Canada-14 Ireland-40

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WHAT GOES ON TOUR

This whole “analysing rugby online” craic is great, I love it.  But you probably know that, seeing as how I have a blog and all.

And it’s clear I’m not the only one who does it, judging by the other blogs, not to mention all the detailed comments that come pouring into all of them, and long may they continue.  It has to be good for the sport overall to have so many dedicated fans scrutinising the action picking up things that may have been missed (intentionally or not) by the pundits.

But sometimes we are reminded of the limits that must exist in our scope of examination.  And one of those reminders came during the week, when the IRFU received some complaints about the photos of the players enjoying themselves in Niagara Falls.  I had also seen a few “harrumphs” about the place concerning Paddy Jackson and Simon Zebo’s lip-sync rapping.

This is when we need to make it clear to those not so up to speed on the online world that not all of us are saddos with nothing better to do than give out about anything and everything.  Once in a while we can show that we are capable of appreciating the whole of what’s going on rather than the sum of its parts.

If you really wanted to, you could find much at fault with this Ireland performance.  Some of the selections didn’t seem to make sense, substitutions happened a lot later than they should, and most of all the Canadians had the lead as the final quarter got closer.

But then I remind myself of just how the past 12 months have gone for the Irish team.  It has been an unmitigated disaster.  You COULD go as far back as the defeat to Wales in the World Cup, but I’d rather focus on more recent times and my starting point of choice is the 60-0 drubbing in Hamilton. 

That plus the 2013 Six Nations campaign should serve as a major dose of perspective for anyone planning to pour cold water over two victories in North America, especially when the second was far more convincing than the first and ironed out many of its faults.

So with a Lions test series to look forward to, as in there will no doubt be much critique and analysis to come over the next few weeks, I am going to give an account of this test match which simply focuses on the seven tries.

1. TRIMBLE – In Houston one of Ireland’s biggest problems was our lineouts, in that we were making them far more complicated than they need have been.  I’m delighted to say that was sorted, and as a reward all of the first four tries came from them.  This first one was beautifully simplistic…lineout win, pass to Madigan, chop over the top of the onrushing defence, catch by McFadden deep in the 22, set up phases, ship it quickly out wide, finish by Trimble who still had much to do.  Perhaps a Lions call-up would have been a more just reward for the Ulster winger after a fine season, but it was reward nonetheless.
2. McFADDEN (1) – Not to be outdone by his opposite winger, the next time Fergus McFadden caught a kick from Madigan off a lineout it was his turn to beat a few defenders and dot down.  Sure, the positioning of the Canadian back three was awful but the finish still had to be applied.
3. ARDRON – We took our foot off the pedal a bit then and needed a wakeup call, thankfully the Candians supplied it.  Isaac Boss rolled the dice and lost with ref Leighton Hodges’ call of “use it” and before long we were defending on our own line where blindside Tyler Ardron (who must get a lot of “collider” jokes) crashed over to make Irish fans start to regret slagging their Welsh counterparts earlier that day over their defeat to Japan.
4. CAVE – Another routine lineout, only this time Madigan kept the ball on the ground and it was Kevin McLaughlin who made the clean break as Darren Cave was rewarded for his good support by getting his first international try.
5. McFADDEN (2) – The “bonus point” was secured after yes, another lineout win, followed by a few phases and then this time it was Dan Tuohy who did the “crashing through” (while clearly not appreciating the meaning of the term “hand-off” when faced by Canadian centre Ciaran Hearn) before offloading to Toner who in turn put in McFadden for his second.
6. O’DONNELL – Again we were a bit fortunate in that Paul Marshall’s ill-advised reverse scoop pass looked a tad forward but we’re here to focus on the positive and after a fine season despite Munster’s woes it was good to see Tommy O’Donnell get his own maiden test 5-pointer with a powerful finish.
7. McFADDEN (3) – I doubt there was an official “player of the tour” award but if there was, Fergus sealed it with this one.  After all the lineout success it was good to round things off with a try from a 5m scrum.  After O’Mahony was held up the first time, Marshall simply scooped it to his winger who completed his hat-trick by motoring for the corner at an angle past the weary home defence.  And to round off the tour perfectly, Paddy Jackson nailed the conversion from the touchline as coach Neil Doak looked on.  There must be something about having someone named Neil behind you for those kicks it seems!

