Rugby - Six Nations, S14, Lions, Can't Wait

[Havak]

I offered my verdict on Dean Ryan years ago and haven't changed my opinion since. Being part of the Newcastle side that bought the League title in 1998 gave him delusions of adequacy that he has never shaken.

Powell is the type of bull in a china shop player the Boks will eat alive. Cardiffs win over Glaw earnt him a seat and made the Bok camp very happy indeed.

Not seen youngs but Falcons also have two 18 year old stand offs that look good. there is lots of competition for the 9 shirt at U20 level. Is Youngs better than the othe Youngs (Ben)?

So the right skipper but otherwise a strange Lions squad. Slightly too many Irish, far too many Welsh and many of the exact English players he should never have considered.

Monye? Not convinced at all. Mears, Sheridan, Vickery, Shaw - did McGeechan and Edwards actually watch the six nations at all?

A second lions tour running where they lose the series 3-0 before even flying out. they could lose most of the mid-week games too.

No armitage, no Croft and a total Wasps bias plainly visible to all - Worseley FFS????

They deserve to lose - way to trash a noble tradition Geecs and Edwards

[Havak]

Having just spotted Flutey also selected by the Wasps coaches when I finally stopped laughing I decided I am going to support the Boks.

it's time someone taught Edwards some humility - so surprised at McGeechan though. Does he truly think those Wasps are there on form. "Ball carrying forwards to counter the Boks".

Lumbering Oxes to play into their hands more like.

Right call me Von Havak for the duration.

[LDiCesare]

I don't think Flutey's that bad. I doubt he'll play much however. In my opinion the dumbest selection is that of Vickery. Do they want to gift more penalties to the Boks?

[finbar]

I assume that Flutey is there also as cover for #10. With only two #10s selected, they will need cover. They also needed either Croft or Kennedy - preferably Croft - to combat Matfield and Co in the lineout. The Boks will have a lineout picnic.

[Havak]

McGeechan Claims the squad was selected on 6N and domestic form. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

50% of The English players are from Wasps who by my reckoning are very lucky to even be 8th in the Premiership. 6 Ospreys players? Hmm.

I'm happy with Byrne, both Williams, Halfpenny, Shanklin, Roberts, BOD, Eliis, O'Leary, Jenkins, Murray, O'Connell, Wallace and Quinlan.

I couldn't field XV from the XXXVII myself.

Maybe Sheridan will thrive in Bokland but I'd still go for Gethin ahead of him.

Very weak at hooker and fly half but then there are no good candidates for either spot.

The line out will kill them - It is one of the skippers weaknesses that he sometimes go AWOL in that phase - Namibia springs to mind.

Gatland called Croft unlucky. I should say so! Edwards thinks Jones is first reserve loose forward however. Nothing like a healthy Wasps and Wales bias eh?

[Havak]

Bad luck for O'Leary. It might open the door to Blair.

The 37 Lions were selected from an initial shortlist of 50 apparently. In that 50 were Josh Lewsey and Ciprinani. Neither of whom are current England players, but both of whom are Wasps. Amazing. Nepotism in action?

This is truly the worst Lions selection of my adult life.

[finbar]

I can imagine Lewsey and Cipriani appearing on a list of 50. With 50 names, there would have to have been more than few who were never going to be seriously considered.

Ian Balshaw off to France and Ollie back to Bath. My friend from Bath, who spends quite a lot of time here, and has connections with the club, tipped me to both these moves a long time ago. Ollie knew he had made a big mistake not long after he arrived at Gloucester. Balshaw is looking to set himself up financially.

And Havak's favourite ref, Steve Walsh, has been forced into retirement by the NZRU because of an alcohol-related problem.

[finbar]

Corker Leinster effort. I didn't think they had it in them to out-Munster the Munster men. It was a massive effort. No wonder the ARU wants Rocky Elsom back. Interesting, too, from the Lions perspective to compare the leadership of POC against that of BOD. They picked POC to be another J****, only he ain't. There will only ever be one J****. BOD, in his twilight years, has adapted his game beautifully and he's as shrewd and canny as anyone I've seen. Presumably Alan Quinlan will be cited for his ugly attack on Leo Cullen's eyes - Cullen also led his team beautifully - and Tom Croft's chances of claiming the spot that was rightfully his anyway would appear to be good.

But I wonder whether Leinster can lift themselves to that level again in the final?

[finbar]

There are essays to be written on the topic of justice after today's game. Though not by me. Suffice it to say that justice was done on the basis that the (much) better team for the first 78 minutes won. On the other hand, there would have been some sort of criminal justice done if Leicester had lost on the basis of their cynical, professional, yellow-carded fouls. When will they ever learn? Never, it seems. On the other hand, it was unfortunate to see the brave Martin Williams, after such a very good game, suffer the shame of missing his penalty kick and costing his team the match at that point. Yet perhaps justice of some sort was done on the basis that he, too, should have been yellow-carded for at least one of his cynical, professional fouls at the breakdown.

