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Lions lose 26 - 21 to South Africa, and it's all Phil Vickery's fault (and possibly Ugo Monye's)
After 30 minutes it felt like 2005 all over again didn't it?. However, like having Elle McPherson in stilettos standing on your clackers, four years ago New Zealand dismantled dignity in a way you could only appreciate; South Africa, on the other hand were more like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas beating your undercarriage with a steak tenderiser. In fact, it must have been a little confusing for the England players, as it was very much like they were playing against themselves.
You may think I am being harsh in the title of this post, but let's look at the facts. The scrum - solid and reliable all tour - was a nightmare until Phil went off. 27% of the Lions scrum were lost, pretty much all of which were when the Englishman was on the field, and most of those lost scrums were penalties due Vickery being completely incapable of scrummaging against "The Beast" Mtawarira; he couldn't bind, he couldn't push, nothing. On top of this he gave away a penalty in the loose as well. This is elite sport not banking, so the cornishman will be dropped, possibly from the whole 22 for the next Test without so much as a 750k pension to cushion his arse as the door slaps into it on the way out.
Of course it was not all his fault. Lee Mears transformed back into the mediocre performer I always thought he was, and David Wallace did not offer much at seven. The game that the Lions need to play to win, i.e. what they played second half, is far more suited to Martyn Williams and there is no way the Welshman would have allowed Brussow to get his hands on as much ball as he did today.
On the plus side, the backs were great when they got some ball, and the Lions midfield has the beating of their opposites by a mile. Yet for all the negativity I'm spouting here, the fact is that we could have won if Ugo Monye carried the ball in either the right hand or two hands as he went for the line before having it punched out.
History tells us that the team losing the First Test of a Lions tours has little chance of turning it around, but there were enough signs here that the class of 2009 could buck the trend, but the Boks will not make the same mistake mentally next week as they did in the second half this time.
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June 20, 2009 in British Lions, South Africa | Permalink|
Comments
Monye, definitely Monye. Vickery was hardly to blame, the ref let SA screw in at an angle all game. I know things looked better after Vickery went off, but wasn't The Beast also off at around the same time?
So it was Monye and the ref. Monye can do one thing; run hard and forward with the ball. Yesterday he barely did that, and when he did he couldn't even get the ball down. He was also caught out in defence a lot, he didn't know where to stand when SA had the ball and he didn't have a clue what to do as they boomed it behind him. We need someone on Tuesday to have a good game on the wing so they can start next Sat. Monye goes right out of the 22.
The ref was shocking, I mean I'm going beyond the usual "ref was crap" bleating here - there seemed like genuine moments throughout the game where he was just taking the piss and giving SA everything.
Posted by: brighty | Jun 21, 2009 9:49:55 AM
Now the hangover is clearing and I've checked the highlights I can see that I was wrong about the above. While Vickery was harshly treated by the ref (SA front row was definitely not driving straight) it's easy to see that things got much better once Adam Jones came on, and even better when Matthew Rhys came on. What chance a Welsh front row for the next test?
Posted by: brighty | Jun 21, 2009 10:37:51 AM
ok maybe the ref could've been a little stricter about the scrummaging but isn't the issue more that victoria vickery should know how to deal with it and bloody well do something??
i was truly heartened by the 2nd half display and hope they can do something similar next week, great game by croft also, o'driscoll most impressive and the roberts good running, i do like the springboks pack and wonder if they might change their substitution policy next week!! very glad we didn't play o'gara.
the ref should've been harder on the boks in the second half but then i thought he was fair elsewhere.
I still wanna know when they are gonna call up armitage!!!
Posted by: vlad the impaler | Jun 21, 2009 12:58:29 PM
I cant believe that P Divvy took off No 6 Heinrich Brüssow and replaced him with Danie Russow. Russow is a class act but maybe at no 7 not as the boks fetcher.
Also i dont know why Adi Jacobs stayed on for so long. His defence was shocking. Jaque Forie and Jean De Villers would have been a better pair to take on the Lions center combo that was working perfectly.
Posted by: Wayne | Jun 21, 2009 9:14:48 PM
Shame about the result, but fuck me what a great advert for Rugby Union.
I was hiding behind the sofa first half, inches away from the screen for the second, shouting myself hoarse
The finishing front row, Byrne at FB, O'Gara, Kearney on the wing and Williams where ever we can stick him.
Posted by: AndyinBrum | Jun 21, 2009 9:38:43 PM
Agree that whilst the ref obviously made up the scrummaging penalities whilst he went along, Vickery should know better. Rowntree summed it up very well in his comments after the game, "we got completely done over at the scrum.
Illegal or not, Vickery has been doing the same to opponents for years and knows the score. You get away with what you can on the rugby pitch. ask Ritchie McCaw, the master at illegality! It's all very well whinging, but just deal with it. All welsh front row for next week. I'm amazed that Mears even started, he's average at best, even for England. Harsh on Monye, the guy has talent, he got unlucky. Shaw needs to come in at second row for O'Connel, who again is playing very average, but there's no way the Captain is going is he? AW Jones is offski I reckon.
And yes Williams in for Wallace who was nowhere. Talking of nowhere, did anyone actually hear Spiries name called at all my any commentator on Saturday? The guy goes seriously missing in action - hope they play him again :)
Posted by: Dan | Jun 22, 2009 3:23:22 AM
"All Welsh front row" ... I'm Welsh, and even I can't believe how much sense that sentence makes. If 2 years ago you'd have said the best Lions front row would be all Welsh I'd have thought you were mental, but right now you are so right.
I don't think Monye has that much talent. He's a very good athlete and runner, but he's not a good rugby player. He's clueless when the ball is behind him, and he doesn't have a clue where to stand when he doesn't have the ball. He can run good and hard in a straight line, while holding the ball in a manner that would get him bollocked by my sons under-8s coach. He shouldn't even be in the squad, play Croft on the wing if all you want is a hard, straight runner. At least he knows a bit about rugby.
I can't see why we'd want O'Gara on? Jones missed two kicks, one of them a very hard one; the other wasn't easy and he missed by inches. The SA back row were all over him -> if that was ROG we'd have him bleating in the papers today about them roughing him up. I think we need Martyn Williams on from the start, to help with the distribution to the centres. That's where we have the edge, with the centres and Bowe.
Heaslip, didn't hear his name once or even notice he was playing.
Posted by: brighty | Jun 22, 2009 10:40:10 AM
