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'No disrespect' - The selection calls Lions standby Care just doesn't get
British & Irish Lions standby Danny Care has questioned Warren Gatland’s selections ahead of the third and deciding Test of the Lions series.
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The Lions go into the final game with the backs against the wall after a resounding 27 – 9 defeat to South Africa in the second Test. A big second-half display from the Springboks saw them home as the Lions struggled, conceding numerous turnovers and penalties in the last 30 minutes of the game.
Care – who was told before the tour that he was on standby after a brilliant end to his season at Harlequins- believes the exclusion of Jamie George and Owen Farrell makes no sense.
“I don’t get the team, I don’t understand a few things,” said Care on the BBC Rugby Union podcast this week. “I don’t understand how Jamie George hasn’t played a single minute in this Test series, it doesn’t make sense to me.
“The lineout hasn’t been firing at all and Jamie George is one of the best in the world at his throwing. I don’t get that.
“To leave Owen Farrell out, when you are going into a do-or-die game, I don’t get that.”
“That just screams to me they still don’t know what they are trying to do.
“Before the tour we spoke to Robbie Henshaw and he said ‘we’re going to play attacking rugby and Gregor Townsend is going to put his stamp on this tour.’
“We haven’t seen any of that the whole tour. It’s been kick, kick, set-piece to set-piece, back your defence and kick chase. They can’t do it better than South Africa but it still looks like they are not changing it.
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From a starter in all three games versus the All Blacks four years ago to holding a tackle bag on the training ground for the Test series in South Africa…#CastleLionsSeries #LionsTour2021 #LionsRugby
https://t.co/JK8IpCE2jQ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 4, 2021
“But if you are going to play that kicking game, play Murray and Farrell because they are the best nine and 10 to do it. Don’t play Ali Price and Dan Biggar because, no disrespect, they are not as good as the other two at playing that game.”
“I could be proven wrong but I don’t think this team beats South Africa on Saturday.”
Meanwhile former England winger Chris Ashton said that the loyalty to Biggar, while Stuart Hogg got dropped after the first two Tests was something of a double standard.
“One thing that struck me listening to Warren Gatland was about Stuart Hogg.
“He said he’d had two chances, two games under his belt, and it has not worked out effectively. I’m struggling to see the difference between Hogg and Dan Biggar in that situation. Why is it alright to take Hogg out but it’s not alright to take Biggar out? In such a key role, he’s had two shots at it.”
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Gatland had addressed the George non-selection saying it was hard on the Saracenes hooker.
“That has been a really tough call,” explained Gatland “I spoke to Jamie and he is really disappointed, gutted that he hasn’t had an opportunity. We just felt that the other two haven’t done anything wrong. Sometimes that is what happens and when you make calls it’s not about making a change for change’s sake or giving someone else a chance.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Probably the worst article on a rugby match I have ever read
198 Go to commentsWho hurt this man.. LoL 😭
198 Go to commentsIt unfortunate for the Jaguares that they became formidable just as super rugby as we knew came to an end. However, the idea of bringing them back is nonsensical. While I enjoyed the Jaguares and the South African flavour of the comp, a selling point of this incarnation of super rugby is that all games are on a decent time for an Aussie audience.
2 Go to commentslol that’s your opinion Ben, All Blacks benefited from a forward pass try, SA played 77 min without a recognised hooker, missed a no try conversion and a penalty could have would have but didn’t
198 Go to commentsBrett, from my distant perspective, I hope you get to keep the Rebels. Any ideas of teams from Japan or Argentina are just crazy. Won’t happen. If you look at logistics, it is much easier to get to LA from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney than to Buenos Aires. All with direct non-stop daily flights. You may even get some “gringos” to watch the games, with some younger players compared to Giteau and Nonu who still “play” in the area. I think it is virtually impossible to get a competitive Argie team for SR. All Pumas are in Europe, almost all second tier players are also in Europe. Fringe players are in South American pro rugby tournament (and many still in the MLR!) but these players who might be most interested in joining a new Jaguares do not have the skills to compete. As I have been saying since the Jaguares joined, they should have had TWO teams to make logistics for visiting teams better and Argie player development improved as well. Jaguares/Pumas was not ideal. But this is where Pichot and his cronies did not think long enough. Further the country with he new president “No hay Plata” Milei is in a very difficult situation. Galperin, the richest man in Argentina owns the Miami franchise of MLR. I don’t think you can get him to invest in Argentina. Actually, he played rugby himself. He was a fly half. He is worth around $6 billion!
2 Go to commentsWell done Baby Boks we will take the Draw. No 9 senseless long passes in those conditions. let’s move on and hope for some good weather
4 Go to commentsHow did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
4 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
198 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
198 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
198 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
5 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
5 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
4 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
198 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
198 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
198 Go to comments