Lions tour....great fun

These matches are epic....all close, passionate and real! Unlike Super Rugby where so many matches are poor in defence, in these games the teams are forced into the tactical kick....open field running has to be earned. .. If the Lions can't dominate the set pieces and the ball on the ground they can't win on this tour. Once Lose/Jones replaced Lawes they lost physicality. .... Watching Naholo beating Seymour from a standing start showed the difference in physicality. On the other hand Daily showed brains and vision still count. Joseph was great on attack, feeble on defence. Sopoaga was a disaster for the Landers. Fekitoa remains a fabulous centre. ... On to Stampkar. He had his best game tonight, one good offload leading to the Joseph try and a decent steal on the deck. He upped his metres per run to 2 and actually beat one tackler in his 24 runs. That said he yielded two turnover penalties himself and lingered on the wrong side of the Landers ruck when his weight was needed to prevent their try. For the role he is playing he needs to keep his feet, beat a tackle or two and offload....he did that once and that led to a try.

Stampkar manages an offload in the tackle, as awkward as ever, but it leads to a try - imagine that
Lions set pieces suprisingly ineffective and loose. Will have to be much better to hope to beat the AB's. Not one lineout maul had go forward from what I can remember and apart from a single dominant scrum, they looked on the back foot most of the time in that department.
Webb a real livewire, but Murray and Farrell combo did a better job controlling the territory game and in a Test setting that is so important.
Lions really missing strike runners - Vunipola's absence is monumental and with Hogg out, and now possibly Lawes the cupboard is getting bare.

 With Lawes possibly out I wonder if Launchbury will get a call up. Shame for him to miss out. Daley's best position is 13, loads of pace and quick acceleration through even a half gap. Better defender than Joseph aswell and a monster boot.

 The Lion's tours are usually about building and getting together as a team. The last remnant of the tours of old. By ship in the olden days. Enjoy!

The penny is beginning to drop with some journalists: ... '8) CJ Stander - Another Lion struggling to threaten gain-line enough with ball in hand. Thoroughly committed but hopes of a Test start fading. 7' ... 8. CJ Stander - 5 Penalised a couple of times. Always seemed behind the play but nabbed an outstanding late turnover. .... CJ Stander: A far better player than he showed here. Lions need the CJ of earlier in the season, full of vim and vigour. Not seen that yet. 6 ....... After the vast, and I mean vast, hype it's becoming apparent that he never beats a tackle. Not fast, not strong, not elusive, not a good passer.....the Lions are badly missing Vunipola.

 Moz I gather you arent a "Stampkar " fan ? Whats a " Stampkar " when its at home ?So the Lions want to play the equivalent of 6 tests before they even get to the ABs ?They will be some tired wee kitties come the tests ,theres no easy games to be had in the Shakey Isles if they were expecting a nice easy run in to the tests .They either play their hardest or get beaten .

A stampkar is a dodgem car...you know, like in the old Fairs. The implication is you run into things.

 Good one Moz ,indeed he doesnt seem to run into any likely looking gaps does he ?Old school sorta forward that bloke .Marty Banks is an interesting wee chap ,he played in Russia and Italy and at age 15 turned out for his hometown [Reefton] senior team alongside 3 much oder brothers and his fifty-something Dad,Mum was probably helping with the sammiges and soup !! All miners in his family ,I am sure that many small  towns in SA have similar stories of whole families pitching in to keep small clubs going ,its what puts Rugby ahead of all other sports I reckon.

 If CJ is a Stampkar then Whitely is surely a Kaskar.

Plum I would have thought Whiteley was a goggomobile. WD having spent years 6 through 12 in a mining town, I respect those people, tough as nails.

 It's something about the way he always looks like he's on the verge on falling apart yet surprisingly never does.

 Some still rate him Mozart. Here's what Logan Savory (Kiwi journo) and Aaran Goile said about him. 

"CJ Stander 8: Got through a mountain of work with ball in hand, showing the flair the Lions craved, with that offload leading to Joseph's try. Pinged a couple of times for getting isolated from his mates and did get run through by Fekitoa, but helped win turnover on line, and generally tackled with passion."

Overall it sounds like he gives his all with mixed results.

Logan Unsavoury is a Goyle? The only one among the 7 Telegraph experts who chose Stamp for the starting test team is Giles Mole...and i'd say he still hasn't seen the light: .. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2017/06/13/british-irish-lions-face-blacks-opening-test-experts-name-theirxvs/

Kicking to beat the rush defence was the Landers plan: 'Dunedin - Highlanders captain Luke Whitelock highlighted his side's kicking game as being vital in their 23-22 win over the British and Irish Lions. Against the Crusaders the Lions' rush defence was evident, but it was clear the Highlanders had done their homework as they kicked frequently. Tries from Waisake Naholo and Liam Coltman, along with the boots of Lima Sopoaga and Marty Banks, saw the Highlanders claim a memorable win, with Whitelock explaining afterwards that he was delighted with the success before revealing how they negated that blitz defence.'