Lions 2nd Test.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Its easy to envisage Kolbe getting red cards in the Prem for both the head clash and taking out Murray.

I'm surprised he's still on..
At the same time, the Van Der Merwe kick/trip should probably be red too

As has been said on the sh1t coverage trips are never reds.

Agree about the coverage, its appalling.

[wasps]

Did greenwood just suggest bringing Daly on so that we can compete better in the air?

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Did greenwood just suggest bringing Daly on so that we can compete better in the air?

Yep. Must be about the chase.

[Neils]

Did greenwood just suggest bringing Daly on so that we can compete better in the air?

Given Greenwood's haircut choice at his age it fits.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Wheels have come off the lineout, one area the Lions were in charge

[Neils]

Our bench this match is total crap

[Chunky24]

Set piece dominance won the day. For me any referee decisions were marginal ones and no significant ipact even those checked, I don't want to watch a game where each decision is forensically interrogated.

Think back 3 will be Williams, Adams and Watson next week and back row Faletau, Watson and Lawes. Hopefully Wyn Jones fit to start to with Mako to follow.

Even more importantly anyone know a pub in westward ho which will be showing the game next week!

[mike909]

Might be tempted to see if Bideford Rugby Club are showing it as my memory of pubs in W-Ho! are not that positive - but the Waterfront Inn and Kingsley Inn both claim "Sports" and "Sky" respectively.

[Chunky24]

Might be tempted to see if Bideford Rugby Club are showing it as my memory of pubs in W-Ho! are not that positive - but the Waterfront Inn and Kingsley Inn both claim "Sports" and "Sky" respectively.

Thank you, 7 minute drive or 50 minute walk so will contact them in the week, if not radio while in the hot tub will have to do.

[andermt]

In all the Saffer crap about officials who is the citing officer in all this???

If there is a citing officer, I think Itoje may not take part in the 3rd test.

[wasps]

In all the Saffer crap about officials who is the citing officer in all this???

If there is a citing officer, I think Itoje may not take part in the 3rd test.

I assume you mean his knee on someone's throat.

I've only seen a still of it.
What was the situation? Was it a dynamic breakdown situation where itoje has to lower his knee to retain balance, or is it a pretty static situation where he just purposely drops his weight on the dude?

[andermt]

In all the Saffer crap about officials who is the citing officer in all this???

If there is a citing officer, I think Itoje may not take part in the 3rd test.

I assume you mean his knee on someone's throat.

I've only seen a still of it.
What was the situation? Was it a dynamic breakdown situation where itoje has to lower his knee to retain balance, or is it a pretty static situation where he just purposely drops his weight on the dude?

It went to a slow mo during the match, it wasn't seen live I don't think, I never saw it anyway, Andy Goode has shared it on Twitter, see link below.

The issue is it looks like he was kneeling on this throat, then started to move off and dropped back down again.

https://twitter.com/AndyGoode10/status/1421539101564710924?s=20

[westwaleswasp]

If the aerial tackle had been against Wasps, or the 'looked at' tackle later in the game, both would have been unpunished by the ref, ignored by Graham  Hughes, and followed by a retrospective red. Seriously for a moment, there were so many unpunished incidents by Premiership standards in the match. Tricky for the ref, but I do not expect citngs after such a match as this.
I think the ref was under intolerable pressure, Erasmus should have been banned from the stadium for his ludicrous  midweek tirade.  Frankly, the ref bottled the aerial tackle, which was a likely red, and the afters worth a yellow based on rhe ref's prior warnings to both teams. Either red, or yellow, yellow, the result would have been the same- one player off.  He was not going to send a player off for the sort of reds we have seen all year.

[wasps]

I agree that Kolbe should have had a red card. However, the Lions shouldn't be relying on a man advantage to win a game. So while the decision may have had a material impact on the result, the Lions need to be beating 15 men if they want to prove anything.



As for the Itoje incident, duty of care may come into it.
However having now seen the clip from Goodey's Twitter, I would still want to see a wider and extended clip to be able to ascertain whether it was deliberate or not.

In some ways, whether the act is deliberate may be irrelevant when it comes to any citing or punishment, however, even though Itoje is a Saracens player, I'd like to see if there were any mitigating factors (i.e. being off balance etc) before condemning him

[mike909]

Looking back at the game - it sort of went how I expected the first test to go - and it was a game with more than a passing resemblance to the RWC Final where SA did all the work in the first half and owned the second. Last week, rust and some lucking going the Lions way meant it didn't happen like that.

Not sure if the plan didn't play out, but if you are going to be competitive with SA you need parity in the set piece and decent safety in the air. The Lions were going well in the line out at first and LCD was going well this week, ok in early scrums but faltered later on.

The scrum issue was more the "turf" the scrum penalty that ended up with the key SA score was one where there was a collapse, but the turf was ejected out the back of the scrum. It was a reset for me (as an old prop....) but with that sort of decision going SA's way this week, the Lions were never really in the game.

Too many anonymous Lions, I struggle with Curry too often, his contribution was low key...and whilst Lawes and others got stuck into the tackling and defending, it was as if a switch was pulled at HT and the Lions stopped playing.

SA were the better team, no idea if the nonsense made the officiating problematic as the problems were more systematic/consistency issues for me. The breakdown was too often a mess - refs need to call ruck and players need to get their hands out....and again, offside was a random call too often. But if you don't take your high balls and can't maintain even just near parity in the tight - then you are in trouble.