So there we have it.  There was a bit of niggle in this match – O’Mahony may want to cool his jets as skipper but he will no doubt assume the role at Munster so he can work on that.  The Canadians gave it their best shot and congrats to James Pritchard for becoming their all-time leading scorer.

The off-the-field highlight of the match was the lads in the crowd with the t-shirts which had “the craic is mighty, just ask the mayor”.  THIS was the right way to approach this match, and I’m happy to say those lads were rewarded over 80 minutes by those out on the pitch.

The IRFU are taking steps to eradicate the disasters of the past 12 months, and given we got two victories on this tour we should see it as a positive and give the new coaching ticket some space for what promises to be a baptism of fire in November with the ever-improving Samoans up first before we face the two Bledisloe Cup rivals.

If Joe can bring a fraction of the success with him from Leinster to the Irish set-up, we keyboard warriors are going to have precious little to moan about. JLP

NSW Waratahs-17 Lions-47

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GATLAND’S GOGGLES

We have all offered our opinions about the lineup for next week’s first test over the past year or so…there may be one match left but it was this one in Sydney that was to provide the final clues.

And in the end, we may all be convinced that we know best but there’s a reason why Warren Gatland has been charged with the task…he has proven himself at the Welsh helm with Grand Slam titles in 2008, 2012, a championship in 2013 (yes I credit him for that even though he “wasn’t involved”) and a World Cup semifinal that could have been more.

So a writeup of this contest can’t be a traditional one.  Sure, it kicked-off, had some action then finished much as any other, but the composition of the matchday 23 from next week was always going to be the context.

What you see below is part what I would do, part what I believe Gatland will do regardless of what I think makes sense.  Still, even where I disagree with him, I retain a measure of respect for what he has achieved at the highest level and still I remain quietly confident going into the series.

15 LEIGH HALFPENNY – Has anyone checked Neil Jenkins for magical powers?  Is he reciting some kind of spell plucked from the library at Hogwarts as Halfpenny lines up his kicks?  The former Welsh legend even takes a couple of steps with the Cardiff Blue as he starts his run-up.  A bit spooky if you ask me, but who cares, it works.  The way these Lions are moving the ball quickly through the hands it doesn’t seem to matter where the tries are touched down, it should result in seven points. 

And just in case anyone has question marks about his general play, he helped himself to two tries here as well.  For someone that is hardly the most imposing back three player from a physical standpoint, he certainly knows how to make his presence known and has earned his place ahead of Kearney by a country mile, something I previously thought only Isa was capable of.

14 ALEX CUTHBERT – Simon Zebo gave a good account of himself overall, especially in the first half.  Unfortunately for him he needed to be absolutely perfect to claim a fairytale ticket into the test side, and with a toe scraping into touch in the first minute denying him a try and a bad error from a restart leading to the Tahs’s second on 45 minutes, I reckon he falls short.  Tommy Bowe is the right man for this jumper, but with him unavailable I reckon Cuthbert’s finishing power negates any defensive issues he may have.

13 BRIAN O’DRISCOLL – The true leader on this tour.  You think Warburton is going to have more influence than Heaslip did as captain with BOD on the park? It’s simply not possible.  And perhaps Andy Farrell will take the credit for any successes the Lions have on the defensive side in the test series, but you can be sure he’s counting on the Leinster man’s experience to keep the red wall solid.

12 JONATHAN DAVIES – Stephen Jones tweeted yesterday that the loss of Jamie Roberts is a series-changing savage blow.  I would agree if the good doctor was showing his 2009 Lions form, but he isn’t.  Just how many goes did it take in Sydney for him to find the right line that crashed through the Tahs defence?  Sure, once he managed it early in the second half, it led to a fine Halfpenny try but he has been poor by his own standards on this tour overall and in such an elite gathering, that should cost you no matter who you are.  Meanwhile Davies has put his hand up at every opportunity and would work well at 12 with BOD outside him.  With Cuthbert & North coming in off the wings the crash ball option is still there so I reckon “savage” was a tad over-dramatic.  Then again, the only thing about Jones that ever has me agreeing with him is the fact he’s a Spurs man, so I may be biased.

