Rugby Union 2012/13

[taylorsworkrate]

Well they won, which is obviously the main thing.

For 50 minutes they played quite well, but for the last 30 were pretty poor to be honest. The Aussie injuries strangely affected us negatively apart from the Cuthbert try. We really should have put them away considering the bad luck they had with those knocks. It shouldn't have needed two poor attempts at goal from Beale to see us over the line. There needs to be some honest words spoken in the dressing room now. We definitely got away with it today.

On the plus side Tom Youngs was outstanding and we scored two great trys. Phillips was predictably poor.

[dave shelley]

On the. Bennet quotes; on the current topic of rugby, how about this one:

"Look what these bastards have done to Wales.  They've taken our coal, our water, our steel.  They buy our homes and live in them for a fortnight every year.  What have they given us? Absolutely nothing.  We've been exploited, raped, controlled and punished by the English-and that's who you are playing this afternoon".

Phil Bennet

[dave shelley]

Shit!  Posted in the wrong thread.  Should have gone into the Summer Transfer thread.

[Basingstokevillain]

Well Kurtley Beale likes the wrong type of bottle it seems!

[PaulWinch again]

Fucking hell that was tense. Two points, the referee was a fucking disgrace as was Phillips.

[Basingstokevillain]

Agreed Phillips was Terrible, and the Ref well! Seemed familiar to what we get at Villa Park.
I'm flying out there on Tuesday and can't bloody wait!

[paul_e]

Phillips is shit, he's always been shit and always will be shit.

He plays like he's a backrow forward who happens to find himself filling in at scrum half.  I genuinely can't think of an international scrum half with a higher percentage of hospital passes, he's seems to aim for the head or feet of whoever he's passing at (not to).  On his own he forces every team he plays for to kick for territory because the fly half gets no time to think.

Stupidly though he suits a Gatland team because Gatlands primary 'weapon' is the hanging crossfield kick for one of his giant wingers to get on the end of.

The lions did ok but Australia gifted us the result in my opinion.  O'Connor is fantastic on the wing, he brings pace, strong running lines and a solid boot when he's isolated but there's no way that translates to an international class fly half.  Even then they were 2 missed kicks away from beating us.  I don't think Beales deserves much stick for the last one though, his standing leg slipped when he was midway through the swing, not a lot you can do to save that, I was surprised that the ref didn't force a restart though seeing as the ball went out before the 80 was up, should have been a 22 drop out, which, from the premiership final, we know can't be kicked to touch, so australia would probably have got the ball back in the Lions half.

[The Left Side]

Well done Lions

[peter w]

I know it's their 2nd string but Argentina currently9-12 down v Georgia. Very poor.

[PONGO49]

I know it's their 2nd string but Argentina currently9-12 down v Georgia. Very poor.

Georgia are an emerging nation with an increasing number of players now playing in the french league

[PaulWinch again]

Tom Youngs was excellent yesterday, his story gets overlooked but it really is a remarkable rise.

[taylorsworkrate]

Tom Youngs was excellent yesterday, his story gets overlooked but it really is a remarkable rise.

Agreed. He was for me the best Lions player yesterday.

[Dante Lavelli]

Tom Youngs was excellent yesterday, his story gets overlooked but it really is a remarkable rise.

Agreed. He was for me the best Lions player yesterday.

His story?

[PaulWinch again]

In the sense he was a centre 3 years ago, and then converted to hooker and was playing in lower leagues and only started playing for Leicester last year.

[PaulWinch again]

Junior World champions, well done lads.