Who's 606 supporting on Saturday?

I don't do many polls so I thought I'd have a go today..

I would be lying if I said Australia, but I can't hand on my heart wish to see Gatland ball even partially vindicated by a series win, especially after how he and his coaching staff have treated some of the players on the tour.

A draw then Radge?

Which raises the question what happens in that case? Might be worth making a punt on that if they don't have extra time.

I couldn't bring myself to cheer on Australia, but as I said I don't want to see this tour be a success. It deserves to fail since Australia have been beaten by 75% of the Lions countries since the last Lions tour.

The Lions really should have won this series comfortably especially since Deans hasn't been a strong coach, they are missing key players (Pocock) and other Key Players mind's (Beale) aren't in the best condition.

Simply put I can't think the Lions will ever again face SH opposition in such a weakened state.

I'd see myself as fairly on the fence to be honest. I can't cheer against the Lions... but WG is damn sure making it hard to cheer for them.

Gatland was put in charge to win, something that hasn't happened for 16 years.

As far fetched as the selection seems to some, we all knew the squad at the beginning of May. He could have selected 10 English or Irish to start.

In Gatland's mind the selection makes sense and I for one trust Gatland.

t1000advancedprototype wrote:Gatland was put in charge to win, something that hasn't happened for 16 years.

As far fetched as the selection seems to some, we all knew the squad at the beginning of May. He could have selected 10 English or Irish to start.

In Gatland's mind the selection makes sense and I for one trust Gatland.

There is a reason you are not in a position of Authority. Winning at all costs is the best way to forget why we play/coach/watch the game in the first place.

What if POC and AWJ picked up Genia in the 1st test and dumped him on his head circa poor BOD in 2005 (sorry Kiwi fans), would that be acceptable since without such a key player our chances of winning improve again?

I feel sorry for Geech, he'll have to come in to coaching again 2017 just like he did in 2009 to recapture what it means to be Lion after SCW ruined it the last time.

The implication of Gatland's ego trip will drag on long after this test has ended in disaster.

Gatland has the balls to make big decisions and the trophy cabinet to back it up.

Now that BOD's out and there is no Scottish representation I'm swinging towards Oz.

Beating NH teams is one thing well done on those 6N titles and Grand Slams.

Evidence shows that the SH giants don't get shell shocked as easily when big lumps of Welsh meat come charging at them and the Welsh results against SH opponents shows that.

The French, us Scots and the English have been rattled by the Welsh backline physicality in the past, no doubt but as you'll agree these tactics haven't worked for Wales down under, or the Lions.

Although the lines between the Welsh team and the Lions are starting to get a little blurry.

Because Cooper's not playing or Maitland on the bench, it's just a friendly and not worth getting all hot and bothered about LB.  

I can relate to that Kia  

Gray will be picking splinters out of his erse for the bulk of the game. Unless Parling or AWJ lose a limb and maybe just maybe Gatland will pick a Scottish player

 I'm just glad they've got red jerseys, it should help and we need to take all the positives with such a bunch of miserable fans "supporting" them

I am very dissapointed by the attitudes of some of the people on here, you are all grown ups but you are acting like children who are sulking because things are not going your way. If we win on Saturday I hope the people who a grizzling on here come back on and eat a lot of humble pie.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Beating NH teams is one thing well done on those 6N titles and Grand Slams.

Evidence shows that the SH giants don't get shell shocked as easily when big lumps of Welsh meat come charging at them and the Welsh results against SH opponents shows that.

The French, us Scots and the English have been rattled by the Welsh backline physicality in the past, no doubt but as you'll agree these tactics haven't worked for Wales down under, or the Lions.
Although the lines between the Welsh team and the Lions are starting to get a little blurry.

You do know its 1-1 with one to play? We lost by a point on Sat.

Lets wait until the result on Sat before slating the coaches eh? Just try and accept that the better players in British and Irish rugby at the moment are Welsh. We have not always been in this position but facts is facts. Scotland have not got the players to compete. This may change a few years down the line, and if it does I will support them whole heartedly if they are selected for future Lions tests. Lets just get behind the British and Irish players on Sat, because they represnt us all:D 

Actually the red jersey colour's probably not helping your cause there Ruby.

I just hope it's a good game. Last week was tough work.  

daiglass63 wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Beating NH teams is one thing well done on those 6N titles and Grand Slams.

Evidence shows that the SH giants don't get shell shocked as easily when big lumps of Welsh meat come charging at them and the Welsh results against SH opponents shows that.

