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Post by DixonHill on Jun 8, 2005 17:51:24 GMT -5
cheers Morning Glory. forgot to do it.
Taranaki 14-36 Lions
The Lions subdued a dogged Taranaki to ease away to an ultimately comfortable victory in the second match of their New Zealand tour.
After trailing 7-6 at the interval to Chris Masoe's try, the visitors scored four of their own in the second half.
Captain Martin Corry, wing Shane Horgan and full-back Geordan Murphy, with two, all crossed the Taranaki line.
Fly-half Charlie Hodgson, who enjoyed a superb match, kicked 16 points to rub in the tourists' second-half dominance.
Taranaki replacement Brendon Watt powered through some tired tackling in injury-time for a consolation score, but by then the Lions had the match won.
Hodgson enjoyed a central role, staking his own claim for a Test spot with an accomplished all-round display.
Scrum-half Chris Cusiter, one wild pass aside, also impressed, while Michael Owen and Murphy furthered their claims.
Buoyed by a superb early touch-finder, Hodgson's tactical kicking was spot on.
His cross-kick to Horgan almost brought the opening try after nine minutes, only for the big wing's pass to Murphy to be adjudged forward.
An exact replica of the move brought the final Lions try five minutes from time, this time Murphy judging his run to perfection.
Owen played like a man who knew a Test spot was up for grabs in the wake of Lawrence Dallaglio's tour-ending injury.
The Welsh number eight started with a couple of half-breaks down the short side and his quick thinking and smart passing were prominent throughout.
It was 19 minutes before Hodgson opened the scoring with a penalty after his own break down the left led to Taranaki skipper Paul Tito infringing at a ruck.
A pop-up pass from Owen then started a dazzling counter-attack in which the back row and back three were all involved, before hooker Andy Titterrell knocked on in the tackle.
But minor errors hampered the Lions as Danny Grewcock gave away a penalty and Titterell's line-out throw went askew.
They appeared to have withstood a prolonged period of pressure by turning the ball over, only for Cusiter to send a pass high over Hodgson's head and over the dead-ball line.
That gave Taranaki a five-metre scrum, from which flanker Masoe dived over on the Lions side to pounce for the try which put the hosts ahead, Sam Young converting.
Hodgson pulled three points back with a second penalty, Taranaki lock Scott Breman fortunate to escape censure after a neck-high tackle on Cusiter as he tried to take a quick tap.
But the Lions still trailed at the interval, and looked vulnerable as Taranaki started the second half with a bang.
But a fumbled pass in defence after 47 minutes allowed the Lions to respond, Cusiter and Hodgson combining to send Corry sliding over in the right corner, the try awarded after reference to the video referee.
Hodgson narrowly missed the conversion from the touchline, but knocked over two more penalties before the hour to give the Lions a 10-point cushion at 17-7.
The second came after Taranaki hooker Andrew Hore was sin-binned for the home side's persistent offending.
Will Greenwood might have scored after 62 minutes when he charged down Young's clearing kick, but the ball spun away from him over the line.
But the England centre's burst moments later set up the position from which Murphy superbly conjured space for Horgan to score in the corner.
Hodgson's conversion effectively ended the contest at 24-7, and when Owen sent Murphy over for the first of his brace with nine minutes left, the Lions could finally relax.
Taranaki (7) 14
Tries: Masoe, Watt
Cons: Young 2
Lions (6) 36
Tries: Corry, Horgan, Murphy 2
Cons: Hodgson 2
Pens: Hodgson 4
Taranaki: S Ireland; S Tagicakibau, M Stewart, M Lifeimi, C Woods; S Young, C Fevre; T Penn, A Hore, G Slater, P Tito (capt), S Breman, J Willis, C Masoe, T Soqeta.
Replacements: P Mitchell, H Mitchell, J Eaton, R Bryant, M Harvey, B Watt, J King.
