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Lions defend Queenstown beers in build up to third Test

By Peteso Cannon
Instagram: Te’o relaxing with a beer

In the days after such a historic win, the Lions now look ahead to the unenviable task of taking on a wounded All Blacks side and returning to an Eden Park, where no visiting side has been victorious since 1994.

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One of the most fascinating aspects of the pre-match build up is getting a glimpse into the mindset of both camps and seeing their approach to such a momentous test.

The Lions are on a three day visit to Queenstown, where the only imposed sanction is that they are not permitted to go skiing.

Photo’s on social media show the team on jet boats, helicopter rides and even bungee jumping, which is sure to take one’s mind of the biggest game of your professional career, at least momentarily.

In one image Ben Te’o is pictured having a beer, relaxing in front of a majestic New Zealand back drop.

It all seems pretty relaxed, which has raised eyebrows within some camps, most notably perhaps from within the New Zealand squad.

All Black backrow Jerome Kaino told The Telegraph:

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“I’d rather be training, to be honest. Yeah, although jet boating in Queenstown does sound pretty good. I’m sure they’ve thrown some training in there somewhere, but hey, if that’s what they think will get the best out of their players, then good on them.”

The flanker went on to say that, “for us, we’ve got a lot of improvements to make in how we want to play in wide areas, so we’re just worried about what we’re going to do.”

With regards alcohol, it appears to be an individual based decision on whether it is or isn’t appropriate to have a drink, something Head of strength and conditioning Paul Stridgeon alluded to this week.

“The players made their own rules at the start in conjunction with the coaches. They have been very professional and are all very switched on.

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“We’ve not had to put a policy on the boys. We had a social night early on in the tour but that was very helpful for bonding.

“The tour has been very arduous for the boys. Every day off we’ve had, we’ve travelled. The boys haven’t had any proper days off, so it’s great to have the boys refreshed. The boys have been enjoying some activities, a bit of mental and physical recovery.

“We will start training on Wednesday to be ready to go for the weekend. It mirrors 2009 and 2013 when we had a recovery part for the start of the final week. That is our blueprint.”

The psychology behind the current approach is best illustrated by a decision made by Andy Farrell during the victorious 2013 Australia Tour.

Stridgeon recalls a moment directly after an emotionally and physically draining second test defeat: “They all wanted to train on the Monday, and he made a comment that if we’d done that we’d have played our Test match by Friday.

“It’s mental refreshment so we won’t have played our game too early. We know that the players have been on the season 11 months. We think we can negate the effects of the travel and intensity by having this week.”

There are clear differences in the preparations for Saturdays decider, and to someone outside the Lions camp it may appear that they are missing out on crucial preparation time. However, what it ultimately boils down to is that both sides are at different points in their season, with New Zealand’s’ players midway through their southern hemisphere campaign.

The Lions on the other hand are at the tail end of a long and grueling season. It isn’t a case of taking their foot off the gas, but allowing their players to mentally and physically recover for one final and gargantuan push in Eden Park.

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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