Some encouraging TV rugby
[For those sports fans who did not watch British television coverage of what happened on the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand and England tour to Argentina yesterday, please refer to the match reports in your newspapers of choice. My following reflections are based exclusively upon my own television viewing and are no more valid than anyone else’s.]
CHRISTCHURCH CRUSADERS v BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS
(SKY SPORTS from 0800 hours UK time – kick off 0830 hours)
This welcome and unexpected 12-3 victory over the leading Kiwi provincial side – previously an undefeated and multi-try-scoring outfit this season – was impressive on several counts and owed much to clan Farrell. Dad Andy is the Lions’ defence coach and son Owen must now surely be the fly half around which Warren Gatland is going to build his Test team.
The Lions’ pack, defence, discipline and Owen’s control won this game and showed the only way that they can beat the All Blacks which is ultimately how this tour will be remembered (or not).
The Southern Hemisphere version is all about open broken-play, free-flowing, rugby of which New Zealanders are the world’s leading exponents. There is only one Northern Hemisphere team that ever beat them at their own game, the 1971 Lions, and therefore, irrespective of whether one regards it as negative or boring, the route to success for their 2017 counterparts (inevitably hobbled before they began by their lack of preparation time and ridiculous schedule) is to circle the wagons and play ten-man rugby unless and until they gain a foothold in the opposition’s 22 and then take their try-scoring chances.
Toby Faletau (again) at Number 8, Owen Farrell (fly half), Conor Murray (scrum half), George Kruis and Alun Wyn Jones (locks) were the stand-out Lions though I’d give honourable mentions to the props, Johnny Sexton who came on in midfield and wing threequarter Anthony Watson, the one back who looked at home when play broke up and became chaotic.
Discipline was tight – the penalty count against the tourists was halved from last Wednesday’s game with the Blues. Owen Farrell was virtually bullet-proof off the kicking tee and imperious at orchestrating play around the park. Genetically a nailed-on Test animal character-wise, the more intense the pressure the cooler he becomes.
Here’s what coach Warren Gatland must do. Forget all thoughts of heroics and flashy play and simply concentrate upon strangling the life out of the All Blacks – and their fanatical crowds – by crushing them up front and at the line-outs. Play the percentages, play territory and keep control (I keep saying that).
That’s the thing about Kiwis. Their entire national culture and self-image is built around the All Blacks and their arrogance about their pre-eminence (to be fair, more based upon quiet assumption than bragging) is all-consuming until someone stands up to them and actually beats them.
If you do that, you gain their respect.
The one aspect of the Lions that is a cause for concern is in the backs. Thus far in attack they’ve exhibited little penetration or ability to execute half-chances, let alone near-certainties. This is a worry. My fear is that, without developing these very soon, the chances of the Lions winning Tests is going to be reduced. Some pundits and reporters are pushing for Anthony Watson to be given a chance to show what he can do from full-back – personally, I’m not yet a convert on this but there’s still time (just).
ARGENTINA v ENGLAND in San Juan, Argentina
(BBC2 from 2000 hours UK time, kick-off 2015 hours)
This 38-34 England win in a far off land was a remarkable affair, most particularly because – with the core of their first team in New Zealand with the Lions – the England match day 23 featured no fewer than ten debutants and in flanker Tom Curry, 19 next week, the youngest to have played for England since Jonny Wilkinson.
Argentina is a tough place to tour with its passionate and nosy crowds and love of the power-based forward play at which its monster packs always excel. But they’re no longer a one-trick pony: in recent times, especially since they joined the Tri-Nations and Super-Rugby competitions, they’ve been developing innovative back-play with flair almost in 7-a-side style. They don’t win regularly against the big nations but they’re getting there.
As already hinted, I don’t propose to review the England performance player-by-player but there were some very encouraging signs across the park for coach Eddie Jones. If he was miffed at having missed out on Lions selection, at least George Ford (fly half) had his ‘game hat’ screwed on firmly. He was immaculate, not least in the kicking department, which is one for which he sometimes gets criticised.
What I will add is that this was one of the most exciting rugby matches I have seen in decades.
After a slow beginning – some prolonged mucking-about by the front-rows at scrum time began to irritate until referee Nigel Owens (who had an excellent outing all round) read the Riot Act – about half an hour in it erupted into ding-dong mayhem with end to end inter-passing on both sides and thus it continued all the way to over-time and the final whistle.
Sometimes one can become despondent at player sizes and fitness developments and even the numbness of modern rugby’s coached systems but, when you get a breathless full-on attack-fest involving all thirty players like this one last night, somehow your fears for the future of the game seem to melt away.
