Lions Player Ratings (vs Reds)

That was a far sterner test than anything the Lions have faced before.

Here are my ratings. Please feel free to disagree!

Hogg: 6 – Good positioning, defence and kicking but tried too hard to spark something
Cuthbert: 5 – Pretty disappointing. Got found out for pace on several occasions and missed tackles
Tuilagi: N/A - Went off early
Davies: 6 – Very quiet
Bowe: 8 – Really good game, cut great lines and has probably claimed the test shirt
Farrell: 7 – Much more rounded game and performance. Up'n'unders were poor though
B Youngs: 7 – Claimed his try well and looked solid if unspectacular
Vunipola: 7 – Another good solid game in the loose and scrum
T Youngs: 7 – Hit his jumpers and scrummaged very well
Stevens: 5 – Anonymous once again and knocked on a couple of times. Looks off the pace
Gray: 8 – The stand out forward, was everywhere and supreme in the lineout and rucks
Parling: 5 – A day to forget. Knocked on twice and looked very out of sorts
Lydiate: 6 – Very quiet
Warburton: 6 – Looked very rusty and not his usual poaching self
Faletau: 7 – Did quite a lot in the loose and tackled well

Notable Replacements:
Tipuric: 7 – Looked very good when he came on
Sexton: 7 - Calmed proceedings
North: 8 – Looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. Probable test starter

Very hard to give accurate ratings after one viewing. In terms of my impressions

Hogg is clearly behind 1/2penny for me. His tackling is suspect.
Cuthbert played his way off the test team imo (injuries aside) Defence is a liability
Tuilagi was unlucky with injury
Davies was solid but plenty of mistakes with handling too. Conditions deteriorated in fairness but behind BOD for me
Bowe is a standout player. North and himself are nailed on injury permitting
Farrell - was very poor early on but recovered his composure well. will still be well behind sexton
Youngs- a bit like farrell i thought he grew into the game and did really well in the end.
Faletau- quiet
Warburton- worryingly quiet but then again its his first hit out
lydiate- doesnt do a lot offensively for me but his tackle count will be pretty massive. a real workhorse.
Gray- outstanding. nailed on imo
Parling- did well. i suspect he will lose out but a decent run out i thought
Stevens- good at scrum time but quite ineffective elsewhere
Youngs- did well i though. I think hibbard is still the front runner but no complaints really
Vunipola- he has won me over. i rate him. should start the 1st test

North was stellar when he came on. The rest were lost in a turgid 2nd half which was ruined by the conditions sadly

Missed a fair chunk of it but thought Tipuric was superb when he came on, albeit against a possibly tiring Reds. At ruck time I think he's head and shoulders above our other options, and ahead of Warburton at 7 for me. Top player.

Very harsh to give Parling a 5, he had a very good day in the lineout and didn't do anything wrong in the other facets of play. I think giving Lydiate and Warburton a 6 is being pretty kind to them.

Artful_Dodger wrote:Very harsh to give Parling a 5, he had a very good day in the lineout and didn't do anything wrong in the other facets of play. I think giving Lydiate and Warburton a 6 is being pretty kind to them.

He knocked on twice in open play and just looked a bit sluggish. I rate him highly so was a bit disappointed, especially considering how good he looked in the last game when he came on.

Agree pretty harsh on parling, our big pluses were bowe and north. Really hoping bowes is ok.

madmaccas wrote:

Artful_Dodger wrote:Very harsh to give Parling a 5, he had a very good day in the lineout and didn't do anything wrong in the other facets of play. I think giving Lydiate and Warburton a 6 is being pretty kind to them.

He knocked on twice in open play and just looked a bit sluggish. I rate him highly so was a bit disappointed, especially considering how good he looked in the last game when he came on.

Who didn't knock on?

Tommy Bowe looks like his tour is over. Was another test cert for me.

I thought Parling did well. I tried to defend Stevens cameo in the last game, but today he was a passenger and a liability.

nathan wrote:

madmaccas wrote:

Artful_Dodger wrote:Very harsh to give Parling a 5, he had a very good day in the lineout and didn't do anything wrong in the other facets of play. I think giving Lydiate and Warburton a 6 is being pretty kind to them.

