I was acknowledging the error of my ways Taff, blame the built in anti Welsh sentiment of the Englishman when it comes to rugby - nothing beyond that, I have a Welsh wife and consequently half Taff kids (my son is a Welshman when it comes to rugby) so I am also an endangered species in my own house.
Cheers - if I'm honest I thought that the Scots were hard done by in many respects, but their time will come. It's looking ominously good for England in the Six Nations & World Cup
Warburton is much criticised by many people, but I though he was immense today, especially at the break down.
Shamefully top Premier clubs are trying to end the Lions tours through self-interest, they don't seem to realise the popularity of all rugby union rides on the back of international rugby and always has, club rugby will never match that...
You jest of course. Will you be arguing for a single wicket competition to decide drawn cricket Tests as well. Actually, now I think of it....
I was being serious actually. Not quite the same as cricket is it, where draws are a commonplace part of the game? This was like a cup final. Didn't you find that ending unsatisfactory?
Given that I thought it would be a 3-0 whitewash, I'm happy with the series draw. It was a bit weird at the end though as both teams looked a bit bewildered and wasn't sure how to react.
Given the controversy over the off-side in the last couple of minutes and the change from penalty to scrum, I was ready to take the draw. No doubt we'll hear more about this. When the dust settles, the fact that the Lions went down there and got a draw against the World Champions is an achievement, and given the weakness in some areas of Southern Hemisphere rugby, a big shot in the arm for the Northern Hemisphere.
Not at all. In World Cups you need some kind of a mechanism to find a winner in the event of a draw, but I don't think so in a series of test matches. If it ends even after 240 minutes of intensity it really is a very honorable draw. Plus physically extra time in rugby is a very diffferent proposition to soccer. If it's important to you to separate them I'd do it on try countback, as that would encourage attacking play.
I certainly think a better finish could have been had. Perhaps something along the lines of NFL where the first score in overtime wins...
Out of the 240 minutes of the series, the Lions were ahead for a grand total of 3 minutes - the last 3 of the second test. Drawn series looks like a good result to me.
Ok Here's my take (excludes SKYs one dimensional approach). Gatland needs to buy SBW or BB several beers as the only reason the lions got anything out of this was due to the ABs indiscipline and inaccuracy. Argue with that as you will but the Lions were second class citizens for most of the second and third tests. Yes they brought energy, effort, guts etc but be honest...... the ABs were far superior in both possession and territory in the 3 tests. Remember one thing here. The ABs are one country. Bloody good but one country. The Lions are supposedly the pick of the Northern Hemisphere. The cream of four countries to pick from. Two of which are in the top 3 in the world. And we couldn't beat them !!!!!!! People are already talking about Gatland fur the next series. He's the luckiest man alive. Even northern hemisphere media acknowledge that should have been a penalty. I hate moral victories. As a footnote. Warburton was immense. Davies or Furlong was my man of the series. Farrell's kicking was immense but the media need to lay off him. His general play is miles away from world class. Itoje's play in the loose is class and Falateu is some man for one man. A lucky escape IMO.
I don't think there's any doubt that the All Blacks were the better side over the series, luck came our way when SBW got red-carded and add that to some poor handling yesterday when several good openings were squandered and I don't doubt the outcome would have been a 3-0. Although one country they have the advantage of continuity the scratch squad Lions don't have so I don't think it's quite that simplistic. I still think there were better players sitting at home that may have made a difference...
