Enough with Polyanna...we need to get smarter.

Last week reading SARugby mag  there wasn't one rugby writer picking the Canes. The Lions were going to win....that in spite of the fact that the betting odds were strongly suggesting a Canes win. The Canes had also walked through a bunch of good S15 teams, had beaten the Lions at Ellis Park and didn't have to travel.
We need to be smarter. Sure the Lions had a chance, but it was a 20% chance according to the pros. I had it a bit higher, but nowhere near 50%.
As it turned out the Lions were in the game....and had several chances to get across the chalk, but each time the Canes had the answer. I have always felt NZ teams reserve their biggest scrums for when it will hurt most.....and they blew the Lions away in a scoring position.
They kicked better, they made fewer mistakes....almost none in their 22 and their rush defence dominated the game.
Why did we not learn the lessons of Ellis Park? Why did we not examine how the Sharks took the Canes apart a week later, through dominating the collisions and playing behind the rush defence. The tapes were there to be viewed.

It's not as simple as playing Lions rugby. It's not as simple as picking Jaco Kriel and Combrink. Kriel was outplayed yesterday, many of the other Lions heroes looked ordinary, Whiteley especially.
The Lions have had a great season, they have introduced new skills to SA rugby. But they haven't changed the nature of the game. 
The maligned WC Boks were closer to beating the ABs than the Lions to winning Super Rugby.....we need some power forwards and good kicking to amplify the Lions offloading game.  Jantjies  kicked with a pop gun yesterday. The Lions tight forwards, their scrums and lineouts, were disappointing
The most disappointing omission from our WC squad is Rohan, a classical Bok 12 type, who was our  only effective attacking weapon yesterday.
We are going to be totally confused this RC. The  squad includes many no hopers and we have no discernible game plan. Against Ireland in the crucial third test we only just survived a mad defensive scramble. 
We need some intelligence directed at the problem.....but all we are getting from former players, coaches and journalists is immature emotionl pandering. We need a leader.

Moz I get your reasoning. I think so at least. The problem for me is that we are saying that because the Sharks beat the Canes their gameplan is the answer? Yes true, as concerns playing the Canes. But what about the rest of the teams? The Sharks got hammered by the Lions and a good few other teams this season too. So, if you were to be a betting man, which strategy would you put your money on as being the most viable? Obviously the one that has had the most success. And you'd hedge your bets by evolving that gameplan to handle situations like Saturday's. Right? I'd say that the Lions losing in poor weather which they hardly ever play in, away from home in a match blown by a local ref doesn't mean a great deal in the grand scheme things? Remember two Kiwi teams lost to the Lions in the two weeks preceeding the Canes game in more rugby friendly weather. Are they gonna re-inventing the way they play as a result. Hardly. Let's also remember who these Lions players are. Nobodies until very recently. Had the likes of Eben and co been playing this kind of rugby since Meyer took over we'd be in a much different spot right now. The Lions have proved what is possible but it doesn't mean that every Lion needs to be made a Bok. It's their way of playing that needs to be adopted nationally because as I said before, they have crushed all other SA teams who field big lumbering and immobile forwards. I also think we can excuse some of the "pandering" because all our teams have been getting dominated the last few years. One can't blame SA for believing in the Lions dream.

I agree with many of your points Plum. But if you take Canes as the benchmark.....they had all the offloading skills plus a rush defence and a convincing kicking game. And they were smarter about when and where to deploy  their running skills.

Also, to clarify, I didn't want the Lions to adopt the Sharks strategy instead of their own.....just to incorporate a few tactical elements that worked. 
The broader point is we don't have to give up on everything that has worked for us for 120 years, just to get the the Lions offloading game. The two can be integrated into a style and game plan which can work in big finals....rather than the naive  approach yesterday.
When Jeff Wilson, Christian Cullen and John Kirwan say that you have been reckless in your attacking play.....I think it's fair to say they aren't coming from a kick and chase perspective.
Bitcoins are down 12% this week after a hacking attack . Is there a correlation?