Lions: G Murphy; S Horgan, W Greenwood, O Smith, D Hickie; C Hodgson, C Cusiter; G Rowntree, A Titterrell, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, D Grewcock, M Corry (capt), L Moody, M Owen.
Replacements: S Byrne, G Jenkins, B Kay, M Williams, G Cooper, J Wilkinson, G Henson.
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Post by DixonHill on Jun 10, 2005 6:06:27 GMT -5
bbc.co.uk/sport
Jones wins Lions call-up as cover
Wales back-rower Ryan Jones has been called up by the Lions after further injury worries over Simon Taylor.
The 25-year-old Scot was withdrawn from the game with New Zealand Maori after fresh concerns over his left hamstring, Mike Owen stepping up from the bench.
Taylor will stay on tour, but there are doubts about his future participation.
With Lawrence Dallaglio out injured and Owen flying home Sunday for the birth of his child, Jones has been called from Wales' tour of North America.
The Newport-born Ospreys forward impressed in the 77-3 win over the USA last week and was due to start against Canada on Saturday, but he has now been withdrawn from that match.
Jones has had a rapid rise to prominence since winning a surprise call-up to Wales' squad for last autumn's internationals, and played an important role in the Grand Slam campaign.
"Obviously Simon's discomfort is causing us some concern, but we are still hopeful that he will be able to work through it and contend for a Test spot," said Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward.
"In the meantime we are adding Ryan to the touring party and I offer my congratulations to him.
"He has had a good season with Wales, he has made an impact on the international scene very quickly and we look forward to him joining us next week."
The latest injury news is a big blow for Taylor, though, who flew home from the 2001 Lions tour to Australia because of injury after one brief appearance.
A team spokesman said Taylor was withdrawn "as a precaution" and that he will undergo further assessment in the next few days.
However, he is running out of time to stake his claim for a place in the squad for the first Test against New Zealand on 25 June.
With Owen making his second successive tour start on Saturday in place of Taylor, Simon Easterby comes onto the bench.
The Scarlets and Ireland forward only joined the tour party this week as Dallaglio's replacement.
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Post by DixonHill on Jun 10, 2005 7:56:29 GMT -5
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Post by DixonHill on Jun 11, 2005 5:35:54 GMT -5
bbc.co.uk/sport
NZ Maori 19-13 Lions
The Lions slumped to their first-ever defeat to the New Zealand Maori in their third tour match in Hamilton.
A late Brian O'Driscoll try was not enough to save the Lions after Leon MacDonald had crossed for the inspired Maori in the second half.
The misfiring Lions spent much of the game defending and lost prop Andrew Sheridan to the sin-bin for a punch at the end of the first half.
The Lions turned around at 6-6 but were hit by a Maori maelstrom afterwards.
The Maoris selected their strongest side ever after being allowed to have first call on every eligible player.
In response, Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward opted for the heaviest front row in Lions history at 54 stone, 10 pounds.
But the Lions, who face Wellington on Wednesday, were unable to cope with the Maori ferocity at the breakdown and the inspiration of Carlos Spencer as a replacement fly-half early in the second half.
The Lions won their opening two games against Bay of Plenty and Taranaki but with the first Test against the All Blacks approaching on 25 June, Woodward's side have problems to resolve.
The game got off to a tetchy, fractious start with both sides keen not to take a backward step in the opening encounters.
Maori fly-half David Hill missed an early penalty after 10 minutes when Lions open-side Martyn Williams failed to roll away from the tackle.
Shortly after, the Lions opened the scoring with a Stephen Jones penalty after Matt Dawson's sniping run.
The Maori hit back quickly through Hill when English prop Julian White was penalised for angling in at the scrum.
And the home side maintained their momentum with some aggressive defence at the breakdown to turn over Lions ball and spark a promising attack down the left, snuffed out eventually on the line by Jones.
The Lions were under threat again when Shane Williams spilled the ball after coming inside off his left wing and the Maori poured down the right flank, only to turn over the ball themselves.
