hammer, coming online to say you are avoiding coming online....... silly boy

Are you saying everything on the Internet must be hype?

by Scarpia Sun 16 Jun 2013, 5:34 pm

Hyperlink?

by lauriehow Sun 16 Jun 2013, 7:17 pm

Only Maitland missed the tackle 1/2p got his man.

by Cyril Sun 16 Jun 2013, 9:13 pm

Davies played very well. Not argument there.

The one thing that is a bit odd is that fans, pundits and journos are throwing out 9/10 marks all over the shop when the Lions are playing half-strength (or worse) sides.

It doesn't leave much room for improvement in the tests whent the level will rise significantly.

Let's enjoy the performances (and hope they continue to improve - they need to) but not get carried away quite yet. That includes you too BOD (if indeed you did say anything of the sort).

by wales606 Sun 16 Jun 2013, 10:40 pm

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:Davies played very well. Not argument there.

The one thing that is a bit odd is that fans, pundits and journos are throwing out 9/10 marks all over the shop when the Lions are playing half-strength (or worse) sides.

It doesn't leave much room for improvement in the tests whent the level will rise significantly.

Let's enjoy the performances (and hope they continue to improve - they need to) but not get carried away quite yet. That includes you too BOD (if indeed you did say anything of the sort).

You can only perform against the opposition in front of you

Of course a 9/10 rating in the test matches is worth a lot more than against the SR teams.

by Cyril Mon 17 Jun 2013, 8:46 am

wales606 wrote:
Cyril on 606v2 wrote:Davies played very well. Not argument there.

The one thing that is a bit odd is that fans, pundits and journos are throwing out 9/10 marks all over the shop when the Lions are playing half-strength (or worse) sides.

It doesn't leave much room for improvement in the tests whent the level will rise significantly.

Let's enjoy the performances (and hope they continue to improve - they need to) but not get carried away quite yet. That includes you too BOD (if indeed you did say anything of the sort).

You can only perform against the opposition in front of you

Of course a 9/10 rating in the test matches is worth a lot more than against the SR teams.

Yeah, I agree. I just think high marks get thrown about a bit too easily (like knighthoods Wink

). Performances also need to be taken into context based on the opposition and not just how good you 'look'. This isn't a pop at Davies, by the way, he was excellent.

It's just that whenever I read a bit of hyperbole about the NH players/sides I just imagine the top SH sides thinking 'yeah, we've heard that one before mate' Smile

Keep your powder dry. Having said all that, I'm sure the Lions camp won't be concerned with any of this and know there's a fair bit to work on.

by scoi Mon 17 Jun 2013, 11:04 am

With Roberts out it has to be a Davies BOD partnership. Tuilagi has been off training for a while and wasn't too impressive. It's rare that a centre has a bench spot unless someone on the pitch can cover wing or full back and the likely line up doesn't have that.

by formerly known as Sam Mon 17 Jun 2013, 10:13 pm

Scoi, Manu was very impressive when combined with BOD the major concern is that he's only managed 20 mins of rugby since. I'd have liked to have seen more game time from someone who is likely to be starting the first test. He is real quality and is the kind of explosive option that could make the difference. If he lasts only the opening exchanges and then goes off with a dodgey shoulder then he won't be making the difference.

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Jun 2013, 9:50 pm

lauriehow wrote:Only Maitland missed the tackle 1/2p got his man.

So basically you are saying that they didn't score the try!!

I think you will find that 1/2p tackled but the player easily passed the ball............ so he didn't nail his man

by wales606 Wed 19 Jun 2013, 9:59 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:
lauriehow wrote:Only Maitland missed the tackle 1/2p got his man.

So basically you are saying that they didn't score the try!!