 Moz I still dont understand why so many in SA think that getting away from traditional Bok strengths in the set pieces and goal kicking is the answer to their ills .In ye old days the Boks relied on massive up front steam rollers combined with some very good backs and deadly sharpshooters .Now many want to see your boys play like some sort of half arsed ABs team in green ,bypassing all the old bok virtues along the way .And it seems to me that the Boks are giving up long held winning streaks like never losing to Ireland in SA or losing to Japan etc all of which were once considered unthinkable .Now its just a shrug of the shoulders and a "meh who cares ?"

Well WD it's a compliment to the All Blacks methinks. But are strong scrumming, powerful rucking, heavy tackling and strong kicking suddenly of no value?  It's all muddled thinking.....add the Lions skills, don't forget the others.

 I am so glad to read that Dr Mozzzz has finally realised that Lions type skils must be added to good set pieces etc. What he is talking about is good old fashioned balanced Bok rugby. Bok rugby was NEVER about high up and unders alone!!! Well done Mozzz.
The Lions were shafted by a down under ref who allowed off side play to flourish. No teams can score against that. Chiefs have good attack and couldn't. The Lions were teh better side in most facits of play. Playing in wet conditions, having travelled and coping with a bent ref proved a little too much. I warned about the offsides and the travel and the ebt ref and was accused by that villain JW of making excuses. As usual Beeno got it right! Talk about being consistent. Hahahahahahahhahaha
The Lions financially were about broke. Akkerman and his team have built this side from nothing with minimal finance. Shame on the Bulls Sharks and Stormers!!!
Shame on selecting a quota coach and players for the Boks!  
Too many stupid people running rugby here resulting in many problem outlined before. The failure to adopt merit is a huge obstacle.
What is disgraceful is lambasting Lions players. Kriel was superb as was Faf and Combrink. We have far too many quislings posing as supporters. too many closet wee ab fans.  Bwahahhahahahahahahahahahaha
Beeno calling out these so called "supporters". Who needs supporters like these! The Lions players played their hearts out in very difficult circumstances showing they were the better side. Any other view on the matter is mere quisling behaviou r. If I were a Lions man I would be so proud of my team!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

 I am so glad to read that Dr Mozzzz has finally realised that Lions type skils must be added to good set pieces etc. What he is talking about is good old fashioned balanced Bok rugby. Bok rugby was NEVER about high up and unders alone!!! Well done Mozzz.
The Lions were shafted by a down under ref who allowed off side play to flourish. No teams can score against that. Chiefs have good attack and couldn't. The Lions were teh better side in most facits of play. Playing in wet conditions, having travelled and coping with a bent ref proved a little too much. I warned about the offsides and the travel and the ebt ref and was accused by that villain JW of making excuses. As usual Beeno got it right! Talk about being consistent. Hahahahahahahhahaha
The Lions financially were about broke. Akkerman and his team have built this side from nothing with minimal finance. Shame on the Bulls Sharks and Stormers!!!
Shame on selecting a quota coach and players for the Boks!  
Too many stupid people running rugby here resulting in many problem outlined before. The failure to adopt merit is a huge obstacle.
What is disgraceful is lambasting Lions players. Kriel was superb as was Faf and Combrink. We have far too many quislings posing as supporters. too many closet wee ab fans.  Bwahahhahahahahahahahahahaha
Beeno calling out these so called "supporters". Who needs supporters like these! The Lions players played their hearts out in very difficult circumstances showing they were the better side. Any other view on the matter is mere quisling behaviou r. If I were a Lions man I would be so proud of my team!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

When oh when will we find a real supporter or two of the Lions players?

