The Blues are the weakest "Super" team in NZ. The reality is that Gatland has to identify & select his best XV and bench for the First Test. In many ways - in every way - if they come home with a record of 3 wins & 7 defeats, but those 2 other victories (after the Barbarians last Saturday) are in the Test Series, then the Tour will be regarded as a success. That said, looks ominous that the record could be 1-9. That could finish Gatland as a Coach........
Just watched it Taff ad am convinced that many picked are not good enough, I thought both Centres and wings looked out of their depth, Jack Nowell defensively was a shambles. Front row did well as did the second rows, back row wise I thought Tipuric was excellent, Stander was Ok and Haskell just looked like and over weight Cart horse. Webb had a tidy game. Lot to work on in finding the right 15. Just lacked any creativity in midfield.
Called it Saturday and I'm calling it now, the Lions will be very lucky to win another game. Dreadful in the first 2 games and Saturday they'll get the run around v the Crusaders.
Tipuric was outstanding. His performances are irrelevant anyway because Gatland will pick his pet at 7.
Interesting that I was in the Ospreys Lounge when Bradley Davies said that Tips was the best back row player that he had played with.... Didn't Bradley used to play for the Blues........
Well that's the Ospreys out of the champions cup in the group stage, some entertaining sides coming to The Liberty though. http://www.ospreysrugby.com/News/Article/49339
Couldn't have been a more difficult group...... Pity we couldn't sign sign Halfpenny, Moriarty, Faletau & a couple of Argie props....
Bit of a furore over here (nz) at the moment refarding a journalist's remarks regarding the Blues' haka on Wednesday night. He thought the throat-slitting gesture at the end was innapropriate considering the weekend's terrorist incident. Of course it's been met with the usual knee-jerk reactions, i.e. sore loser, culturally unaware, whinging pom, etc, etc. But does he have a point? There are many haka that do not have the throat-slitting gesture, could a different one have been used? I'm in no way against the haka, in particular at home, as the Blues were, it's a challenge to opposition. But it seems there's no way a team facing the haka can win, any kind of reaction to it get's called disrespectful. Nonu mouthed off after the Welsh response in 2008, which was outstanding in my opinion, people shouldn't forget they don't call the shots when in opposition territory, to do so is arrogance. Thoughts?