He knocked on twice in open play and just looked a bit sluggish. I rate him highly so was a bit disappointed, especially considering how good he looked in the last game when he came on.

Who didn't knock on?

http://www.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/164080.html

TO = Turnovers

Stevens deserves more than a 5 our front row took them apart, can't remember him being a penalty machine. You mention knock ons, I think it was only one 7for me

Pearling had a good game as well worked well in the scrum and lineout and was good in the loose again deserves more than a 5, 7 for me

Faletau let down by some poor control at the base and knocked on 2or3 times 6 for me.

Warberton was Pretty invisible but was first game back and unscathed so wasn't expecting him to be ripping up trees

Probably no surprise, but I am another who feels that a 5 for Parling is seriously undermarked.

He destroyed the Reds lineout and did a damned good shift in the tight.

Also I hate to say this, as i love his style, but I thought Hogg was extremely shaky in defence and aimless in attack.

Parling has done really well. I think he will lose out for a place in the XV to POC and Gray but he would be next in line for me

LondonTiger wrote:Probably no surprise, but I am another who feels that a 5 for Parling is seriously undermarked.

He destroyed the Reds lineout and did a damned good shift in the tight.

I like Parling as well, but Reds were without the two first choice locks, not a lot of competition there. I think O'Connell and Grey are probably nailed on at the minute.

Broken bone for Bowe allegedly.

Standulstermen wrote:Broken bone for Bowe allegedly.

Standulstermen wrote:Broken bone for Bowe allegedly.

Argh, that's rubbish. Any news on Manu?

nathan wrote:

Standulstermen wrote:Broken bone for Bowe allegedly.

Argh, that's rubbish. Any news on Manu?

none yet nathan

someone reporting on PR that its just a stinger for manu

Parling did reasonably well! But I agree POC is favourite fir that shirt. Tom youngs hit all his throws which is a big plus as well.

Faletau was the pick of the back row for me, I think he made some good carries and tidied up well. Wasn't impressed with Warbs, he didn't do a great job of disrupting their ball, Tipuric seemed better in his short cameo.

Davies had a decent game, and North and Bowe were both brilliant. Hope Manu is ok too, losing him and Bowe in the same game would be quite a blow.

Reds were quality, that's the kind of tour game we should be playing, what are the next opposition like?

What game was people on here watching Barnes at the end of the game said that Lydiate was one of the contenders for man of the match for his non stop tackleing

He tackled well but he doesnt contribute much else. It also is dependent on your 7 actually getting over the ball which didnt happen.

Lydiate/tipuric would be interesting

Gutted for Bowe, classy player. Real shame POC is captain, I think he's a Test starter and the obvious choice. Nevermind. Reds were excellent opposition as well, fair play to them.

irnbrew wrote:What game was people on here watching Barnes at the end of the game said that Lydiate was one of the contenders for man of the match for his non stop tackleing

I believe he was top tackler. He did his job at the end of the day. Some nice chops stopping people at source.

Just checked the stats, Lydiate made 13/1 tackles and was top tackler, T Youngs next with 10/0 and Gray 9/0. I still wouldn't have had Lydiate as MOTM, that went to Farrell for me, kicked all his goals, passed very well and also made a few linebreaks and was very strong in defence. Hopefully he can keep it up.

Parlings rating is very harsh, he ran the lineout very well and he was the main reasons we got such dominance over the Reds lineout. He wasn't carrying as much as he normally does which makes me think perhaps he was told not to?

Farrell had good turnover stats by the looks too? I didn't really pay attention.

Sky are saying there's serious news about Tommy Bowe. Doesn't look good. Not sure who will replace him if he is out: Visser, Zebo, Ashton?

Lydiate was top tackler

http://www.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/164080.html

Farrell had a very strong game in defence actually - some way from motm though!

Bowe out. Very sad for the standout winger

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22827489

Risca Rev wrote:Farrell had good turnover stats by the looks too? I didn't really pay attention.

