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British & Irish Lions player ratings vs Stormers | 2021 Lions series
The British & Irish Lions player ratings, brought to you by The Famous Grouse
An error-ridden first half and game opponents slowed down the Lions in the first half, but the Stormers eventually blew themselves out.
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15. STUART HOGG – 7.5
He brings an immediate bite to the Lions, with an ability to turn slow ball into an attacking opportunity within the space of three or four choppy strides. A couple of handling errors care of a greasy ball won’t help him in his bid to dislodge Liam Williams, who was sipping a beer in the stands. It’s a very tight call.
14. JOSH ADAMS – 7
The newly minted dad clattered himself early on when trying to field a high ball and coughed up a couple of turnovers in contact. Full of controlled aggression.
13. ELLIOT DALY – 7
A couple of unconvincing turns in defence, but his boot and ability to create continue to be his point of difference at 13. Gatland will be tempted.
12. ROBBIE HENSHAW – 7
Up against it to prove his form with so little game time on tour, Henshaw had a tidy first half, his short kicking in particular impressing. No real sign of ring rust, although he looked a little knackered coming off.
11. DUHAN VAN DER MERWE – 6.5
Didn’t see a huge amount of quality ball and was reasonably well marshaled when he did.
10. MARCUS SMITH – 7
The Stormers clearly wanted to get under the debutant’s skin, forcing errors out of the young Harlequins’ tyro on occasion. Looked to jouer more and more as the game broke up, showcasing the unique running threat he offers at stand-off.
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9. ALI PRICE – 7.5
A solid outing. He’s been the form nine on this tour and if he loses out to Conor Murray it won’t have been due to anything that has happened on the pitch in South Africa.
1. RORY SUTHERLAND – 7
It was a challenging day at the office at the setpiece for Sutherland, albeit against an oft illegal scrummager and slippy underfoot. Didn’t do his Test chances any damage though.
MIRACLE MAN:
The statistics showed that Jones made four metres from five carries, put in seven tackles, made two passes and gave three offloads on his miraculous Lions comeback#STOVBIL #LionsSA2021 #LionsRugby
https://t.co/QEXNfMoCDJ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 17, 2021
2. LUKE COWAN-DICKIE – 8.5
Harshly pinged for double movement for rolling toward the line for what looked like a good try. His ability to strip and pilfer ball is world-class and he was a huge problem in pretty much every facet of the game for the Stormers.
3. TADHG FURLONG – 7
Popped up for a couple of big defensive hits and broke the Stormers line on more than one occasion. Like Sutherland, he was tested at scrum time.
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4. ADAM BEARD – 8
A sumptuous line for his 27th-minute try, confounding critics of his loose play [this one included], and showed excellent catch and pass skills to put in his second-row teammate in a few minutes later. A spot on the replacements bench for the Test beckons.
5. JONNY HILL – 8
A big presence at the lineout, the hulking workhorse who has done very little wrong on tour and this was his best performance to date. Deserved his try.
Marcus Smith stole the show for the Lions in a dominant display against the DHL Stormers ? #LionsRugby #LionsSA2021 pic.twitter.com/3x8eziLFvN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 17, 2021
6. TADHG BEIRNE – 8
Another strong game from the Munsterman who combines back row size, turnover threat and a nose for the try line. A couple of loose moments here and there but you fancy he might just edge Lawes, who has strained his neck.
7. HAMISH WATSON – 7.5
Dominated every contact he was involved in and is a relentless source of go-forward ball every time he plays for the Lions.
8. JACK CONAN – 7.5
Continues to be excellent in an understated sort of way and took his try well. Gatland really is spoilt for choice at No.8.
REPLACEMENTS:
16. JAMIE GEORGE – 7
A tough act to follow when coming on for LCD, who played a blinder.
17. MAKO VUNIPOLA – 7
Went some way to addressing some previously misfiring on this tour.
18. ZANDER FAGERSON – 7
You feel he has never quite shown his excellent Scotland form in South Africa but there were some bright moments here, not least his try.
19. ALUN WYN JONES – 6
It was a strange decision to not start him and you could tell he was incredibly eager to make an impact when he did come on. Hard to glean too much from this outing, with the game already won when he came on.
20. SAM SIMMONDS – 7
Hasn’t lived up to massive pre-tour hype around his selection. How could he? Some solid carrying here but the Lions game isn’t built around his abilities in way it is in Exeter. Took his try well.
21. GARETH DAVIES – NA
22. CHRIS HARRIS – 7
Will Greenwood suggested Harris coming on for Henshaw might have been telling here. A solid outing for the find of the Lions tour.
23. LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT – 7
Took his try well after being put into space by Smith.
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Comments on RugbyPass
What was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
27 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
27 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
27 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to comments