But Martyn Williams handed the Maori the initiative when he awarded Hill three points for slowing the ball down deliberately.
Jones missed a chance to cut the deficit with a wayward penalty attempt and he suffered another setback soon after when he collided with a Maori shoulder and went off with blood pouring from his face, to be replaced briefly by Ronan O'Gara.
As half-time approached, the Lions began to assert some territorial authority and a Maori indiscretion handed Jones three points.
But no sooner had the Lions levelled than Sheridan was given 10 minutes in the sin-bin for a punch on Luke McAlister, though Hill missed his penalty attempt from the left touchline for 6-6 at the break.
Two minutes into the second half Spencer came on in his last match for the New Zealand Maori.
The Northampton-bound star inspired a Maori insurgency and they poured forward, pounding the Lions defence deep in their 22 and spurning two kickable penalties.
With the Lions under pressure a third penalty soon came the Maori way and McAlister took the three points.
The Maori were fired up and surged again, setting up MacDonald for the first try of the game after good work from Spencer.
McAlister converted for 16-6 and soon added another penalty as the Lions became ragged and flustered.
With the game disappearing, the Lions finally exerted some pressure and manufactured a try for captain O'Driscoll after a solid rolling maul on the line.
Jones converted but the Lions had left themselves too much ground to make up and the hooter sparked the Maori celebrations.
NZ Maori: (6) 19
Tries: MacDonald
Cons: McAlister
Pens: Hill (2), McAlister (2)
Lions: (6) 13
Tries: O'Driscoll
Cons: Jones
Pens: Jones (2)
New Zealand Maori: L MacDonald (Canterbury); R Gear (Nelson Bays), R Tipoki (North Harbour), L McAlister (North Harbour), C Ralph (Canterbury); D Hill (Waikato), P Weepu (Wellington); D Manu (Waikato), C Flynn (Canterbury), C Hayman (Otago), R Filipo (Wellington), S Hohneck (Waikato), J Gibbes (Waikato, capt), M Holah (Waikato), A MacDonald (Auckland).
Replacements: S Linklater (Waikato), G Feek (Canterbury), D Braid (Auckland), W Ormond (Bay of Plenty), C McGrath (North Harbour), C Spencer (Auckland), N Brew (Otago).
British and Irish Lions: J Lewsey (England); T Shanklin (Wales), B O'Driscoll (Ireland, capt), G D'Arcy (Ireland), S Williams (Wales); S Jones (Wales), M Dawson (England); A Sheridan (England), S Thompson (England), J White (England), S Shaw (England), P O'Connell (Ireland), R Hill (England), M Williams (Wales), M Owen (Wales).
Replacements: S Byrne (Ireland), G Jenkins (Wales), B Kay (England), S Easterby (Ireland), D Peel (Wales), R O'Gara (Ireland), S Horgan (Ireland).
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand).
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Post by soulcrew on Jun 11, 2005 5:58:07 GMT -5
the lions have to step a gear or 2 if they have any chance of winning the test. they were destroyed up front and couldnt anywhere near match maoris heart and determination. i think maybe if the backs had more opportunity to run though possably the score may have been differant! + plus they should have had a penalty right at the end when lewsey was pulled down off the ball!!
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Post by DixonHill on Jun 15, 2005 5:06:37 GMT -5
bbc.co.uk/sport
Wellington 6-23 Lions
The Lions put their New Zealand tour back on track after defeat to the Maori with a patchy victory over Wellington.
The tourists dominated the first half but had to settle for a 13-6 interval lead via two Jonny Wilkinson penalties and a converted Gethin Jenkins try.
Wilkinson kicked a third penalty on the resumption before moving to centre, Stephen Jones taking over at fly-half.
And Gareth Thomas sealed victory near the end when he touched down his own kick ahead, Wilkinson converting.
After last Saturday's setback, it was a far more encouraging display from the Lions 10 days before the first Test against the All Blacks.