I think you will find that 1/2p tackled but the player easily passed the ball............ so he didn't nail his man

Halfpenny completed the tackle, not much more he could do coming from that angle after Maitland had fallen off him

Don't see how you can blame Halfpenny for that try at all.

by Taylorman Wed 19 Jun 2013, 10:07 pm

1/2p's abilities on defence will be severely tested this weekend as will his abilities under the high ball. Hard to imagine him climbing higher than Folau...he's a bit of a shorty...

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Jun 2013, 10:09 pm

Halfpenny was involved in the attacking play (which you cant blame as we have banged on about his lack of attacking support previously).......... however he meandered back after the play broke down, as a result to a degree he was out of position having to run across (which he did superbly). Agree if Maitland had tackled it wouldn't have been a problem, but Halfpenny was covering running across and back, instead of running across and forward, hence the offensive player only needed to draw him to the line before making the inside pass.

But as you said there wasn't too much he could have done and it was a good cover tackle

by wales606 Wed 19 Jun 2013, 10:10 pm

Taylorman wrote:1/2p's abilities on defence will be severely tested this weekend as will his abilities under the high ball. Hard to imagine him climbing higher than Folau...he's a bit of a shorty...

Halfpenny has never really been exposed in the air at fullback - and he has been tested by some of the best, Rob Kearney for example

As for defence, if I was selecting a world XV for defence, Halfpenny would be at 15 - I honestly can't think of any better defensive fullback.

by wales606 Wed 19 Jun 2013, 10:14 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:Halfpenny was involved in the attacking play (which you cant blame as we have banged on about his lack of attacking support previously).......... however he meandered back after the play broke down, as a result to a degree he was out of position having to run across (which he did superbly). Agree if Maitland had tackled it wouldn't have been a problem, but Halfpenny was covering running across and back, instead of running across and forward, hence the offensive player only needed to draw him to the line before making the inside pass.

But as you said there wasn't too much he could have done and it was a good cover tackle

It was a counter attack, no fullback would still be deep

The backs should have drifted to pick off the inside runner if Maitland missed the carrier and 1/2p was forced to cover. Unfortunately the outside backs had been pressed in due to Sexton being down injured and them having to cover the 10 channel. If the ball had been passed, they could have covered, but the chip kick worked perfectly for the Tahs.

It was bad luck Sexton was down, clever play for the Tahs for with the kick, and a poor tackle from Maitland :L

by Taylorman Wed 19 Jun 2013, 10:17 pm

wales606 wrote:
Taylorman wrote:1/2p's abilities on defence will be severely tested this weekend as will his abilities under the high ball. Hard to imagine him climbing higher than Folau...he's a bit of a shorty...

Halfpenny has never really been exposed in the air at fullback - and he has been tested by some of the best, Rob Kearney for example

As for defence, if I was selecting a world XV for defence, Halfpenny would be at 15 - I honestly can't think of any better defensive fullback.

Folau's a different prospect in the air. Theres probably not a player in union that can climb as high as he can so 1/2p may not get a choice in the matter. Part of selecting him there will be to test the Lions in the air at the back, make no mistake about that. Was arial el supremo in the NRL where they regularly compete as part of the last tackle options.

I agree on 1/2p's defence- one of the best around- just saying he'll be tested anyway.

by Taylorman Wed 19 Jun 2013, 10:19 pm

wales606 wrote:

It was a counter attack, no fullback would still be deep

If it were the 6N...1/2penny would still have been deep...

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Jun 2013, 11:07 pm

Taylorman wrote:
wales606 wrote:

It was a counter attack, no fullback would still be deep

If it were the 6N...1/2penny would still have been deep...

I was just about to say that.

Agree if Sexton had been up we would have had an extra man, so it was unfortunate. But he was still slightly out of position. I cant agree that 1/2p was blameless in that try. I agree he couldn't have done much more

by Taylorman Thu 20 Jun 2013, 1:07 am

On Halfpenny's defence I recall some time ago someone bringing it up so I kept watching out for missed tackles so I could bring it up- then he never did miss one so I gave it up...I think he went on some ridiculous run of a million hours of rugby between missed tackles or something like that.

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