Australia v B&I Lions

IMHO I think advantage is with Australia as I think they played the better rugby in the first two tests. Considering they seemed to be  held together with plaster with all the injuries in the first test.

I was asking myself where was plan B but the Lions did not seem to have one, I can imagin some of the players would have been asking Gatland the same question!!Well now we see what his game plan is (and maybe always was) play safe for him and play the Welsh way. Big call as Wales has failed to beat Australia the last 8 times they have met and that was playing with 15 Welsh players. I do not agree with no O'Driscoll in the side not even on the bench, he has made the most tackles (28) missed none, he might not have played his best rugby but would have been a great leader when needed. Lets hope JD can make that many  tackles and JR can last the full 80 mins.

Australia I know are very pleased O'Driscoll is not playing, he is a player they all respect and felt for sure he would Captain the side. For me all the aces seem to be in Australia's camp but hope the Lions can pull this out of the bag. If Gatland pulls this off he will be a Hero we will have to wait and see. I do know after this series alot of questions will be asked and I am sure we will find out much more of the going ons behind the scenes. Enjoy the game.

Mo, to me it's astonishing that Davies having lost the last test by missing AC is preferred to O Driscoll....who not only made all his tackles, but showed a great appreciation for when to commit to tackle and breakdown.

Well as you know Mozart I live in Wales and support the Welsh team(apart from when they play Ireland ha) I can also understand a coach playing his IN-FORM players. What I find amazing is both JR and Warbs have not been on form for a long time. They have both had injuries before this tour and I don't think have had time to get over those injuries hence Warburton out!! how may games before this tour has JR been able to finish a game. Mike Phillips last game he did not play well in but that is put down to a blip, these are the things the English, Irish and Scots have reason to question. Gatland did not have a plan B, he knows he has to win this last test so I suppose he is going with what he knows. I hope the Lions can win I really do but I think a sour note has been put on this tour which is a shame.

I have always found it irritating when coaches,given the step up,  load their team with guys from their prior team. That was the case with Meyer last year, and it seems to be the case with Gatland. Your point about tactics, also seems right. The Lions seem content to plod along and pick up penalties for Halfpenny.

A big departure from the golden days of Lions rugby, with Richard Sharp, Cliff Morgan, Mike Gibson, Jeff  Butterfield and Tony O Reilly.

I would have played Jamie Roberts at 12 and o'Driscoll at 13. 

o'Driscoll is past his best, although considering he is probably the best outside centre in the modern era of rugby I would have still picked him.

He looked sharp in the warm up games, and I think his lack of form in the tests was due to not getting any ball. Davies to me is an outside centre.

In the absense of Jamie Roberts I would rather have picked o'Driscoll at 12 for his playmaking ability. 

I saw an article from mcgeechan- ex lions coach, and he said the same thing.

In 2009, in the 2nd test against the boks the performance of the Roberts/o'Driscoll centre pairing looked lethal, and I think they would have won that test if both players had not been injured in the game.

Jamie Roberts seems injury prone, probably due to the way he takes on the traffic on the inside.

However as the last test they needed something majical, and a just back from injury Roberts and old o'Driscoll could do much better than the solid Davies.

Not having o'Driscoll on the bench is just stupid.

Prior to the Tour starting, I said all along that, if Gatland persisted with his one dimesional game-plan and systems, Australia would be laughing. They have no issue with playing Wales whatsoever, they beat them with ease and he is too stubborn to alter anything on this Tour, let alone develop any form of Plan B, to counter that. For the Australian's to actually call the style " Warrenball ", it just says it all really, doesn't it ? !

Australia have always had the momentum in the Tests, they lost the First Test, the Lions didn't win it, and that should have sent alarm bells ringing in camp given the extra injuries they suffered during that match to add to the catalogue they already have suffered. To lose 4 backs and end the match with a Flanker in the Centre for the last quarter of the match and we still had to rely on Beale missing a kick at goal, well that says it all really, doesn't it ? ! If they had slotted the 5 ? missed kicks.......that would have been even worse for us. It was only our fantastic defence last week that kept the scoreline so close and gave us the opportunity to sneak it at the death.