11 GEORGE NORTH – Mixed reports on his fitness.  I only choose to believe the ones that say he can play.  His loss WOULD be a savage blow in my book.  With all the troubles the Welsh had overcoming the Wallabies in recent times, having an even better group of players around would be enough for him to leave a big mark on this series.  Top of the wing pecking order before the squad got on the plane.  I will remain in denial that he is unavailable until the team is announced.

10 JONATHAN SEXTON – I wonder if O’Gara will stand behind him Jenkins-style when he kicks for Racing Métro?  Joking aside….having the kicking duties done by someone else can only help Sexton crack on with his true value to these Lions – quarterbacking the offence and keeping his channel firmly shut when the Wallabies have the ball.   All of the above were on display in abundance in Sydney.  And although the Tahs front row tried to rough him up I reckon he’s well able for it.  There are 240 minutes in the test series.  Sexton needs to be on the pitch for at very least 220 of them.

9 MIKE PHILLIPS – This wasn’t his best outing but players of his temperament are needed to front up to the expected southern-hemisphere intimidation.  Besides, our quick hands and crash ball options are bound to tempt the Wallaby defence away from the breakdown and he is just the man to exploit gaps around the fringes.

1 MAKO VUNIPOLA – Gets to the top of the loose head pecking order simply because he is “Church Lite”.  With Healy pencilled in from the start it makes sense to have a similar style of player in his stead, but Mako didn’t exactly set Sydney alight though then again none of the alternatives have.

2 RICHARD HIBBARD – With so many excellent lineout options available this should be an area the Lions can excel in…once they get the ball.  Rory Best getting the Tuesday captaincy was a much-deserved honour for him, but it also makes it pretty clear he won’t get near the test lineup once Hibbard and Youngs are fit, and it all comes back to the darts.  Anything a hooker offers in the loose should be considered a bonus to the coaching staff.  Aussie commentators for this match noted his locks wouldn’t be out of place on Bondi.

3 ADAM JONES – Offers everything you need from a test tighthead and so much more.  Maybe Jenkins could work his magic and have him kick a goal or two if needs be?  But I’ll settle for the scrum thing.

4 ALUN-WYN JONES – As much as I want to call myself a writer I find it hard to explain just why the AWJ/POC lock pairing works for the Lions.  It just does. 

5 PAUL O’CONNELL – The most amusing part of Sky’s presentation of the Waratahs match was their half-time montage of Sam Warburton’s “contribution” to the breakdown.  More on that later…but what they should have done is show what Paulie did.  A steal here, a jackle there – he had it stripped off him in contact at one stage but more than made up for it the rest of the match.  And what’s more, it turns out all that work with Rob Penney has made him a more than decent quick passer as well.  Much like O’Driscoll, it can’t be easy for Warburton to impose himself as leader with Paulie on the park.  But be there he must.

6 TOM CROFT – His lineout prowess and open-field running put him ahead of Lydiate for me.  Being English doesn’t hurt either…they surely have to have a starter or two, right?  I would love to see Sean O’Brien running at these Wallabies from the word go but I very much doubt that will happen.

7 SAM WARBURTON – Wasn’t awful in Sydney.  A better option than Tipuric though?  I couldn’t see it.  But watching Sky big him up at half-time told me resistance must be futile.  We see one thing on the pitch yet get told another.  I have absolutely nothing against Sam, he’s a fine player.  But he’ll be 28 in 2017 and that’s a much better age for a Lions skipper; he’d have been better served carrying out the stuffed toy for the midweek games this time around.