Dwayne Peel and Jenkins all but cemented their Test spots with strong showings, while hooker Shane Byrne improved the line-out and lock Danny Grewcock showed up well.
The Lions coaches also took the chance to see Wilkinson, who missed a couple of tackles in the first half, at inside centre outside Jones for the last half-hour.
A lack of precision prevented the tourists turning their advantage into points, despite a more proficient display at the breakdown, where flanker Neil Back improved matters.
They would have been heartened by turning over Wellington ball inside the first 20 seconds, only for Wilkinson, on his first tour outing, to push his drop-goal attempt wide.
Gavin Henson followed suit with a longer-range effort in the sixth minute, after Martin Corry was fortunate to escape censure for a swinging arm at Wellington's Kristian Ormsby.
Ormsby responded by taking out Corry off the ball moments later, allowing Wilkinson to kick the Lions into the lead.
They started to play with confidence, the busy Thomas bursting onto a Henson pass in midfield as the tourists strung some promising phases together.
But despite dominating, they had to wait until the 24th minute to add to their tally when Julian White forced up Joe McDonnell at a scrum, Wilkinson landing the penalty.
When Neil Back conceded a penalty on the floor, Wellington fly-half Jimmy Gopperth halved the hosts' deficit.
But the Lions continued to control the ball, only for their execution to let them down on several occasions.
Corry blew a golden opportunity when, with four men outside him, he stepped inside and charged for the line, only to be stopped short by Wellington hooker Mahonri Schwalger.
Ben Kay, following up, will want to forget his botched attempt at picking up and diving over.
The Lions kicked a penalty to touch only for Josh Lewsey to knock on Peel's pass, but finally got their reward four minutes before the break.
Peel took a quick line-out take from Grewcock and dummied to pass before bursting through the scattered line-out.
He fed the supporting Corry, who sent Jenkins charging over from 15m, Wilkinson adding the conversion for a 13-3 lead.
Gopperth added a second penalty for Wellington moments before the interval, and the Lions lost their momentum in the second half.
Early half-breaks from Thomas and Jason Robinson saw Wilkinson punish a Wellington infringement with a third penalty.
But the hosts responded well and number eight Thomas Waldrom burst to within inches of the line before being penalised for holding on.
Centre Ma'a Nonu also showed his All Black credentials by leaving a flailing Thomas for dead down the left wing.
The Lions sent on Jones, Shane Horgan, Chris Cusiter and Matt Stevens in a messy period of play around the hour.
They finally added a second try four minutes from time when Thomas stepped inside a defender, kicked ahead and won the chase to the line.
Wellington: (6) 6
Pens: Gopperth 2
Lions: (13) 23
Tries: Jenkins, Thomas
Cons: Wilkinson 2
Pens: Wilkinson 3
Wellington: Shannon Paku; Lome Fa'atau, Ma'a Nonu, Tane Tu'ipulotu, Roy Kinikinilau; Jimmy Gopperth, Piri Weepu; Joe McDonnell (captain), Mahonri Schwalger, Tim Fairbrother; Luke Andrews, Ross Filipo, Kristian Ormsby, Ben Herring, Thomas Waldrom.
Replacements: Luke Mahoney, John Schwalger, Kane Thompson, Justin Purdie, Riki Flutey, Tamati Ellison, Cory Jane.
British & Irish Lions: J Lewsey; J Robinson, B O'Driscoll (capt), G Henson, G Thomas; J Wilkinson, D Peel; G Jenkins, S Byrne, J White; D Grewcock, B Kay; S Easterby, N Back, M Corry.
Replacements: G Bulloch, M Stevens, P O'Connell, R Hill, C Cusiter, S Jones, S Horgan.
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand).
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Post by DixonHill on Jun 18, 2005 11:39:18 GMT -5
bbc.co.uk/sport
Otago 19-30 Lions
The Lions emerged from a testing tour match in Dunedin with a morale-boosting victory a week before the first Test.