This week ? Well, his selections are ridiculous. The Squad he took was appalling anyway and his comments about the English were a disgrace. If he had said them about any other nationality, he would have been crucified. Hibbard's throwing has been woeful, leaving Croft out means that, yet again we have no-one to even attempt to get quick ball in the middle of the Line Out, or at the tail, so Australia can slow that down nicely. Phillips has been one of the worst players out there. Roberts and Davies have been poor, even before Roberts injury, Faletau has lost so much ball in contact it isn't remotely funny.......I could go on and on and on.

With regards O'Driscoll, he hasn't been great but he should be there for his defence and for his experience. I would have him with Tuilagi, he wanted to play with him and they did play ok together when they had the brief chance. I was pretty disgusted that he handed, or rather kicked, the ball to Australia when we had the advantage last week, and that ultimately led to the Try that won the match. I felt he was about to be made a scapegoat for the loss when that happened.

We shall see what happens, but it would not surprise me at all to see Australia win.

What makes me angry is by insisting on playing "Warrenball" he has made some good players look average!! I hope the Lions can win this last game and as you say Becs we shall see what happens.

My brother pointed out to me that Gatland is the third Kiwi to drop BOD in a Lions series behind Mealamu and Umunga!! Ha, but I am not bitter.

Come Australia, down a Lion. Win it for the Southern Hemisphere.  Skop gat my bra... 

Bluebok you might get your wish. Unless Wallabies can stop the rot at the scrum it could be tickets.

 Great try by O'Connor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oz back in the game.

But lets face it what a lesson re the importance of the scrum

O Stront!  beeno1 you may just be correct.  Why are the Ozzies struggling come scrum time?  They are on the backfoot and we all know it is bad, bad, bad.  Last week the Sharks were not the best team but they had the far better scrum and in the end it sunk the Blues.

 Fred they seem to be coming back nicely only 3 points in it!

Go Oz

 Great Lions try- could this be the end for the Wallabies? 

 Brilliant Halfpenny! The guy has not poot a foot wrong.

Well done the Welsh and ou rooiwit! If he is not watching the Tour De France -the cretin.

Its all over now. 

Perhaps this series win saves the Lions brand -16 years since last win.

Lady MO(NH) and Becs should have shown more faith in the coach and the team.  Bod not missed and ditto warped burton.

Now its Roberts scoring. Its an avalanche.

 Well done to the Lions a convincing win based on the scrum and some enterprising backline play.

Why the Wallaby scrum disintegrated is something the scrum gurus need to unpack. Strange that it was this bad

Poor Deans will get roasted but without much real reason. Wallabies might have won the series before this game started but it was not to be. 

 Goog game.  Lions were far better team.  They must be congratulated.  Australia made too many mistakes and were just not good enough technically in the scrum and we all know if you loose it up front you struggle much to find your mojo.

Nice one Lions.

Looks like there are only two people on here who this do not apply to:

make that 3 people

I've never been a fan, so bye-bye Deans, welcome aboard, JW. Congrats to the BL on a well deserved win.

I'm hoping for Mckenzie instead of deans but jw wouldn't hurt. I think Link is the man as the whole foreign coach thing hasn't worked... Cricket example too... 

Bluebok....I think that if you check my posts you will see that I was hoping for a Lions win and I am delighted with it!!

congrats to the lions, better team lost the first two tests, but the best team won the third thats for sure.

looks like a few of the english folks ragging on warren wont be showing thier snooty faces here for a while, LMAO, :oD

it seems that warrenball was the perfect style against the wallabies, nad warrens inclusion of all those wlesh players but the dropping of some big names was exactly what the dr ordered.
when u think about the inclusion of all those welsh players, it does make a lot of sense, after all no one outside of NZ/SA has played those aussie players as much times as the welsh have.

but wallabies didnt show up which was unusual given the occassion, normally they can rise to the moment. i expected the scoreline, but i thought it would be the other way round.
tough luck deano, u had a good run, better record against all teams except the All Blacks and now the lions, but at least u cant be blamed for any more losses, and now its time to see what the wallabiescan do with an aussie coaching them, all 150kgs of him, o_O

not surprised that it took a NZ coach to give the lions thier first test series win in the professional era, to which i say to my NH chums, ur wlecome.
also not surprised that the All Blacks are the only ones to not lose a sereis to the lions in the professional era, NZ maori havent lost to the lions either for that matter, :oP

but great work to the lions, nice to see thier loyal fans get rewarded with a great series win and well see u in 4 years time when u come down NZ ways, :o)