TO means how many times they turned the ball over to the opposition

There were other players who tackled and did more, that is why, irnbrew. Although he played better this game.

1) Vunipola - 7 - surprisingly good in the scrum, good in the loose. He has having a great tour so far.

2) Tom Youngs - 7 - Probably the best performance from a hooker so far, although that isn't saying a whole lot. Good darts in the line-out, good scrummaging.

3) Matt Stevens - 5 - Well he was good at scrum time, so did his primary duty well. Very ineffective in the loose however.

4) Richie Gray - 8 - Nailed on starter. Immense strength in contact, put in some big tackles and adds sheer bulk to the set piece and breakdown. Great in the line-out also, worked well with Youngs at 2. Fantastic performance from the big man. Expect to see more of his carrying game when he is partnered with O'Connell too.

5) Parling - 6 - I thought Parling was decent if not unspectacular. Good line-out operator, decent in the tackle area. Bit too many knock ons. Not as good as some of his competition, O'Connell really did do a whole lot more when he came on. Parling is a better player than he shown today though.

6) Lydiate - 6 - tackled well, highest tackle count in the game. Didn't do a whole lot else.

7) Warburton - 5 - He looked off the pace today. Very sluggish, although he has been injured. Certainly looks the worst of the 7s by a long shot so far.

8) Faletau - 6 - He faded in and out of the game. Can be so powerful in the loose, and is a great defender too, but he was anonymous for large portions of the game. Heaslip owns that 8 jersey for sure.

9) Youngs - 7 - I thought Youngs played very well. He is great at those sniping runs, probably just as effective as Phillips here. Though he has a better passing game and awareness. He would be my choice for the 9 shirt. It will be very close between him and Phillips I reckon, but Gatland will likely go for Phillips. Murray is a fair bit behind.

10) Farrell - 7 - I was impressed with Farrell, he improved dramatically for this game. Attacked well, good passing game, great kicking. Pretty much every criticism he was given before he answered with this game. Still behind Sexton for the 10 shirt, I thought Sexton still added an extra dimension to the attack when he came on.

11) Bowe - 8 - Bowe looked very dangerous when he got his hands on the ball, he cuts the best lines out of any other winger on tour IMO and his support play is unreal. Unfortunately his tour seems to be over or he would have definitely been starting.

12) Davies - 6 - A high tackle count for Davies, he was pretty good in defence but again he was fairly anonymous in attack. I was hoping to see more from him and the combination of himself and Tuilagi had promise but obviously we didn't get to see very much of that.

13) Tuilagi - N/A - Went off far too early to have any sort of rating.

14) Cuthbert - 5 - Positionally poor, and he fell off a tackle which led to the try. Offered little in attack. We all know he is a very good finisher, but I think he is a bit one dimensional. He can be totally invisible for some games, and today was one of them really.

15) Hogg - 5 - Poor in defence, fell off far too many tackles unfortunately. Too many mistakes from Hogg and he is now behind Halfpenny for sure. Although we know he is one of the most dangerous players on the team, he didn't show it too much today.

North made a huge difference when he came on, nailed on for the wing I would say, especially with Bowe now out. Tipuric, POC and Cole also improved the pack dramatically at the ruck area I thought. All of these guys are nailed on I would say, with the exception of Cole who will be fighting it out against Jones.

Team is picking itself here, certain positions are nailed on at this point:

1) Vunipola
2) Up for grabs still. Youngs best of the 2s so far.
3) Between Cole and Jones, with Jones edging it at this point.
4) Gray
5) O'Connell
6) O'Brien
7) Tipuric
8) Heaslip
9) Between Youngs and Phillips.
10) Sexton
11) North
12) Still up for grabs, a lot of very good combinations.
13) See above.
14) Bowe would have been here but he is out. Between Maitland and Cuthbert.
15) Halfpenny

Well I have to change one thing, O'Brien despite having a fantastic game is likely not nailed on at 6. I think Lydiate or Warburton will get the 6 position whether they deserve it or not.

Tipuric may not be nailed on if Warburton is picked at 7 too, which would be madness.

