As it's fairly quite at the mo. Here's a question if there was a continental team like the Lions would you watch them? And who would you have as a starting XV at the mo? Georgians, Russians and every other continental european team welcome!

Craic Head wrote: I thought that joke was great too.

I do hope that the BOD thing does not drag on and on though with endless questions. whatever we think (i would have had him on the bench) we do tend to give lots of print to these type of thing here. Do not want this BOD/Gatland thing to become a Keane/McCarthy Saipan moment, manager disrespecting one of our sporting legends etc. It happened, its over, well done the Lions.

Dont you dare tarnish the word legend, by associating that scumbag mercenary

I thought that joke was great too.

I do hope that the BOD thing does not drag on and on though with endless questions. whatever we think (i would have had him on the bench) we do tend to give lots of print to these type of thing here. Do not want this BOD/Gatland thing to become a Keane/McCarthy Saipan moment, manager disrespecting one of our sporting legends etc. It happened, its over, well done the Lions.

columoc wrote:

RonanL wrote: I'd also agree, but at the same time I was a little annoyed by all the commentators banging on about how Gatland's decision to drop BOD was totally vindicated. Are they implying that Davies had a big hand in the win and that BOD's presence would have resulted in a loss? Obviously not. The bottom line is they won the game convincingly because the Lions out muscled the aussies, particularly at scrum time. The ref also gave them everything. I could have started the game at 13 and they still would have won.

Also, I kindof enjoyed how Sexton barely even acknowledged Gatland towards the end of the game, when all the others were hugging it up big time. I suspect that reaction was related to BOD being dropped (and maybe the fact he was taken off with 20 mins to go).

I think this was because Sexton was annoyed that he was taken off, he marched off shaking his head and barely acknowledged Owen Farrell. He becomes petulant occasionally (something he picked up from ROG?); in truth he had a mediocre game by his standards (not helped by Phillips)and Farrell is a decent player and was probably asked to "close out" the game; plus Farell deserved some Test time. Sexton could learn from BOD's overall reaction to the situation.

Maybe I was a bit hard on him; nice article in IT. Love his joke about him being thrilled to win his first Welsh cap. www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/internati...oud-1.1456694?page=1

salmson wrote: I fail to see however how anyone but Corbisiero could be considered player of the series. The Lions were on top in the first test until he was injured, and were muck until he was back pulverising the Aussies in the decider.

Very good point, corbs and jones turned out to be the most essential players of the squad. Perhaps it could have been healy and perhaps the first game might not have been so tight if healy had been playing (obviously we'll never know) but I think what is clear is that if vunipola had started the third test and scrummaged half as bad as he had in the second game he would have been the one with the yellow card.

I agree completely, you may not like it but you have to accept coaches decision, Sexton does have a habit of showing his frustration, he is a winner no doubt but he is a player not a coach.

RonanL wrote: I'd also agree, but at the same time I was a little annoyed by all the commentators banging on about how Gatland's decision to drop BOD was totally vindicated. Are they implying that Davies had a big hand in the win and that BOD's presence would have resulted in a loss? Obviously not. The bottom line is they won the game convincingly because the Lions out muscled the aussies, particularly at scrum time. The ref also gave them everything. I could have started the game at 13 and they still would have won.

Also, I kindof enjoyed how Sexton barely even acknowledged Gatland towards the end of the game, when all the others were hugging it up big time. I suspect that reaction was related to BOD being dropped (and maybe the fact he was taken off with 20 mins to go).

I think this was because Sexton was annoyed that he was taken off, he marched off shaking his head and barely acknowledged Owen Farrell. He becomes petulant occasionally (something he picked up from ROG?); in truth he had a mediocre game by his standards (not helped by Phillips)and Farrell is a decent player and was probably asked to "close out" the game; plus Farell deserved some Test time. Sexton could learn from BOD's overall reaction to the situation.

In fairness to Davies he had a fine game, involved in Sexton's try and a couple of brilliant kicks in the first half. But the Lions would probably have missed BOD in a tight match, so yeah completely immaterial to the result.

Gatland had a stack of decisions to make - hooker, Parling vs. Evans or Gray, no. 8, Tipuric at 7 or Lydiate at 6, scrumhalf, 12, 13.

90% of pundits and fans (myself included) thought he was batshit picking Davies, in the end he got only one of the 7 selection decisions conspicuously wrong (scrum-half) which is pretty good going.