8 JAMIE HEASLIP – I do my level best to hold back when I see what I consider ridiculous opinion on the net, but I have to say I am getting increasingly sick of the Jamie-haters.  I get it…if you don’t like his personality, fine.  But people actually said he was “rubbish” against the Waratahs.  Really? I fully admit he let one ball get by him on an attacking scrum (and Stu Barnes went to great lengths to make sure we didn’t miss it).  But does that negate all the times he HAS controlled it?  All the breakdown work?  All the tackles?  All the marauding runs?  All the lineouts caught?  Accuse me of Leinster goggle-wearing and I’ll remind you what the province achieved in May.  It’s now only June.  Jamie’s overall form means he deserves the 8 jumper more than Faletau.

REPLACEMENTS

16 TOM YOUNGS – Already explained why he makes my mostly-English bench ahead of Rory.

17 ALEX CORBISIERO – Would have Ryan Grant here if he had been summonsed before Alex as he should have been. 

18 DAN COLE – Better option than Stevens.  By a lot.  Are either of them better than Ross?  Well that only leads me back to my blue goggles argument and I’m saving that for a different sub.

19 GEOFF PARLING – Pinched a lineout in Sydney.  Good enough for me.  Evans and Gray haven’t showed enough on tour for my liking.

20 SEAN O’BRIEN – Tipuric, Lydiate and Faletau are all strong contenders for this role, but again I play the “Leinster trophy-winning form” card.  Seanie can play 6, 7 and 8 with ease and needs a mare in Canberra to knock himself off my bench.

21 BEN YOUNGS – I previously had Murray here for “Phillips Lite” reasons but I have been won over by Youngs on the tour.  More mischievous around the breakdown, just what could be needed in the closing stages.

22 OWEN FARRELL – I feel about this guy what many seem to feel about Heaslip.  I don’t like his personality so that feeling can cloud my assessment of his talent.  But his temperament is a major problem.  The earlier he comes on, the more chance the Wallabies will have to rattle him, and we all know they will try.

23 STUART HOGG – The term “token Scot” is highly insulting I know, but in this lineup seeing Hogg’s name at 23 certainly makes it look like that doesn’t it?  But for me he has shown enough on the tour to show he can do a job despite being the baby of the group (age-wise, I mean, number 22 has the honour when it comes to actions).   Maitland has improved since the Barbarians match and Kearney and Zebo have shouts here too, but I’m going with Hogg.

Of course it would be unfair to the Tahs to ignore them in a match writeup.  They took their two tries well and there were some impressive displays from the likes of Drew Mitchell, aplus Michael Cheika seems to have some prospects for the future like lock Will Skelton.  And I can’t really blame them for the rough-stuff from their front row…this was another below-Super-Rugby-level strength selection so they had do something to make it a contest.

But however you try to hype the warm-up matches, they are just that, and the real stuff starts next Saturday morning Irish time. 

My superstitious nature prevents me from predicting a whitewash.  I think all three tests will be close, but I also think the Lions have enough weapons at their disposal, even with all the injuries, to stay ahead of their hosts – though a bounce of the ball or a dodgy call could make a difference.  The bookies give the Lions a 3-point edge in the first test; I reckon that could be about right, though we’ll see who is left standing after the Brumbies!

All we can do now is count down the days.  Whatever colour goggles we tend to wear though, only Warren’s will matter. JLP

Note – Canada v Ireland writeup will publish Tuesday morning.

Combined NSW-QLD Country-0 Lions-64

POINTLESS

Existentialism isn’t often the topic du jour after a topflight rugby “battle”, but this one definitely had an air of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” about it.

As it was played, there were many on social media going to great lengths to point out the immense importance of bringing the Richie Grays and the Dan Coles to Newcastle (see what I did there?), citing several reasons…

1. Rugby Union is struggling in the region and needs a boost, and since the Lions are guests they need to respect the wishes of their host.
2. It’s a good workout for the squad.
3. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for club players to take the field alongside the likes of BOD.
4. It’s part of a Lions Tour tradition.