The French, us Scots and the English have been rattled by the Welsh backline physicality in the past, no doubt but as you'll agree these tactics haven't worked for Wales down under, or the Lions.
Although the lines between the Welsh team and the Lions are starting to get a little blurry.

You do know its 1-1 with one to play? We lost by a point on Sat.

Lets wait until the result on Sat before slating the coaches eh? Just try and accept that the better players in British and Irish rugby at the moment are Welsh. We have not always been in this position but facts is facts. Scotland have not got the players to compete. This may change a few years down the line, and if it does I will support them whole heartedly if they are selected for future Lions tests. Lets just get behind the British and Irish players on Sat, because they represnt us all:D 

nah I was slating the coach before the Squad left. Too many favours to Gatlands favourite players.

RubyGuby wrote: I'm just glad they've got red jerseys, it should help and we need to take all the positives with such a bunch of miserable fans "supporting" them

Lol, mending fences are we?. sadly your wumming can't add to, or diffuse a classic brawl on here in the style of tables in the dance hall moved to the side whilst the combatants line up either side ready to run at each other. Quite uniquely it's not the English standing alone for once.

Carry on.

I could never celebrate the Lions losing, but honestly if it weren't for Bowe I would have lost all interest.

In addition, a lot of the best player in the UK and Ireland are Welsh, but this team is grossly unbalanced.

I will as always be supporting the Lions. However much like the 2005 fiasco I am not overly invested in the team, so if they win it'll be good, but if they lose it'll be a shrug of the shoulders and a moan at my wife as she tried to make me cut the grass.

 I wonder if the Scots, Irish and English were like this in 1971 and 1974

Linebreaker wrote:Now that BOD's out and there is no Scottish representation I'm swinging towards Oz.

 

I want Australia to win. Don't know why. I wanted South Africa to as well in 2009. I just don't like the Lions.

03.07.2013

RubyGuby wrote: I wonder if the Scots, Irish and English were like this in 1971 and 1974

Gordon Brown, Mighty Mouse, Geech and Irvine. Answer... No.

 That's the spirit Radge

I don't remember this kind of reaction in 2005 when CW selected 29 Englishmen for the first test.

Supporting the Lions, however my Lions shirt is the white training top. I just prefer them to the jerseys.

I think the summing up on the frustrations:

Eng fans. No Youngs or Manu. Power orientated gameplans thats failed in the past.
Scots and Irishs friends. No Bod at all. No Grant, Gray along with criminal underuse of other players, interest has been severly dampened.

Why not option to support Wales?  
OMG racist!  

Everything people say on this board gets labelled ae racist!

HammerofThunor wrote:I want Australia to win. Don't know why.

Maybe you stole a pin cushion in a past life?

Linebreaker wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:I want Australia to win. Don't know why.

Maybe you stole a pin cushion in a past life?

Possibly. That would explain it.

I'm hoping Australia defeat The Lion's. I hope Warren Gatland the man, the personality, the character and his soul get crushed under a ton of negative criticism because he will deserve it.

Hopefully the defeat is so crushing Gatland can never show his face in the Northern Hemisphere again, that's probably not going to happen but hope helps us get through life.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:I would be lying if I said Australia, but I can't hand on my heart wish to see Gatland ball even partially vindicated by a series win, especially after how he and his coaching staff have treated some of the players on the tour.

Which one in particular?

t1000advancedprototype wrote:I don't remember this kind of reaction in 2005 when CW selected 29 Englishmen for the first test.

BOD was captain that day.

Woodward didn't have a vendetta against Ireland.

 If he had a vendetta against Ireland then surely Sexton and Bowe's inclusions are questionable as many non-welsh fans have poited out. Why all the victimsation - Sad to see it

RubyGuby wrote: If he had a vendetta against Ireland then surely Sexton and Bowe's inclusions are questionable as many non-welsh fans have poited out. Why all the victimsation - Sad to see it

Very sad indeed.

GloriousEmpire wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:I would be lying if I said Australia, but I can't hand on my heart wish to see Gatland ball even partially vindicated by a series win, especially after how he and his coaching staff have treated some of the players on the tour.

Which one in particular?

Players :

BOD for being dropped so Gatland could play Gatlandball this weekend with a still possibly injured Roberts.

Vunipola for being kept on last Saturday despite giving everything and more for the shirt, he looked out on his feet.

Grant for not getting on last Saturday, presumably because he is Scottish.

Croft for being on the bench last Saturday as lock cover and now inexplicably dropped this week.

Kearney for being taken on tour and injured.

Hogg told to improvise at 10 so the clearly injured Kearney could play.

Warburton for being named captain despite being stripped of the Welsh captaincy.