I fail to see however how anyone but Corbisiero could be considered player of the series. The Lions were on top in the first test until he was injured, and were muck until he was back pulverising the Aussies in the decider.

I'd also agree, but at the same time I was a little annoyed by all the commentators banging on about how Gatland's decision to drop BOD was totally vindicated. Are they implying that Davies had a big hand in the win and that BOD's presence would have resulted in a loss? Obviously not. The bottom line is they won the game convincingly because the Lions out muscled the aussies, particularly at scrum time. The ref also gave them everything. I could have started the game at 13 and they still would have won.

Also, I kindof enjoyed how Sexton barely even acknowledged Gatland towards the end of the game, when all the others were hugging it up big time. I suspect that reaction was related to BOD being dropped (and maybe the fact he was taken off with 20 mins to go).

rossie wrote: Finally some logic applied. I second everything borders said above.

Agree.

Finally some logic applied. I second everything borders said above.

Mixed emotions, feel very sorry for O'Driscoll and O'Connell but such is sport and life I suppose.

A first Lions series win since 1997 is good to see. The Lions isn't something that particularly bothers me but its something that still means a lot to players and the majority of supporters so in that respect its at least a bit of a boost for rugby in these islands. Really though if the Lions had failed to beat this Australian outfit you'd question when they'd win a series again.

Glad for Gatland, for all the stick he gets his CV speaks for itself. While I didn't agree with him dropping BOD particularly out of the 23, that was the game plan he trusted to get the result and ultimately he got the result by playing in the manner in which he wanted to play and its hard to argue with that. At least he had the courage of his convictions to take the hard calls and not be left wondering.

I for one will always be thankful to him for what he did for Connacht and (to some extent) Irish Rugby.

Wasn't expecting that level of a win. I'll take it.

All the Irish lads were solid, thought Davies was quiet. Sean O'B had a huge game.

Unfortunately its not what happens on the pitch that matters most anymore. Almost 400,000 tickets sold ……40,000 visiting fans…… record revenues from TV (TV revenue shared between southern hemisphere rugby nations) ……51,000euro to each touring player…..match bonuses…... 57,000 euro to each of the home rugby unions PER TOURING PLAYER. …..ARU expected to make 5 million sterling profit at end of tour. What this adds up to is the most successful tour yet – from a financial perspective. Contracts from 2017 already signed. Lions Inc. will be trying to take a greater share of the profits when 2021 is negotiated.

Sol_ie wrote:

salmson wrote: defeat on Saturday would probably make the demise of the Lions (after the 2017 tour, most likely) inevitable.

Do you think so?

Yup. Look at the Baa-baas, they're a bad joke, an end-of-season drinking session. I'm not sure when it happened exactly, they weren't so bad 5 or 10 years ago but then I looked away for a minute...

Assuming the "Llews" lose tomorrow and get pasted in 2017 (unless Evil Genius Joe Schmidt, having won the WC and Grand Slam with Ireland by 2016 moves on to the Lions, smiting his countrymen in 2017 and then replacing the incumbent All Blacks coach) then in 2021 there would be a stack of players on the tour who weren't born when the Lions last won a series, and pretty much no-one who even remembers seeing that (even as a child).

The idea is to test yourself in difficult circumstances against the best SH teams. If it's a given you lose I can't see how the guys you really want on tour, the born competitors like BOD and Wilkinson and so on, would be remotely interested. The lucky-to-be-there's, your Earls and Parlings, will still be up for it, but as the beatings get worse eventually the supporters will stop touring (more than one commentator has noted the increased age profile of supporters this tour as opposed to yesteryear) and then it's curtains if the money stops flowing.

I'd say the 2017 or 2021 tour would be the last, should they lose tomorrow. If they win, of course, that buys them another couple decades.

salmson wrote: [defeat on Saturday would probably make the demise of the Lions (after the 2017 tour, most likely) inevitable.

Do you think so? It seems to have gone from strength to strength, competition for a place is fierce and, I assume, it makes a bucket of cash for the home nations (not as much as having the games played here might, of course). They said the same thing, apparently, when the professional era started.

I can see it becoming a bit less 'special'. I've always viewed the Lions as a time to put aside national rivalries, and beating seven shades out of our SH pals. I even cheered on Farrell!