The shock at taking a kick is mildly hilarious to NHA bit of a collectors item here - the Hurricanes take a shot at goal which Jordie Barrett misses to the left. 23-14 Lions 46 minutes in.
Yeah, that was a deserved yellow.Hurricanes no 13 sin binned for a high tackle. Lions 26-17 52 minutes in.
Henderson is now in the bin - he too could have no complaints.Yeah, that was a deserved yellow.
Henderson is standing out in this match.
Yeah, seems justified. I wonder if Joseph hadn't also lifted the other leg would it have been as dramatic.Henderson is now in the bin - he too could have no complaints.
Do Super Rugby teams drop at goal?It goes against what the Canes are about but maybe they ought to have looked to put over a drop goal to hit the front. Instead they knocked the ball on metres from the line after 22 phases.
3 and a half weeks ago, the Crusaders kicked a drop goal after full time to beat the Highlanders 25-22. Most Super Rugby sides would have seriously considered a drop goal but the Hurricanes prefer to win games scoring tries. Admirable but it possibly cost them victory.Do Super Rugby teams drop at goal?
Kieran Keane is going to fit in at Connacht then3 and a half weeks ago, the Crusaders kicked a drop goal after full time to beat the Highlanders 25-22. Most Super Rugby sides would have seriously considered a drop goal but the Hurricanes prefer to win games scoring tries. Admirable but it possibly cost them victory.
I think it will end 3-0 and still expect one game to be a hammering.The series will be such a let down if it's all over after two tests. I'll pick the All Blacks by 15 or so. Their record at Eden Park is imposing. Their record at Westpac Stadium in Wellington quite something too. Their first test at the "cake tin" was in 2000 and they've only twice at the ground. In 2000, the Wallabies beat them 24-23 when Jonathan Kaplan did the greatest thing he's ever done when he gave Australia a penalty after full time which John Eales converted to retain the Bledisloe Cup for Australia. England beat them 15-13 in 2003. They've had some close calls though - a 14-14 draw in 2009 vs France and a 14-10 win vs South Africa in 2014. Big task ahead for the Lions, not insurmountable but very difficult.
Yep. And POM dropping right out of the squad is cruel.How the hell is Wyn-Jones still in the team while Henderson doesn't even get a place on the bench? Also I'm sure SBW is looking forward to the prospect of smashing into Sexton and Farrell all game.
NZ will win this comfortably.
I really understand why O'Mahony is being made a scapegoat for the first test honestly. He had a good game, and the Lions were still in touch when he went off. Warburton hasn't shown any more on this tour yet Tipuric has and he isn't even on bench. With AWJ, well I was annoyed he was selected for 1st game, not only was he terrible in that and has now been picked for game 2. Itoje, Hendo and Lawes have all been excellent too. Kruis was poor too but he gets the hook while AWJ doesn't.Yep. And POM dropping right out of the squad is cruel.
Why doesn't Munster let him go straight away?Erasmus to leave in December.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2017/0630/886759-erasmus-to-leave-munster-in/
Surely going to be very disruptive to their season.
The IRFU put a 6-month release clause in their contracts. According to Pat Lam, it's meant to protect them if they need to get rid of a coach who's not performing (he saw it as a lack of trust), but now we've had Connacht's season massively disrupted when he had to announce he was leaving mid-season and Munster's will surely be disrupted in a similar way. Seems like a contractual mess.Why doesn't Munster let him go straight away?
Kings are doing better than expected in Super RugbyInteresting news for Pro12 South African teams Cheetahs and Southern Kings are set to join the Pro12 as early as September 2017.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/40448854
You've rightly been critical of the Bulls this season but they had a good win against the Sharks in Durban overnight and played pretty well in the process. Hopefully for the Bulls, this season ends up being a much wake up call about how far they've fallen since they last made the finals four years ago. They've brought John Mitchell in and hopefully that works out well.Kings are doing better than expected in Super Rugby
Decision to can them will not go down well.