Gray for being one of the best performing locks on tour and still not getting a test start.

Maitland for being one of the best performing wingers on tour dropped for the match cold Bowe.

Jenkins for being brought on the tour when injured and clearly not even 1st choice for his club (add all the other UK, and Ireland loosies here for not getting to tour because Gatland likes his faves).

I have not even got onto the fact that 3 of the best blindsides in the UK Brown, Robshaw and Wood were left behind to accomodate Lydiate.

The list goes on....

I've already sold my 2013 Lions shirt.

Doesn't mean I won't support the Lions but to be honest I don't really care about the result

Don't hide behind subtext Strongback. Tell us what you really mean.  

If wales win three 6n in a row will you self combust with all the rage built up inside of you?

Who bought your shirt Victor? Perhaps an Irishman so he could burn it.

The address was in Ireland!

Can you add an option 'No longer care about this game'.

I am, as always supporting the Lions - but dreading the aftermath on here after the result.

Should Australia win there will be yet more whining about selections, coaches etc.

Should Lions win we will be guaranteed 7 months of gloating from a large minority of supporters of a particular country.

I wasn't interested before but now, I'm leaning towards wanting Australia to win.

TBH I would probably love that but hope Grey stays on the bench so he's completely out of this pile of shoite.

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:I wasn't interested before but now,  I'm leaning towards wanting Australia to win.

TBH I would probably love that but hope Grey stays on the bench so he's completely out of this pile of shoite.

AHA!  The subtle fence-sitting convictions of an under-represented fan!   Keep your gunpowder dry until you see what Gray may or may not do.  If Lions are losing in the second half and you're happy and then Gray comes on and you then need Lions to win because of his major influence.......................  it's so nerve wracking!

I don't believe there is a single British or Irish 606er in my opinion, who hand on heart really isn't supporting the lions (they may have doubts but if the look down deep inside they know its true).

Moreover what has happened this tour is 100% not Gatland's fault - and that's coming from a Scot. Gatland quite rightly is doing what he knows best to try and win. That includes picking players he knows best can do the job in the format he plays to make the lions win. Whether that means we win or not is a mute point. He is doing his best with what he knows.

The error on this tour and for that matter the Henry and SCW led tours is picking a current national coach - as by default they will revert to what and more importantly who they know best. This results in some nations feeling disenfranchised.

For me, with an independent coach, I don't think the squad make-up would have been that different, certainly dominated as it should have been by the welsh based on performance - albeit I think Jenkins and Lydiate would have struggled to make it (and before I get jumped on for being anti-Lydiate, absolutely not, massive fan, but the plain fact is he was injured and wasn't playing, Jenkins on the basis that he wasn't first choice over another lions option) and an independent coach would not have same reference point for selecting Lydiate regardless of injury that Gatland had (which again he can't be blamed for because he fits Gatlands approach perfectly).

The big difference that would come from an independent coach would however be blending and genuinely picking on tour form from the four nations - something which hasn't happened in my opinion. Gatlands blending was always going to be less from the other nations because the Welsh players know and understand his systems better and as such other players have a bigger task to get up to speed and prove they can fit in better than the welsh boys.

Independent coaching allows the lions ethos to flourish, but if you pick a non independent coach then you can't be surprised or blame them when they revert to what is familiar to them, as they try to get the job done.

Get behind the lions and an independent coach in 4 years time.

Any rugby fan from Britain or Ireland who wants the Lions to lose on Saturday is a disgrace to the game. By all means disagree with WG's tactics, selections, management or whatever but the team is OUR team and every one of us should be wanting a win.

If you want an independent coach (and that would mean the whole coaching team) then how on earth would NZ cope?

Total Flanker
A coaches nationality shouldn't even be considered. This is a professional era, well paid coaches and players (not some jumpers for goal posts era).

Gatland has no plan B (or C), he is stubbornly attempting to win using the same tactics as he employed with Wales. He is a very well paid professional who should have realised by now (after 7 previous attempts) coming into this 2013 tour that GatlandBall works well against NH opponents on a cold wet Feb/Mar weekend, but it just doesn't against SH opponents particularly Australia.

The truth is we should be 2-0 down now against an average injury salvaged Oz.

Tactics and no plans B or C, that's the issue and that's the problem not nationality


I will be cheering on the British & Irish Lions with the same gusto as in every tour and every previous match.

Will be supporting the Lions.
 
Do think Aus will win, thats why I'm putting a small bet on them.
 
If Lions win great, would only have lost a few pound, (no bragging aussies to deal with).
 
If Aus win, then some cash in the pocket.