Autumn Leaves Us Feeling…?

A bit unsettled, really.
After the 6 Nations, it looked as though teams had worked Wales out. Witness the England match, where they programmed Joe Worley to crash time and time again into the midfield, and – it nearly worked !
Today at the Millenium the Wallabies looked pretty comfortable in defence, but their lines of running, superbly marshalled by Matt Giteau, looked a class above anything Stephen Jones and his Unhappy Band could muster. Perhaps fielding two big lads like Roberts and Davies was telegraphing our intentions a tad ? How about following the Ospreys by trying the Hook at No 12 experiment ?

New Season, New Coach, Same old Ospreys...

The fans were leaving long before the end of the latest Magners League match against Heineken Cup winners Leinster. The visitors were efficient enough in defence to allow the pressure to grow on the Ospreys, and Sexton's boot did the rest. The fundementals of the Ospreys game seem solid enough, although perhaps they could be accused of lacking some depth in attack, but overall the error count suggests that the team still lacks a collective will. Perhaps the wounds of last year's Heineken exit will take some time to heal, and new boy Scott Johnson's methods likewise need some time to bed down. Unfortunately, in the professional world, this star studded squad has to deliver. Time may be the only thing they can't buy.

Justice ???

In a display of breath taking arrogance, the Springboks took the field with “Justice 4” written on some make shift armbands, a mark of their sense that the hitman second row Bakkies Botha had been unfairly cited, and therefore unable to play at Ellis Park. Some might say that those who live by the sword…
Thankfully, those armbands looked as ragged as the Springboks by the end of another full blooded encounter, and this time there was no escape for the home side. The Lions were good value for the win, faithfully sticking to their exhausting brand of multiphase rugby. Ultimately, however, they may reflect on the fact that they were exposed by the Springboks off first phase moves at Durban and Pretoria, and they themselves ran out of gas last week.
Their sheer will to win was tangible yesterday, and they can travel home with heads held high. The press began to circle the still breathing corpse of Lions rugby last weekend, again predicting the end of what is called “the brand”. It is clear that the players don’t care a hoot for the economic judgements. They still regard playing in a Lions test as the ultimate career high.
Jusifiably…

Do they have the number of The Beast ?

The sight of poor Phil Vickery trudging off the park last weekend was enough to make this Welshman cry into his beer. Vickery is a proud player, and may have seen this tour as his swan song. But the lasting memory of this test match, and perhaps of Vickery, is the sad, confused shake of the head.
Any front row forward under pressure is an excruciating sight for the armchair fan, but the pincer movement performed on Vickery's spinal column by The Beast and the giant hooker DuPlessis was gruesome indeed. Crucially, he was afforded no protection by the ref, who blamed him time and again for the collapse of the front row. Not once were the Boks even spoken to in this regard. If we get nothing else right this weekend, it would be great to see us spinning some solid scrum ball, because those centres could do some damage...

Waiting for Dawn...

O’Connell will be moving among his troops tonight, Henry Vth style, understanding the importance of a big, confident performance in Rustenberg. The opposition will be no BaaBaa XV, out to bobby dazzle, then fading when they have to dig in and fight. These are Afrikaaners, out to show their illustrious Blue Bull blooded compatriots that they should be the main event.
The Lions management have made a canny start to the tour selection process, blooding new kids like Earls but also seeing how a grizzled second row partnership like O’Connell and Shaw looks in the heat of battle.
Can’t wait, but will have to…

The Life of Brian

After the dust has settled on a ferocious Heineken campaign, the Irish talisman hardly had time to dust himself off before heading for the airport. Couple of paracetemol for that sore shoulder, and now for the Boks.
Ah yes, the shoulder. He must still see that spear tackle in slow motion in his worst nightmares, with Umaga's kindly face upside down, and a gentle "and I hope you're just fine after that" from little Kevin Mealamu ringing in his ears. One thing is for sure - the Boks will have noted the dire effects on Woodward's Lions from that point on. The current management, having had everything crossed for Saturday's final, will hope O'Driscoll plays a full part in this tour. Despite the fact he's lost a yard or two of pace in attack, his huge heart, allied to his know how at the breakdown, makes him a leader of this pride of Lions.

Shanks' Mare

He may look like an oversized version of Dr Evil, and look pretty ungainly on occasions – a bit like a second row forward who’s been allowed to play in the backs at a training session – but Tom Shanklin can lay some claim to being the most consistent midfielder in the Northern Hemisphere. News of his withdrawal from the Lions squad will be greeted with a wide grin by the Springbok coaching side, who respect his hard running and miserly defence. The squad will be the poorer for his absence, surely, and the coaches will be praying that this is the last of the pre tour casualties.
One look at the end of season playing programme will make them realise that they would be better off praying that Schalk Burger becomes a vegan pacifist…