How can lions avoid series loss?

Looks impossible now.

Oz were the better team in the 1st test and lost.
Oz were the better team in the 2nd test and won.

Oz are gaining momentum & lions are completely devoid of attacking ideas or positive play. Gonna be embarrassing next week.
Sending Roberts on the crashball & BOD on his zimmer frame will be no different to the boring ultra conservative boxkick and garryowen tactics we saw yesterday.

Tuilagi & Davies will be our best options in midfield, but simply PASSING TO THE WINGS might also work.

Something I haven't noticed people talking about... How significant will having a NH referee be next week???
Then again I thought the ref favoured the lions yesterday and they still threw it away.

Methinks your question has the same problem as the Lions game plan. How to avoid losing instead of winning.
Lions should go out 'balls to the wall' aggressive on attack, aggressive on defense, aggressive for 80 minutes. Never ever stop.

Play like the English against the AB's, like the Welsh against the English, the Irish against Wales and the Scots against Australia. The players have the ability, go out and play rugby and BELIEVE!!!!

t1000advancedprototype wrote:

Tuilagi & Davies will be our best options in midfield, but simply PASSING TO THE WINGS might also work.

Passing to wings?  Where will the wings be?  Having their tea out on the............... wings?  

Wings must work and look for work by taking some journeys in to see what's happening in the game for themselves.... but they're out on the wings, where they'll get pumped out across the line by vigilant Aussies or be in the right(ish) place at the right time to stop the Aussies from availing of their wings themselves.

The Aussies have Gatlandball check mated.  He has nowhere to go.  They're so sharp, fast and intricate that they're too much of a threat on the wings themselves at the very same time as they're a lethal threat in the centre.  They ask Gatland sides to do nothing other than defend all game and use most of their resources to do so....including the wings.

Tuilagi and O'Driscoll for more creativity plus defensive cover.  And it still has only a very iffy chance of doing anything good enough to be a tightassed win again.

yappysnap wrote:Play like the English against the AB's, like the Welsh against the English, the Irish against Wales and the Scots against Australia. The players have the ability, go out and play rugby and BELIEVE!!!!

Yes...important point.  There is no fire in this Lions beast.  As I've said before..too preoccupied with getting patterns right and calls right and...... just much too morbidly a plan on paper with no fire in the belly guiding it.  The Aussies are playing with fire in the belly and just getting there and no more.  Some real rage in the emotions from the Lions and they're over the line.

Where will it come from?  I don't know.  O'Connell himself alluded to the fact that dressing rooms were very quiet mannerly afairs on this tour, which he felt strange but he said he'd get on with it

..... it's noticable that the cameras show the Lions players are getting ready for a normal club game in their dressing room (all wandering about in their own world) as the Aussie's are seen huddled and getting their minds connected to one purpose.

Simple......... Pick a strong front 5 to control possession. On Saturday the Lions were well beaten up front, poor scrum and lineout and consequently starved of possession.

Vunipola and Parling don't look good enough for test starters. Corbisero or Grant to start, with either Gray or Evans in the second row. I would also be tempted to start with either Hibbard or Best to improve the scrum, also Hibbard has proved he is poor as an impact replacement so maybe swapping him and Youngs may improve the Lions game. Back row, maybe Faletau should come in for Heaslip but if Warburton is not fit then all three spots need to be looked at to ensure a good balance between ball winners and ball users is achieved.

Behind the scrum the only changes I would make are dependent on players overcoming injuries. So Phillips and Roberts to start in place of Youngs and BOD. If Roberts is not fit I would be tempted to have Tuilagi on the bench (again if fit) as an impact sub for when BODs legs get weary.

SecretFly wrote:

yappysnap wrote:Play like the English against the AB's, like the Welsh against the English, the Irish against Wales and the Scots against Australia. The players have the ability, go out and play rugby and BELIEVE!!!!

Yes...important point.  There is no fire in this Lions beast.  As I've said before..too preoccupied with getting patterns right and calls right and...... just much too morbidly a plan on paper with no fire in the belly guiding it.  The Aussies are playing with fire in the belly and just getting there and no more.  Some real rage in the emotions from the Lions and they're over the line.

Where will it come from?  I don't know.  O'Connell himself alluded to the fact that dressing rooms were very quiet mannerly afairs on this tour, which he felt strange but he said he'd get on with it

..... it's noticable that the cameras show the Lions players are getting ready for a normal club game in their dressing room (all wandering about in their own world) as the Aussie's are seen huddled and getting their minds connected to one purpose.

Yea pre match looking at the dressing room cam it was really wierd how low key the Lions were. To me this starts with the management and captain. The management team have no powder keg type coach, someone to shout and get the blood flowing, it all seems a bit board room meeting at the moment when they need a bloke like Shaun Edwards to go bat Poopie crazy, likewise Warburton has justified his selection on the pitch but off it the Lions look a bit out of sorts. He needs to sort this but I worry it's beyond him. Even more worrying is that no one else, such as POC or BOD is addressing this. Where is the passion?