I do hear ya Moz and you make sense. Right here Beeno. The Lions set piece is fine. The lineout need work though. Their scrum is way above average. On Saturday Faf should probably have kicked a little more but I refuse to take Saturday's game as proof of very much. They lost to a very good side. Moz is right though in that maybe adding a tad more grunt would be a good thing. And maybe I have to back track on Eben and say that the kind of grunt he offers is actually necessary. So I'll swallow my words on that one. Possibly a more powerful 8 would see them in good stead. Personally I am a big fan of Renaldo Botma, but he's a Namibian. That guy is a beast and very quick too. I don't however think that giant fat props or Adriaan Strauss would add very much. Also, let's take a moment to remember the average age of the Lions. Is aside from Kriel, Whiteley and I think Redlinghuys are over 25. The rest are babies. They'll only get better.

 The Lions should have also expected to face a ferocious Hurricanes rush defence, and yet they looked rather rattled by the ferocity of the hosts’ line speed, and ultimately Faf de Klerk and Elton Jantjies didn’t have the time or space to run the game as they would have liked.
One thing Dr Mozzz should consider. Its not smartness dictating quota coaches and quota players its racism.  Also how come our best coaches are sidelined. Rassie, Mallet, Venter and Jake? Some of hsi is not smartness .As to smArtness i have been a voice crying i the wilderness about SA being out Thought for years. The LIONS THIS SEASON HAVE SHOWN WHAT MORONS ARE COACHING OUR TEAMS - I AM OF COURSE INSULTING MORONS!
LIONS PACK IS A LIGHT ONE. fEROCIOUS BUT LACKING A LITTLE GRUNT. NEED AN ETZEBETH. mAYBE A BIGGER NUMBER SEVEN ENFORCER TYPE (TECHLENBERG NEVERTHELESS IS AN UNSUNG HERO). HOWEVER IF THEY ARE PLAYING IN DRY CONDITIONS WITH A FAIR REF THEIR TEAM WORKS.
iF THE lIONS CAN KEEP THEIR SQUAD AND IMPROVE THEIR DEPTH THEY WILL HAVE A VERY GOOD 2017 BARRING INJURIES AND BENT DOWN UNDER REFS WHO WILL BE GUNNING FOR THEM NEXT YEAR
LIONS HAVE TWO OF THE BEST HOOKERS IN THE GAME. AKKERS IS ALSO SENSATIONAL AND BEING UNDERUTILISED UNFORTUNATELY. 

 Moz its puzzling to me to see a Bok pack being pushed around by the Japanese it just doesnt seem possible ! A symptom of muddled thinking indeed to throw out generations of well honed skills bred into your chaps in exchange for something that would require a generation or two from the junior grades up .And a sea change in the Bok style of rugby would be needed to implement as its an all or nothing deal innit ?

 The Jaguares loss came back and bite the Lions, if the final was in Ellis Park the result (could) have been different... And we'll be discussing how good the Springboks are going to be this year. The Lions had opportunities but they blew it, Jantjies had a shocking game compared to his other play off games and he didn't get into any rhythm or flow. The Lions usual style and speed was blunted at the source with the Canes line-speed. 
The Canes had done their homework they knew where the threats where and they ran at them, unfortunate for the Lions they looked like they didn't do any homework and tried playing the same game as last week and the week before. Wellington isn't Johannesburg.
The Lions should use this year as a stepping stone for next year, but they'll have to improve because they'll be the team to beat next year along side the Hurricanes,  everyone will want a piece of them. 

Oh and then there was this horribly biased attack on the Lions....are we seeing what a liar Tokkie is.

 It was a gloating exercise - and that remains the case.   You did not have a positive word about the team or any of the players, - so what is that but gloating.    And that was followed by a further gem quoted by Rooinek from  one of your postings.
Before then the attack on Lions players was total and the decision by Meyer not to select Lion players in the WC squad continued from the squad announcement through the whole of 2016 up to 30 April 2017 when you suddenly made a 180 degree turnaround.

   

Quote the gloating Pervert the post is right there for you to attack....we all know you could never find it, so I made it easy for you.

 Lol
All I glean from this is that it's a year later, another final and Beeno and myself are still right on the money. Booya!