A Will Greenwood try drew the visitors level at 13-13 at half-time after Danny Lee's earlier try put the hosts ahead.
But a second score from Ryan Jones, outstanding on his first tour start, edged the Lions ahead before Shane Williams' third try clinched victory.
Charlie Hodgson added 15 points in a 100% kicking display, while Nick Evans kicked the rest of Otago's points.
Hodgson was again impressive with his all-round game but one missed tackle in the build-up to Lee's try blotted his copybook.
But in a largely second-string side, Jones was the major bonus for the Lions, pushing himself into contention for the Test 22.
Irish flanker Simon Easterby also did his chances no harm with another solid outing in his second game in four days.
The Lions were under the cosh for the opening 15 minutes as Otago started with a bang.
Prop Matt Stevens was penalised for going down at the first scrum and Evans kicked the home side in front in the fifth minute after some poor defence had allowed left wing Matt Saunders to cut through.
Evans then hit an upright with a long-range effort after Martyn Williams was penalised for coming in at the side of a ruck.
And when compatriot Jones went too high with a tackle on Evans moments later, the fly-half picked himself up to make it 6-0.
But the Lions started to gain possession and put some pace into their game, bringing the back three of Geordan Murphy, Denis Hickie and Williams into play.
Hodgson halved the deficit when the home side fell offside, and drew the Lions level with a superb penalty in the 22nd minute after another Otago infringement.
The Lions looked to be asserting themselves but passes from Greenwood to Hodgson, then Hickie to Murphy, failed to hit their target, slowing their momentum.
They were made to pay when more sloppy defence saw Otago score the first try six minutes before half-time, following a poor kick by Shane Williams.
Centre Neil Brew burst through Hickie's tackle on the blind side and then brushed off Hodgson's weak attempt before sending Lee over, Evans converting for a 13-6 lead.
But the Lions went in level thanks to a clever piece of play by Hodgson.
The fly-half feigned to kick a penalty into touch near the left corner, but instead looked up and sent a cross-kick towards Greenwood on the far side of the field.
The centre got the luck of the bounce to score, and Hodgson added the extras after Greenwood took exception to Brew's late challenge as he touched down.
Otago edged in front again on the resumption with a third Evans penalty, Martyn Williams fortunate to escape a yellow card for the latest high tackle on the fly-half.
But the Lions started to exert some pressure in the scrum and hit back with a second try after 52 minutes.
Shane Williams took the ball at stand-off and sent Jones powering through on a superb angle to the line, Hodgson converting for a 20-16 lead.
Otago refused to lie down though, and another Evans penalty brought them to within a point.
The Lions brought on Andrew Sheridan, Steve Thompson, Danny Grewcock, Matt Dawson and Ollie Smith for the final quarter.
And the tourists finally showed their class when Jones took a quick penalty and burst through two tackles.
Quick hands through the backs saw Murphy feed Williams, who stepped inside the last defender to score.
Hodgson converted before being replaced by O'Gara, who nearly created two more tries, Easterby and Murphy just failing to reach his clever kicks.
Otago: (13) 19
Tries: Lee
Cons: Evans
Pens: Evans 4
Lions: (13) 30
Tries: Greenwood, R Jones, S Williams
Cons: Hodgson 3
Pens: Hodgson 3
Otago: Glen Horton; Hayden Pedersen, Neil Brew, Seilala Mapusua, Matt Saunders; Nick Evans, Danny Lee; Craig Dunlea, Jason MacDonald, Carl Hoeft; Tom Donnelly, Filipo Levi; Grant Webb, Josh Blackie, Craig Newby (captain).
Replacements: Jed Vercoe, Jeremy Aldworth, Andrew McClintock, Alando Soakai, Chris Smylie, Ryan Bambry, Jason Shoemark.