Since it is so easy to counter those arguments…

1. Why don’t touring sides who come to Ireland turn out in non-rugby hotbeds like Kilkenny?
2. An open training session is also a good workout and doesn’t risk injury anywhere near as much as a full-contact match.
3. There’s a reason these players don’t take the field with the likes of BOD – they’re not good enough.  If you must play a match to leave a legacy in the region, why not make it a contest and play a team like a Pacific Island XV?
4. Don’t start me on the wisdom of doing things a certain way simply because it has always been thus!

…I have to assume any objectors were effectively being told to shut up accept the square peg being shoved through a round hole.

But hey – I’m a Leinster & Ireland rugby fan, and this was a match my guys featured heavily in, so although I had a few doubts, it wasn’t as though I planned to boycott it or anything.  Besides…if I think too much about the relevance of this one game, it sets me on a road that leads me to question the 2013 tour itself and now it’s in full swing, THAT would definitely be pointless, at least at this stage.

So if we accept that this battle had to happen, did we learn anything from it? We most certainly did, though I’m not so sure the Lions management would be thrilled about it.

For his second outing in a row Sean O’Brien did more than just “make a statement” of his suitability for test recognition…he roared it directly into Warren Gatland’s ear and definitely put the Lions supremo’s Spring assertion that the squad captain wasn’t guaranteed a test start under scrutiny.

Sure, the opposition wasn’t ideal compared to that which Warburton faced on Saturday, but you can only play what’s in front of you and I can’t find a valid reason to select him ahead of any of the three back-rowers who started in Newcastle.

Justin Tipuric is another one who had a fine outing and will continue to give Gatland selection headaches when this tour is over and the full Welsh squad re-assembles in November.  A master of body position and a McCaw-like  commander of the breakdown area – surely an elite outfit like the Lions can’t be expected to hang around and wait for Warburton to reach full fitness when the Ospreys man as available?

Then there’s Heaslip.  Perhaps he didn’t provide the yardage like in Perth but he did display once more his neat footwork holding the ball at the back of the scrum on more than one occasion, a skill that doesn’t need the quality of opponent taken into account for judgement and one that Faletau has had issues with.

So my question is this…if this match was indeed so important, will the coaching staff judge the good performances accordingly?  They’re not the noises I’m hearing from the press conferences.  It’s as though the fact the team took the foot off the pedal in the second half is being used as an excuse to tar the entire 23 with the same brush and the only “real” evaluation will begin next Saturday in Sydney.

Now I’m not suggesting that things were perfect by a long stretch.  The 38-0 halftime lead could easily been more than doubled by an array of talent such as this.  Dr Jamie Roberts in particular didn’t seem up for the contest, although I’d be inclined to liken him to a brain surgeon being asked to perform a routine appendectomy – he’ll be up to the task when the Wallabies come a-knockin.

Despite his shortcomings, the 11-14 combination were virtually unstoppable in the first half and it was as fine a display of decoy running, quick passing, line running and out and out pace as you’re likely to see.  And they were ably supported by the Scottish internationals Hogg at 10 and Maitland at 15, though not enough to push into the test XV.

Halfpenny may have missed one conversion but was still able to get his mojo back and ended the game with yet another sweet strike from out wide and thus should top the placekicking pecking order IMO.

As for the Lions tailing off in the second term, I have to ask – can you REALLY blame them?  Do we need to scrutinize every action of the final quarter when the result was done and dusted and they had to be more concerned about getting injured and missing the games that really do matter?

Not that Brian O’Driscoll fell into this category…I cringed when I saw him slide into a challenge in an attempt to hack the ball forward – fair play for his efforts to keep the scoreboard moving but from that moment his cautious steps around the pitch were a major concern.

But whatever about the justification of this match, it was pointless in one way, for although they came close on occasion and I’m sure Steve “Pretty Boy” Walsh would have given them a break if he could, the “country boys” were unable to trouble the scorers and the touring squad now moves on down the New South Wales coast to meet Michael Cheika’s Waratahs.

As for the legacy left by this encounter, all we can do is wait.  That, and expect tour organisers to be a little more creative when it comes to naming rugby teams. JLP

My test matchday 23 as it stands (players with a chance of pushing for a spot in brackets)

Halfpenny, Cuthbert (Zebo), O’Driscoll, Roberts, North, Sexton, Phillips.  Vunipola, Hibbard, Adam Jones, O’Connell, AW Jones, Warburton (c)*, O’Brien, Heaslip.  BENCH :  T Youngs, Corbisero (Grant), Cole, Parling, Tipuric, Murray (B Youngs), Farrell, Hogg.