The final? I fear that Leinster played their final yesterday.

In closing, how good is Tom Croft? How misguided are the Lions selectors? Though the judiciary should have a hand in righting the wrong.

[Havak]

it was one of the best games I have seen him play. Which is saying something. But it wouldn't surprise me to see them call up Ryan Jones first (A fine player though somewhat out of form - simply not in Crofts class however).

Not for me to pile misery on Mobius. We nearly blew a game we had thoroughly controlled with our stupid disciplinary problem.

But I can't be totally magnanimous. Welsh fans often make me feel it right their teams should lose. Whilst class fans like Munster, Leinster and Tigers respect opposition kickers the Blues fans howled like a pack of hyenas when our players kicked. Bad form.

[Havak]

Plank cleared of gouging Borthwick. I saw the altercation live and it was yet another example of Justin getting involved unecessarily. He is a lucky boy not to have spent more of his career suspended.

Gatland and McGeechan's excuse for picking Quinlan ahead of Croft is one of the funniest things I have ever read. You leave one of the most athletic back row players in the world at home in order to take a crufter (and I like Quinlan but old crufter is what he is) who is a good laugh off the pitch. Can't quite get my head around it - fully expect the Celtic lions to be totally humiliated if players are picked for 'being a good laugh'.

If they wanted to pick players for being a good laugh Henson was the obvious choice - he always cracks me up. Of course he would have been poison to the tour - a hugely divisive (and alledgedly overtly racist - cannot keep his mouth shut about the English) presence.

You questioned POC's captaincy Finbar and he does sometimes disappear when the pressure is on. lockjaw would have had munster under the sticks and have delivered a b*** breaking reminder of their job. I didn't see POC do that. Still a fine player but maybe BOD was the choice. Maybe they assumed BOD would be a target for foul play once again and POC was more capable of withstanding it?

I'm just teasing Andydog ahead of his supporting Bath for the second time.

[Andydog]

I gave up supporting Saracens when they started heading down the sewer faster than a sh!t-greased rat.

So I'm reduced to supporting anyone that plays Tigers.

Go Bath!

The Super14 has been much more exciting than the Guinness Premiership anyway. The Crusaders beat the Reds, meaning they could end up 4th on the table and meet the Hurricanes in the semi. One thing that has come out of this season - Brett is not the answer to the question of Dan Carter's future replacement.

[finbar]

I'm yet to see evidence that Stephen Donald is, so if Brett isn't, who is?

And you and I could take on and beat the Reds singlehandedly at the moment with their wicked injury toll. And, gee, the Blues are a very pale shadow of what they once were.

Leicester-Bath was oh so predictable. Men against boys. Leicester's return to their bad old days of kicking the ball away early on worried me. Giordan Murphy is in sublime form. Bath can play some attractive rugby but they lack grit, hard-headedness and nouse. All of which Leicester has in spades. I don't like Richard Cockerill, but he's doing a fine job. The departure of the Afrikaans coach was the best thing that ever happened. According to the commentators yesterday, he'd told Sam Vesty he didn't have a future at the club. Preferring, obviously, his limited Afrikaans chum Hougaard. 'Nuff said.

Martin Corry has called it quits. One year too late, IMHO. He didn't add anything to his fine career this season. Still, he can be proud. As will be Ben Kay when he finally calls time. It's always been a bit of a mystery to me why he didn't ever progress from his promising youthful days alongside J**** in the England second row. He somehow sort of stalled.

Quins were terrible, which disappointed me. I wanted them to go through. That the Irish pack and forwards skinned them so completely was astonishing. Nick Evans clearly wasn't fit and it cost Quins dearly. Still, barring bizarre events, I can't see Irish troubling Leicester. They play opportunist rugby, and I don't really see too many opportunities arising.

[Havak]

Apart from enjoying seeing Chiefs ride so high there are far too many dead rubbers in S14 for my liking. Give me the tightness of this years GP anytime.

Kay had a fine game yesterday - and he never enjoyed an England partner he gelled with after Jonno went. Deacon (himself plagued by injuries now) came closest but otherwise he got stuck with Palmer, Shaw and Borthwick with whom he never looked at his best.

I thought Crane had a fine game too.

It looks like Mauger may miss both finals at the moment.

[Andydog]

Apart from enjoying seeing Chiefs ride so high there are far too many dead rubbers in S14 for my liking. Give me the tightness of this years GP anytime.

The S14 has been much tighter than the GP Havak. There is just one week to go, and there are seven contenders for three places (three Kiwi, two Aussies and two Boer teams), none of them guaranteed a place in the semi. It does not get better than that.

Incidentally, it could have been eight teams vying for the four spots, but for some shonky Jonkers reffing that saw the Force fall off the pace.

So seven, or half the teams in the Super 14, still in contention, with one week to go.

That, my pork pie loving pom, is a tight competition.