The Lions take each other on tonight; no it’s not a pub brawl between a bunch of guys from the same team.
After last weekend’s wake-up call, almost suffering a defeat at what was for all intents and purposes a Griquas team the British & Irish Lions will have realized that this trip to South Africa is going to be anything but a doddle.
The Golden Lions have had a little of their own turmoil in the buildup to this match with their coach being fired and a subsequent player strike being averted, only for Earl Rose to be pulled from the bench on the insistence of the Springbok coach.
Will the British & Irish Lions lift their game to the intensity requested by their forwards coach?
Or will the Golden Lions show that a S14 side from the lower half of the log is too much of a match for pasty legs?
Venue: CocaCola Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 19:10 Local Time
Referee: Craig Joubert
ARs: Wayne Barnes (England), Marius Jonker
TMO: Johann Meuwesen
Golden Lions:
15 Louis Ludik, 14 Michael Killian, 13 Jannie Boshoff, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Dusty Noble, 10 André Pretorius, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Brad Mockford, 3 Gert Muller, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Lawrence Sephaka.
Replacements:
16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Ernst Joubert, 19 Todd Clever, 20 Chris Jonck, 21 Walter Venter, 22 Shandré Frolick.
British and Irish Lions:
15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O’Driscoll (captain), 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:
16 Ross Ford, 17 Euan Murray, 18 Stephen Ferris, 19 Andy Powell, 20 Harry Ellis, 21 James Hook, 22 Shane Williams.
Tweet
GO GOLDEN LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will be missing the game, but the recorder WILL be set.
i hope my SB pick will be more spot on this time round 😀 and they still havent sorted out their scores 👿 Go Golden Lions!!
Go Earl Rose!!!
Oops, he is not playing!!! 😳
@KSA Shark © (Comment 2) : wonderful thing it is, a recorder 😆 i cant live without mine
I’m just watching this game to hear a gesuipte Hugh Bladen trying to commentate on the Lions v Lions.
This is going to be a tough one to call.
I will not be logging in until after I have watched the game later tonight.
Lions !!!!!
😎
WooHoo Federer through to the semi – finals
lower half of the log is too much of a match for pasty legs?
😆 pasty
From the 97 game against the B&I Lions Ellis park was packed.
Tonights game the crowd is extremely poor.
All the more reason to build a staduim somewhere else.
Lions 3-32 Lions 😆
This is a bit too easy for the BandI Lions.
Frolick try
the Lions had better start fighting back
and as i say that Roberts scores his 2nd try
The Golden Lions have been ABJECT…first time tackling non-existent!!
The injury to Louis Ludik looked extremely serious..really bad news!
is it halftime yet??
Halftime
Golden Lions 10-39 B&I Lions
This Lions backline is terrible. Not even trying to tackle!
And another try from the B&I Lions. Excellent handling. Hope PDV is watching….because if he picks a lightweight backline, these guys will give the Boks a hard time
geez the xerox lions suck, not good for my SB 😡
and Bowe scores his 2nd try of the game.
10-51
and Monye scores his 2nd
as im not watching the game, im wondering, does the xerox lions really suck or is this b&i lions backline really good 😈
lions 10-67 LIONS
the xerox lions did strike 😯
Fulltime
Xerox Lions 10 – 74 B&I Lions
@JarsonX (Comment 26) : Both. The B&I backline is decent….but the Golden Lions made it easy for them by deciding not to tackle.
The most impressive feature of the B&I Lions play was their understanding. Guys would often throw a pass without looking and someone was there to take it!
@JarsonX (Comment 28) :
Bwhahahahahahhaha
What is the use of setting the DVD recorder if the channel has lost it’s signal. 👿
What do i do with 2 hours of “This channel is scrambled” displayed on a DVD? 😛 😳
impressive performance from one set of Lions!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 32) : 😆 get a dvd recorder with a hdd then you can just delete it
@JarsonX (Comment 34) :
erasing the DVD is not a problem, 😛 it’s not being able to watch the lions game that winds me up. 👿
I’m off to bed. My weekend has started.
@Villie (Comment 17) :
Rose would have fitted in pretty well then. 😉
While on that subject. It’s a good thing he was pulled from the bench. This result would have damaged any bit of support that he has left.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 36) : The injury to Ludik disrupted them and it was also one of those nights where everything the B&I Lions tried worked.
Nevertheless they were very impressive. Didn’t show any weaknesses!
i was at the coke tin for this game, B&I lions had great support play and golden lions defense patterns were just not up to it, and in my mind tonight’s centre pairing of roberts and 0’driscoll might just be the test starting center pair for the B&I lions
@war1 (Comment 38) : Might be? Put your money on it…there is no other option unless either get injured.
There are a few “definites” for the Test team, these are: O’Driscoll, Jamie Roberts, Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips, Paul O’Connell and Tommy Bowe.
Stephen Jones may get the nod ahead of O’Gara because of his partnership with Phillips.
Alun-Wyn Jones and Tom Croft staked big claims this evening.
@Villie (Comment 39) : BOD was always a certainty, and i think roberts really put his case forward after tonight’s game, broke the line at will, altough against a very average defense,and tom croft showed his pace tonight, cant believe he was not in the original touring squad, also would you not put shane williams on that list?
@Villie (Comment 39) : and also anything can happen in the games leading up to the tests, some guys really putting their hands up, and also injuries . . .
all right, good night all
Well that will teach them for wanting to be hard arsed and play Rose on the bench.
The one player who can actually make things happen was initially left on the bench and looks what the result was.
Just having a look at the Lions backline again… WTF??
No wonder they are useless!!
Jannie Boshoff?? Doppies le Grange??
Sicknote Pretorius??
And don’t get me started on Dusty Noble!! bwahahahahaa
Take a bow Jake White and the Golden Lions management – thats what you get for shafting the coach 10 days before the biggest game of the year for these guys.
NAFI verby.
Now, from today, would have been the time to start with your rebuilding plan.
@war1 (Comment 40) : No I wouldn’t put Shane Williams as a certaintly. A year ago yes, but he’s not been on top of his game this season. I think he is likely to make it but not a cert. Tommy Bowe is a cert for the right wing…so it comes down to Shane Williams or Ugo Monye or even Luke Fitzgerald
@Villie (Comment 46) : waddabout Halfcent?
Is Walter still about???
Poor oke.
@klempie (Comment 47) : Yeah forgot about him..he’s just arrived. He may have a shot because he’s an additional goalkicker