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

[Andydog]

Who - Andydog aside - would disagree that the SH visitors are hardly firing on all cylinders? Well, the Boks were, a lot of the time, and you have to assume they will again.

I don't think that even the Boks are firing on all cylinders. They struggle to penetrate in attack and only scored from the mistakes of others - and lord knows the badly misfiring AB's gave them plenty of those. The wallabies, well they were all over the place this season. At times they played excellent rugby, at others absolute rubbish. I didn't think the Boks were firing on all cylinders against the Lame Lions either.

[finbar]

They do have a habit of taking their foot off the pressure pedal at times. And one of the fade outs against the LLs was the direct result of stupid substitutions at wrong times by the Fruit Loop coach.

So the Argies are going to be missing a couple of useful players. There goes any threat, if ever there were one. Berrick Barnes has done an ankle, will miss the All Blacks, and perhaps the whole tour. There goes the Wallaby midfield.

[finbar]

I suppose there's consolation in it being a better Wallaby effort. Much stronger at the breakdown, scrummaged well, Genia at #9 is a terrific prospect, and Digby Ioane - finally free of injury - did some very good things. Pity about some of the handling and idiotic poor discipline that inflated the ABs' score. But, cripes, they're still struggling to put together anything cohesive in the backline. Berrick Barnes has left a gaping hole.

Still, there's good news. He Who Eats Royal Crumpet should miss a few English Tests.

[finbar]

Tigers -v- Saints was an entertaining contest between two seriously understrength teams. Saints' scrum verged on embarrassing, but they were in with a shout while their back three were breathing. Tigers should have made a hell of a lot more of the forward supremacy, but with halves like the invisible Grindal and the defensive Staunton that was never going to happen. Yet again Ben Youngs showed how it can be done. Whatever his potential liabilities at the moment, his positives would overwhelm them. Nice to see Aaron Mauger get through a game and involve himself, and that young lock, Green, looks like a prospect.

Seems Tigers have signed Lote Tuquiri on a short-term contract. He'll be rusty, but will offer a lot. Vastly more than the skinny Argie.

[Havak]

God bless andydog for popping up in time to remind me I need to support Wales at the weekend. It isn't even easy writing that, let alone doing it!

Green is another Academy product Finbar - has been on loan at Nottingham I think. He does look promising.

Tuquiri should enjoy himself once we play halves who get the ball shipped to the backs promptly. When Vesty, Ellis, Youngs and Flood displace Grindal and Staunton. His signing was denied on friday so of course we knew at that point he had joined.

The kindest thing you can say for Staunton is he has a good boot - but his centres can't enjoy playing alongside him??

[LDiCesare]

The kindest thing you can say for Staunton is he has a good boot - but his centres can't enjoy playing alongside him??

Let me guess. He's English?

[finbar]

Tuquiri should enjoy himself once we play halves who get the ball shipped to the backs promptly.

The thing with Lote is that if the ball isn't reaching him, he goes and gets the damn thing. That was the big breakthrough he made with his game. Marauding in off his wing - he's the size of a brick dunny - and getting the pill. How the Wallabies are missing that sort of thing. Though they won't admit it.

[Havak]

Actually Staunton is Irish.

I cannot wait to see Lote in action.

[Havak]

Forwards: D Bell (Bath), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), J Crane (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Stade Francais), C Lawes (Northampton), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), S Thompson (Brive), D Wilson (Bath).

Backs: M Banahan (Bath), D Care (Harlequins), M Cueto (Sale Sharks), A Erinle (Biarritz), S Geraghty (Northampton), A Goode (Brive), D Hipkiss (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), U Monye (Harlequins), J Wilkinson (Toulon).

He went the conservative route Finbar - Lawes is the only brave call really. And I suspect he will bench as cover for lock/8 with Crane and Deacon starting.

The presence of Cueto made me shudder - he can only be fullback. And Erinle? What is he doing there ahead of Clarke from Saints or even Allen (much as you aren't impressed by him)? Let's hope the Wilko-Geraghty-Hipkiss axis works well.

[finbar]

Yes, it's scary. Erinle finished up in France basically because he wasn't good enough. Big and strong and quick enough but ordinary hands and can't tackle. Apparently he's playing well over there, but you don't develop quality overnight. My problem with Allen is that he's a solid, competent, straight up and down, predictable centre. No surprises, no finesse. I don't think he'll find a possie in a full-strength Tigers side. So, as those sorts of players go, he's outstanding. But at least he can tackle. On that basis alone I'd have him in front of Erinle.

The only other choices for full back were Matty Tait or Foden. Poor Matty sent his career into probably terminal decline going to Sale, and Foden is a defensive disaster waiting to happen. J****'s problem was not picking a specialist full back in the first place.

It's going to be a fascinating contest. A pretty average England outfit, weak in the tight 5, against an unpredictable Wallaby outfit, with, I suspect, for the first time in eons, a better front row.

[Havak]

From what little I saw of the scrums last weekend the Wallabies definitely have the better front row. Which is quite staggering to this old timer.

The Wallaby locks aren't stellar thankfully, and the loosies will be rather fascinating?

[finbar]

Monye at full back and Thompson starting hooker. Good grief.

[Havak]

You said it!

[Havak]

What a sensible chap!

"Australian Lote Tuqiri says Leicester Tigers' history and success were the factors which persuaded him to sign a short-term deal with the club, where he hopes to put his "baggage" behind him. "

Finbar did you hear any rumours as to why the ARU terminated his contract. The UK media keeps saying it cannot be reported for 'legal reasons'.

Okay I could Google it - but I suspect you already know the rumours?

[finbar]

A woman in his room at the team hotel. It's the reason why the ARU didn't make public the reason for the sacking - saving him embarrassment, presumably, given Lote's married with two kids - and said Lote could make it public if he wanted to. And he hasn't.

Unfortunately he had a history. Silly, juvenile stuff showing he lacked judgement. The silliest, showing the greatest lack of judgement, was when then Wallaby selector Michael O'Connor was on the phone to Lote while Lote was in the dressing room. O'Connor was talking to Lote about Peter Hewatt's - now with Irish - shortcomings as a player and why he wouldn't be a Wallaby. Hewatt was nearby. Lote decided to put his mobile on speaker phone for Hewatt - and everyone else - to hear all, causing Hewatt serious embarrassment. Caused a big stink. And why a selector was bagging another player to Lote behind the player's back was a very reasonable question.

The reality is that they were gunning for him. He had history, he had - and probably still has - attitude, and he was costing the ARU a fortune, and he was re-signed under the ARU regime prior to O'Neill's return. Lote's days were always numbered.