* – needs to play out of his skin on Saturday to stay there

USA-12 IRELAND-15

SNOOZE-TON

Normally I would find much comedy to be had watching American commentators going to work on a rugby match…and when NBC’s duo said things like “Irish captain Peter O’Mannohy” or referred to the “Rabo Pro Direct” I was tempted to make this entire write up about it as there was precious little else of interest to report.

But however little grounding these guys had in the sport, even THEY could tell early on just how bad the referee Francisco Pestrana was – the match never had a hope of providing entertainment with this guy holding the whistle.

I try to give officials the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the odd missed forward pass or knockon, but for me it’s at breakdowns and scrums where they come in to their own – and if they are allowed to ref the “elite” nations, the IRB should expect nothing but pure consistency, and sadly it was greatly lacking in Houston.

Whatever choice of words they settle on to call a scrum bind, their purpose is not to make it a game of “Simon says” in that you’re trying to catch out the front rows…the purpose is to allow them to get a clean hit so we get on with the frickin game.   Pestrana seemed to take it on himself to re-introduce the “pause” without actually saying the word, thus virtually inviting the props to infringe.

This was one of the main reasons Ireland didn’t manage a try from this match, but it most certainly wasn’t the only one…we were masters of our own downfall in other areas.  First and foremost of these was the lineout, and as Joe Schmidt takes the reins this HAS to be towards the top of his list for sorting.

Again the US commentators were quick on the uptake : “Why not just throw it to the tall guy?” Richardt Strauss was off with many of his darts but I feel our problem goes deeper than that…we are trying too hard to complicate things, and in key attacking situations we opt for a set play that practically involves the forwards performing Riverdance before the ball is thrown in.  Why NOT just throw it to the tall guy?

So this, together with knockons, occasionally good US defence but more often than not outright cheating by the home side without the ball, meant that Ireland’s efforts as an attacking force were stifled for the entire 80 minutes and the 5-pointers were simply not there to found.

Still though, there were a good few positives.  Stuart Olding played an awesome 12…never mind the dilemma he will now pose Joe Schmidt when Luke Marshall gets back into contention, I’m sure Mark Anscombe will be scratching his head as well.  He and Darren Cave were at the heart of a typically resolute Irish defence who guaranteed the Eagles were never going to threaten our line.

Ian Madigan did what he could to get the offence going but as I said, when space was created by him it was usually thwarted somehow.  His placekicking return was solid, only missing one right at the end, and overall should be pleased with his first outing at 10.  Given that he played a full 80 I can only assume Paddy Jackson will do likewise against Canada.

On the negative side for Ireland, it wasn’t the best debut for Robbie Henshaw but he has a bucket-load of time on his side and you can be sure he won’t stray off of Schmidt’s radar.

As for Simon Zebo, well you can be sure his Lions call-up wasn’t based on this performance, but he’s exactly the sort of player who can do well on the highest stage so here’s hoping he makes the most of this opportunity.

The biggest disappointment for me was Devin Toner.  Missed some key tackles, lost the ball when taking it into contact much as he did in the Pro12 final, in general creating many question marks for himself over whether he belongs at this level.   His lineout & restart catching is indeed a handy string to the bow, but you need more from your number 5 at the test grade.

Of course mentioning Toner leads me to the game’s biggest SNAFU, as in USA captain Todd Clever’s tackle.  To be fair on the ref, it wasn’t his fault his earpiece wasn’t working to communicate with the TMO, but if you want a definitive example of a tip-tackle, Clever did it.  It was never going to injure the player, but it certainly ticked all the boxes in terms of lifting above the horizontal.  And what’s more, it happened right in front of the ref.  I know he was actually binned, but it wasn’t for that, rather a high tackle afterwards.