Also Horwill after the anthems looked like he was ready to start punching people, the Lions again had little passion or aggression about them.

But then England fans have said the same about their team for a while.

Seagultaf wrote:Simple......... Pick a strong front 5 to control possession. On Saturday the Lions were well beaten up front, poor scrum and lineout and consequently starved of possession.

Vunipola and Parling don't look good enough for test starters. Corbisero or Grant to start, with either Gray or Evans in the second row. I would also be tempted to start with either Hibbard or Best to improve the scrum, also Hibbard has proved he is poor as an impact replacement so maybe swapping him and Youngs may improve the Lions game. Back row, maybe Faletau should come in for Heaslip but if Warburton is not fit then all three spots need to be looked at to ensure a good balance between ball winners and ball users is achieved.

Behind the scrum the only changes I would make are dependent on players overcoming injuries. So Phillips and Roberts to start in place of Youngs and BOD. If Roberts is not fit I would be tempted to have Tuilagi on the bench (again if fit) as an impact sub for when BODs legs get weary.

Can I paraphrase here? basically you would pick wales with a loosehead prop from elsewhere? I love welsh rugby but seriously? really?

ultra wrote:

Seagultaf wrote:Simple......... Pick a strong front 5 to control possession. On Saturday the Lions were well beaten up front, poor scrum and lineout and consequently starved of possession.

Vunipola and Parling don't look good enough for test starters. Corbisero or Grant to start, with either Gray or Evans in the second row. I would also be tempted to start with either Hibbard or Best to improve the scrum, also Hibbard has proved he is poor as an impact replacement so maybe swapping him and Youngs may improve the Lions game. Back row, maybe Faletau should come in for Heaslip but if Warburton is not fit then all three spots need to be looked at to ensure a good balance between ball winners and ball users is achieved.

Behind the scrum the only changes I would make are dependent on players overcoming injuries. So Phillips and Roberts to start in place of Youngs and BOD. If Roberts is not fit I would be tempted to have Tuilagi on the bench (again if fit) as an impact sub for when BODs legs get weary.

Can I paraphrase here? basically you would pick wales with a loosehead prop from elsewhere? I love welsh rugby but seriously? really?  

I think he would include Sexton; Bowe and possibly SOB - But that would be it after Corbisiero:thumbsup: 

The thumbs up makes it funny, ergo you're correct.......Bowe, SoB, Corbs, Croft, Manu, Grey (if and only if, we can win the tight), Youngs, Heaslip and Hogg for the bench. Just for starters, would make the wales team be able to compete in the ways they need to with Oz.... 

Pick the best players even if they aren't English!

Its the Lions for goodness sake.

Australia were absolutely not the best team in the first test, the referee threw them lifeline after lifeline. They were considerably better in the second test though. The Lions need players who can get them over the gainline, Tuilagi has to come in at 12. No harm to Davies but he just isn't the right man for the job. O'Brien needs to be in the backrow, and Tipuric too if they want to play a more open, attacking style. I don't think the Lions can do it by just defending the whole match, they have to go out and take it from the Australians.

 The team to take it to them

15 - 1/2p
14 - Cuthbert
13 - Roberts
12 - BOD (Mannu on bench)
11 - Piggy Back North
10 - Sexton (last chance or he's coming off)
9 - Phillips
8 - Faletau
7 - Tipuric
6 - SOB
5 - Ianto (Best 2nd row in 6 nations and abrasive enough to go after them)
4 - AWJ
3 - Cole
2 - Hibbard
1 - Corbisiero

It's showtime - go get it boys

RubyGuby wrote: The team to take it to them

15 - 1/2p
14 - Cuthbert
13 - Roberts
12 - BOD (Mannu on bench)
11 - Piggy Back North
10 - Sexton (last chance or he's coming off)
9 - Phillips
8 - Faletau
7 - Tipuric
6 - SOB
5 - Ianto (Best 2nd row in 6 nations and abrasive enough to go after them)
4 - AWJ
3 - Cole
2 - Hibbard
1 - Corbisiero

It's showtime - go get it boys

Good team, only disagree with 8 and 12 but there you go............GO GET IT!!!

this is the team id like to see

15 - 1/2p
14 - Cuthbert
13 - Tualangi
12 - Davies
11 - North
10 - Sexton
9 - Youngs
8 - Heaslip
7 - O Brian
6 - Lydiate
5 - Gray
4 - AWJ
3 - Jones
2 - Hibbard
1 - Corbisiero

bench

Grant
Youngs
Cole
Parling
Croft or Faletau
Farell
BOD
Maitland or Bowe