ChequeredJersey wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:Farrell had good turnover stats by the looks too? I didn't really pay attention.

TO means how many times they turned the ball over to the opposition

It includes kicking the ball to the opposition, probably accounts for most of the TOs against Farrell.

Warbuton is nailed on because he is captain.

LondonTiger wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:

Risca Rev wrote:Farrell had good turnover stats by the looks too? I didn't really pay attention.

TO means how many times they turned the ball over to the opposition

It includes kicking the ball to the opposition, probably accounts for most of the TOs against Farrell.

No it doesn't

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Warbuton is nailed on because he is captain.

After his performance today, he really shouldn't be. So far O'Brien has been the best at 7 (despite many claiming it isn't his best position) with Tipuric a close second. Warburton is a fair bit behind.

I guess the options with Warburton starting are these:

6) Warburton
7) Tipuric
8) Heaslip

6) O'Brien
7) Warburton
8) Heaslip

6) Lydiate
7) Warburton
8) Heaslip

Option one is the best probably.

The best imo is:

6.SOB
7.Tipuric
8.Heaslip.

But like I said there is no way Gatland won't play Warbuton.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Well I have to change one thing, O'Brien despite having a fantastic game is likely not nailed on at 6. I think Lydiate or Warburton will get the 6 position whether they deserve it or not.

Tipuric may not be nailed on if Warburton is picked at 7 too, which would be madness.

I actually thought Lydiate had a good game. I would probably start him then bring on O'Brien or maybe Croft around the 50-60min mark.

6.Lydiate 7. Tipuric 8.Heaslip for me.

Am I imagining things or did I see Warburton handed off by the winger (Mornahan?) for the first try?

Not the kind of marker we want put down by our leader

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Warbuton is nailed on because he is captain.

After his performance today, he really shouldn't be. So far O'Brien has been the best at 7 (despite many claiming it isn't his best position) with Tipuric a close second. Warburton is a fair bit behind.

I guess the options with Warburton starting are these:

6) Warburton
7) Tipuric
8) Heaslip

6) O'Brien
7) Warburton


6) Lydiate
7) Warburton
8) Heaslip

Option one is the best probably.

Croft no longer an option? ?

BamBam wrote:Am I imagining things or did I see Warburton handed off by the winger (Mornahan?) for the first try?

Not the kind of marker we want put down by our leader

Disagree, yes he was but I fail to see how he could've done better given he was always playing catchup with him. Winger outpaces flanker shocker hey.

valtrepkos wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Warbuton is nailed on because he is captain.

After his performance today, he really shouldn't be. So far O'Brien has been the best at 7 (despite many claiming it isn't his best position) with Tipuric a close second. Warburton is a fair bit behind.

I guess the options with Warburton starting are these:

6) Warburton
7) Tipuric
8) Heaslip

6) O'Brien
7) Warburton


6) Lydiate
7) Warburton
8) Heaslip

Option one is the best probably.

Croft no longer an option? ?

He is, but he is easily the weakest option. I also left out Faletau at 8 because Heaslip is the best option there.

I was disappointed with Croft in the game against the Western Force to be honest. I thought he would be a lot more prominent.

They have just announced on the news... its a broken hand for Tommy, his tour is over.

Based on todays performances the test back row should be Croft, Heaslip & Tipuric.

Although Croft may be because of my Tiger Specs.

Metal Tiger wrote:Based on todays performances the test back row should be Croft, Heaslip & Tipuric.

Although Croft may be because of my Tiger Specs.

Yeah I think it is to be honest. I know what Croft offers and I actually rate him, but so far he is behind other options IMO.

He will need to put in a bigger performance next time.

Risca Rev wrote:

BamBam wrote:Am I imagining things or did I see Warburton handed off by the winger (Mornahan?) for the first try?

Not the kind of marker we want put down by our leader

Disagree, yes he was but I fail to see how he could've done better given he was always playing catchup with him. Winger outpaces flanker shocker hey.

Croft would have caught him

Not trying to put Warburton down, but he looked as if he was close enough, and almost had his arms round the winger, would have expected him to slow him down if not a full tackle