Not that Ireland were able to capitalize on the extra man of course, but there were plenty of cases in the first half when the yellow could have been shown as the American back row, all of whom have played at the highest club level, seemed to engage in a free-for-all at the breakdown.

When he was on the pitch, Clever at least tried to live up to his name when it came to dealing with the ref, even if he wasn’t for listening.  Peter O’Mannohy, on the other hand, while good in general play around the pitch, needs to be more assertive if he is to retain the armband – it’s quite likely he will assume the provincial mantle from Howlett so he has plenty of time to work on it.

So a tour win for Ireland, but definitely not an ideal example to help grow the game in the US.  I have a feeling the Samu Manoa hit on POM will be the only “highlight” to endure from this contest, even if it doesn’t count for me as the Irish skipper successfully retained possession.

The lads now move on to Toronto…a win & improved lineouts would do for me. Well that and a different man in the middle of course.  JLP

Queensland Reds-12 Lions-22

THE RED WETTING

Forgive me for the Game of Thrones reference in my title for this piece, but I’m still in shock from the last episode despite all the not-so-subtle hints & warnings by those who had read the books. 

Given the predominant colour for both of these teams plus the Rains of Queensland in second half I figure I just about get away with it.

Besides…there’s enough soldiers under the Lion banner falling by the wayside in recent weeks that you’d swear the script was being written by George RR Martin himself!

Lions Tours are like World Cups in many ways…we wait in eager anticipation for months leading up to them, which leads us to write bucket loads of copy about the first game or two, yet those early contests are but dots to the memory by the time the tour is over.  Well after all the consternation about both the Heat in Hong Kong and the Paltry Pickings in Perth, we have already had a contest to help us forget them.

The Reds are actually my adopted team in Super Rugby, a choice inspired first by their visit to Donnybrook in 2008 and then having followed their march to the title in 2011.  Unlike most other franchises in the southern hemisphere competition there is a clear sense of pride in those who wear the jersey whether they be on the pitch or in the crowd, and you always knew they were going to be well up for this contest even before you factored in the wily coaching talents of Ewan “Link” McKenzie.

For even though they were denied the immense talents of Horwill, Ioane, Gill and of course Genia, right from the very kickoff you could see the desire in the team as well as those very star players looking on from the dugout…an early knock-on by Beau Robinson led to a camera shot of Liam Gill screaming in frustration.

One thing that showed the home side’s intentions was just how early both sets of wingers were involved in the action.  Back in the day when I played I used to be annoyed when I walked off the pitch with my fellow forwards caked head to toe in muck while at least one of the starting wingers would have kit worthy of an ad for Persil.  Not so at the Suncorp.

Tommy Bowe did an uncharacteristic high tackle deep in the Reds 22 in the opening minute and although 99% of outhalves would have been happy to take the clearing penalty kick to touch at that stage, in this case we were talking about the less than 1% represented by Mr Quade Cooper who chose to run…and to his credit, it wasn’t long before the other Lions winger Alex Cuthbert was being put under pressure by his opposite number Luke Morahan before the Robinson knock-on I mentioned earlier halted the Queensland march down the field.

But this was only the first in a series of impressive possessions from the Reds as they did absolutely everything they could to keep the open play going, as this was the only way they felt confident of scoring, and on 17 minutes that confidence was justified by one of the tries of the year from Morahan who had a blinder of a first half.

Maybe there was a bit of a bump on Cuthbert by Reds full back Ben Lucas to give Morahan the space he needed to begin his run but he still had a hell of a lot of work to do in wading through the Lions defence, chipping ahead and then touching down in superb fashion.  There were certainly no complaints from me, it was a spectacular score.

And although Morahan was taken off early in the second half, his replacement Shipperly picked up where he left off and not to be outdone on the other side of the pitch it was “Hot” Rod Davies who made the break letting in scrum-half Nick Frisby for their second try as they were rightly rewarded for their free-style approach.

There were even more wingers to be involved in the action…though George North came on for centre Tuilagi he immediately imposed himself on the play and firmly planted himself at the top of the test pecking order for the wide positions.  Not far behind him was Bowe, though his hand injury may put paid to that…it will be interesting to see if Simon Zebo can make an immediate impact because there could well be a spot for the taking ahead of Maitland and Cuthbert.