British and Irish Lions: Geordan Murphy; Denis Hickie, Will Greenwood, Gordan D'Arcy, Shane Williams; Charlie Hodgson, Chris Cusiter; Matt Stevens, Gordon Bulloch, Graham Rowntree; Donncha O'Callaghan, Simon Shaw; Simon Easterby, Martyn Williams, Ryan Jones.
Replacements: Steve Thompson, Andy Sheridan, Danny Grewcock, Michael Owen, Matt Dawson, Ollie Smith, Ronan O'Gara.
Referee: Lyndon Bray (NZ)
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Post by MG on Jun 27, 2005 18:27:33 GMT -5
OK i see why this isn't a sticky anymore,
but that tackle on O'Driscoll was a discrase! Two players taking him out in the first minute is absolutedirty tactics. He along with a few others will miss the rest of the tour and O'Driscoll is out for around 3 months after taking half a hour to put his shoulder back in place.
This is just wrong, scumbag tactics, putting players carreers in jeporody and those players should get whats coming to them.
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Post by feckarse on Jun 27, 2005 18:29:22 GMT -5
OK i see why this isn't a sticky anymore, but that tackle on O'Driscoll was a discrase! Two players taking him out in the first minute is absolutedirty tactics. He along with a few others will miss the rest of the tour and O'Driscoll is out for around 3 months after taking half a hour to put his shoulder back in place. This is just wrong, scumbag tactics, putting players carreers in jeporody and those players should get whats coming to them. what's a f*cking disgrace is that yer man isn't even being cited for it. The shoulder took 35 minutes to put back in. Normally that should only take between 30 - 60 seconds. Couple of inches away from breaking his neck The Lions don't have a good team this year, but i've lost respect for the all blacks  |
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Post by giggergrl on Jun 27, 2005 23:33:29 GMT -5
the lions have to step a gear or 2 if they have any chance of winning the test. they were destroyed up front and couldnt anywhere near match maoris heart and determination. i think maybe if the backs had more opportunity to run though possably the score may have been differant! + plus they should have had a penalty right at the end when lewsey was pulled down off the ball!! EXACTLY my thoughts.... Well said Soulcrew, Tam  |
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Post by giggergrl on Jun 28, 2005 1:25:39 GMT -5
whatever team we are talking about I hope they fucking kick some ass ! I am drinking and listening to the stone fucking roses ! Go Ian ! I fucking adore you ! I am off for the summer as I work for the schools. sleep tmw and pool ! oooooy-aaaayyy-siiiiis ! (passing out...) Tam hiccup !  ps some brilliance and "craic" here at 2:30 am !  |
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Post by soulcrew on Jun 28, 2005 5:40:23 GMT -5
woodward is an ignorant clown!! he cleary hasnt watched a rugby game for 2 years!! its obvious how to win the series...just put the welsh players in (& o'drisscol if he wasnt injured!) & well destroy the blacks wirth style & flair!!! also i think tam clearly has the right idea & should be included in the coaching staff immediatly!!!
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Post by giggergrl on Jun 28, 2005 6:15:44 GMT -5
woodward is an igornt clown!! he cleary hasnt watched a lions game for 2 years!! its obvious how to win the series...just put the welsh players in (& o'drisscol if he wasnt injured!) & well destroy the blacks wirth style & flair!!! also i think tam clearly has the right idea & should be included in the coaching staff immediatly!!! Yes Def. I will apply for the job. I am the world's hottest COACH and I know how to get the players PRIMED ! trust me ! Tamara  |
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Post by soulcrew on Jun 29, 2005 16:35:54 GMT -5
at last woodward has seen sense!! watch henson & williams kick allblack ass on saturday now!!! i knew tam would get the selection comitee sorted!!
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Post by giggergrl on Jun 29, 2005 23:03:39 GMT -5
at last woodward has seen sense!! watch henson & williams kick allblack ass on saturday now!!! i knew tam would get the selection comitee sorted!! Selection Team ? Oh, I got em SORTED out all right. With my style and flair ! ;D |
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Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5