Lions Opinions Outside The Home Nations

First topic message reminder :

I apologise in advance for yet another Lions thread and i'm becoming as weary of them as many others of you out there. In a different twist though i'd like to get the opinions of those outside of the Home Nations ONLY. Could you give us your opinions on possible selections, coaching and tactics?

So calling all of our Southern Hemisphere and Non-Lions compatriots, please give us your opinions!

It was in the contract in 09 that the SA teams would field their best players... but they just chose to ignore that. So perhaps they shouldn't make promises they don't intend to keep. PDV said in his autobiography that he withheld players not to keep them fresh but to prevent the Lions from getting top class opposition and that he bartered hard with SARU and the clubs to do so.

Hence why I think the Lions should do a little more to address the situation.

If they're not going to get co-operation with SANZAR then they should get together earlier in the season.

Perhaps have the top 50 players get invited to a couple of weekends sessions before the 6N and then a few weekends after the tournament where the side gets slowly whittled down to its current 38 odd players.

From that the coaches will have a better understanding of which players are working well, combinations and injury issues and perhaps they could set up say a pre tour 2 test series with Argentina or France to better prepare themselves.

Yeah I agree its not a good way to have to tour for the main side. Theyd be better off going into the tests without playing sides theyre going to thrash.

Its a bit like our world cup pool matches. For 3 weeks we play against sides who rarely get within 40 points- including the number 2 in the pool as at that point they also tend to throw in their dirt trackers in a hope to preserve players for the last 8, resigned to losing to NZ and finishing second anyway.

It means that as preparation for the worlds biggest tournament knockout, we always get the worst possible preppd sides that we have played in the 4 years between cups- sides like Japan, Romania etc then top sides handing heir match to us.

Trouble is, you have to spend the time doing something to keep the players match ready.

The Lions are in the same boat- the Saturday side plays the Baabaas in Hong Kong, then Queensland and the Warratahs- both sides capable of beating the Lions with full squads. But remove the Wallabies- particularly from the Reds and you have a shell of a side. So the Lions get relatively easy matches for 3 weeks then crunch...hit the full on W side- all players they havnt met yet on tour and all who have been doing nothing but preparing for the tests. Some might play if they need the game time though.

Looking at previous tours theres a strong pattern of the Lions winning almost every tour match bar the tests.

The Lions must realise that a Lions tour is the only real "tour" left, as in the old days Unions will deal with the opposition as they see fit, if they want to rough them up, they'll select bullies in the midweek teams, if they want to give them light training runs, they'll select 2nd stringers.

It is the way of doing what you believe is the appropriate thing to win.

Check out the 'professional' opinion of Paul Cully on the Syndney Morning Herald Rugby Heaven site.

Biltong wrote:The Lions must realise that a Lions tour is the only real "tour" left, as in the old days Unions will deal with the opposition as they see fit, if they want to rough them up, they'll select bullies in the midweek teams, if they want to give them light training runs, they'll select 2nd stringers.

It is the way of doing what you believe is the appropriate thing to win.

Yeah its just a shame that the mid week matches no longer carry any weight or merit, have financially nothing in it for the players, no trophy etc but historically the Munster 78, Newport 63 type matches where the local sides prevailed over the touring sides are often the most memorable matches when the tour matches are given their full merit.

Pure money spinners then. Looking at the Lions they should probably treat the non test matches the same way- practice runs. Sems every tour they do the same thing. Win the non tests, lose the tests. But how they would use this knowledge to better prepare for tests I've no idea. As you say, the home sides have them over a barrell.