So throughout the contest we could admire the Reds’ approach - however, there was a reason they craved the open-field play so much, that being the non-existence of their set-pieces.  Being a side crafted from the union of four nations as the Lions are, it was always crucial that their set-piece units gelled quickly, and they already seem to be hitting their stride in those areas.

Lineouts were pilfered, restarts were claimed and penalties were won at scrums countless times by the tourists throughout the contest – in fact their only try came after a Reds scrum in their own 22 when a good strip & follow-up allowed Ben Youngs to touch down.  This plus the kicking boots of Owen Farrell were enough to keep the home side at bay but with some better placekicking by Messrs Cooper and Harris it could have been a lot closer.

On the subject of Farrell, again his calmness with the tee cannot be questioned but I still have many, many reservations about his temperament for the rest of the action.  He had a couple of good touches and tackles it’s true but then again he also over-ran a kick chase to be easily sidestepped and then towards the end was very lucky not to get another slap to the head from Reds hooker James Hanson after he got involved with him in a meaningless ruck with the result decided.  Not what you need in the final quarter of a deciding 3rd test I’d wager.

Another area of concern was the back row.  This is the one area where I feel Warren Gatland would wish to ignore any desire he may have not to appear biased, and this Lydiate/Warburton/Faletau trio could well start the first test.

But although Lydiate put himself about and made some tackles & steals, the squad captain Warburton was relatively invisible throughout…true, he is just back from injury, but given the form of Sean O’Brien I’d only be happy with Warbs making the test start if he has at least one stand out performance between now and then, and games are running out.

As for Faletau, well again he had some carries but once more was lacking at the back of the scrum and green goggles be-damned, Heaslip deserves the 8 jumper more right now.   The Reds were running rampant at the breakdown Saturday and in the likes of Liam Gill they have much better talent in that area, let alone the Wallabies as a whole.

Another to impress me was Geoff Parling, so much so that he pips Richie Gray to my bench for the first test.  He played with the “Lion” attitude much more than the Scot and was responsible for much of the lineout thievery.

One Scotsman who did impress was Stuart Hogg.  I bet he’s kicking himself for one knock-on in the second half but overall his play was confident and often clinical.  He now has my 23 test jumper since Halfpenny can move to the wing if needed. 

Cuthbert despite his defensive issues is a powerful finisher and a great go-to guy with the extra man and I feel the Wallabies may attract a card or two in the series so he just about retains a starting role in my team, but only because of the terribly unfortunate Bowe injury.

A couple of Irish subs made good cameos…Sexton was called into the action probably earlier than planned and although the Sky commentators somehow didn’t notice, made more than one crucial tackle as the Reds pressed to close the gap in the final quarter.

But with the clock ticking down the Lions held on to their seven-point lead, and although the Reds will consider themselves unlucky for a forward pass to be called on Quade Cooper in his own 22 late on (given his involvement you couldn’t rule out a try could have resulted even from that deep!), it took a superb piece of Paul O’Connell jackling to earn the penalty that put the score beyond reach.

So full credit to the Reds and their fanatical support…I have to admit at one stage I had visions of Brisbane playwrights penning their own answer to “Alone It Stands”, but in the end the Lions were good enough to prevail and overall things are looking good as the first test draws nearer.

Let’s just hope Ser Gatland won’t need to dispatch any more ravens seeking replacements in the coming weeks.  JLP

My test matchday 23 as it stands (players with a chance of pushing for a spot in brackets)

Halfpenny, Cuthbert (Zebo), O’Driscoll, Roberts, North, Sexton, Phillips.  Vunipola, Hibbard, Adam Jones, O’Connell, AW Jones, Croft (Lydiate), Warburton (c), Heaslip.  BENCH :  T Youngs (Best), Corbisero (Grant), Cole, Parling, O’Brien, Murray (B Youngs), Farrell, Hogg.

PS - My writeup of USA v Ireland will post Tuesday.