Just asking .... is it just me ....

[Amiga500]

Sky have ruined it.

Some proper coverage - complete with proper analysis and if required, criticism of sh!te play and sh!te tactics when they occur - wouldn't go amiss.


Not 4 hours of nauseating crap about the jersey this, the badge that, McGeechan's tears the other. They need to punt Quinell, punt McGeehan, punt Woodward* (grade A tosser), punt Greenwood (who is alright for HEC, but loses the run of himself on Lions) and pay more attention to Wallace and (especially) Dean Ryan. At least Ieuan Evans isn't there - he is as bad as Quinell.



*I did see this vomit inducing clown on providing "punditry" on some the matches didn't I? 10 years on and he is still riding on the back of Johnny Wilkinson's ability to drop a goal.

[ruckover]

The hype that Sky bring to it make the actual matches seem small by comparison. Playing Living with the Lions every night, replaying the matches every weekday, it's too much. They overhyped the little warm-up matches too. If there was half of that it would be bearable. I found myself watching the first test and actually saying to myself, "Is this actually the big game?"

[bazzaj]

Agree with Amiga on this and Ian McGeechan came out with the worst bit of hindsight punditary in history.
On the last second penalty he said we should have tapped and went to get in range.
In fairness Quinell called him on it pointing out if they did tap and go and knocked it on then they would have been murdered for not taking the kick.

Not much substance to it all probably due to the over emotional attachment which Ryan does not have, allowing him to be his usual excellent objective self.
Michael Lynagh would have brought more of a balance and not allowed the rest to get too carried away.
Brendan Cannon and Rod Kafers contributions are insightful but all too brief.

Saw Baggys post along with others and I am starting to get the dislike of the Lions which says more about the current format and management and hype rather than the actual concept itself.
I can see that side of things.

[BaggyTrousers]

the Power of 4 ... what a song ... still brings tears to my sphincter ....

A 15 clap salute Fleg & well deserved. Feck Sadie, I roared, actually not only roared but feckin' guldered, damn near trebled on the floor.

[BaggyTrousers]

I agree, very much, with the point KingLuba makes; it is rare that rugby gets to have the spotlight. The 6 Nations, sometimes, goes some of the way but even then, will be beaten down the pecking order by some big football news. The Lions never is. As a rugby fan, it is genuinely nice to see how much Lions tours dominate sports media when they happen. I can't see how that can be bad for the game.

Despite that, I feel no emotional attachments to the Lions in the way I do Ireland or Ulster. I'm happy to see them win but I am not going to bellow the way I do when watching teams that I have an emotional attachment to. That does not mean I don't like the concept of the Lions. I do. That some don't like it doesn't make it irrelevant. I think some in this thread need to realise the difference. A lot of people like the Lions and think it has an important place in the rugby calendar.

Yes, the media circus and the Lions are interlinked; the media, especially Sky, has an incentive to make their investment pay off as much as possible but if the Lions didn't already have that *something*, no amount of razzmatazz, adverts and shouting would make the investment worth it. Given that the Lions have that something, I think many are guilty of transposing their own disinterest into something entirely different and rather patently obviously not true...

All well and good Neil but my understanding is that it still hasn't made the back pages of most Aussie papers and many sports journalists there, other than RU, are scathing about how boring the rugby has been.

Gatland is doing fine job of killing off interest in the Lions, they simply do not deserve to win this series, simple as that. BUt for Kurtly, it should be already lost. Wales over recent years have tended to be high tempo & very watchable or truly dreadful, for the Lions, just dreadful. In fairness, this is far removed from a vintage pride.

[BaggyTrousers]

I cared more about the Confederations Cup

What's that Russ, ladies tennis??????????

Have to say I'm really enjoying missing every single minute of Wimbledon.

Anybody know or care is Henman in or out yet?

[BuckRogers]

I thought I posted this in another thread but it appears yaptalk didn't get it across.

If you have been on a Lions tour and dislike the concept ill respect your opinion as you will have at least lived and breathed it for a whole. Don't personally understand how you didn't get caught up but there you go.

If you haven't had the fortune to go on a Lions tour and have decided you don't like it I suggest it possible you get onto one before you meet your maker/feed the worms. I made 97 in SA and 2001 in Aus and 2009 in SA and was sorely close to it again this year only I don't think the better half would have dealt with it terribly well. I would be surprised it even the most anti Lions person would be converted.

Without a doubt it was the best rugby event I have ever been involved in after Ulster winning the ERC in Dublin and even that was a close run thing. The craic and atmosphere every day you are there is just electric. It's like being a Heineken Cup final every day. The locals love it, there are so many fans from across GB&Ire that you can't help get swept up in it all.

I just hope to make it to NZ, win lose or draw its a country that truely live and breathe rugby more so than even the boks.

[Cornerfleg]

I've no idea how Tiger Tim is doing Baggy .... but there is nothing gives me greater happiness than the bake on the Williams brother in an interview after she got her ass handed back to her against a woman tennis player - and let me tell you something thon is a sizeable ass ... in fact it's as big an ass as one woman can have without being two asses ...

[Cornerfleg]

Buck I totally respect your post ... as I said I know a few who have been on a tour and loved it ... that is not really the issue ... I've had some really great holidays myself, with some great people ... fortunately these were not disrupted every so often by 80 minutes of complete crud on a pitch.

[BaggyTrousers]

Saw Baggys post along with others and I am starting to get the dislike of the Lions which says more about the current format and management and hype rather than the actual concept itself.
I can see that side of things.

At last Jizzer , on the concept - Old Lions tours were class, modern pro tours usually stink the house out, this one is no exception.

SKY playing a lot on history, wheeling out Willie-John etc, plus more modern Lions like Hastings squared, but really, when those guys were about it was the pinnacle of the game, it also produced some special rugby because over a long tour some of those old heroes got "professionally" fit and it produced great rugby. Nowadays the players look jaded after a hugely long season of pro rugby. Not an ounce of inspiration to be seen.

That, my friend, is why I state with utter confidence that it has not only lost its sparkle but has passed it's sell by date. As stated on other threads, I also hate the commercial nature of the Lions who tie supporters to the likes of Burton and allows them to be mercilessly ripped off.

I haven't the remotest interest of ever going to a Lions match, also think the RWC is a waste of time for countries like Ireland but if I had to make a choice, I'd go support Ireland at a world cup, not even something I'd have to think about for 10 seconds.

[Cornerfleg]

Dont think I've ever agreed so much with someone elses post. Spot on sir.

[Neil F]

All well and good Neil but my understanding is that it still hasn't made the back pages of most Aussie papers and many sports journalists there, other than RU, are scathing about how boring the rugby has been.

Gatland is doing fine job of killing off interest in the Lions, they simply do not deserve to win this series, simple as that. BUt for Kurtly, it should be already lost. Wales over recent years have tended to be high tempo & very watchable or truly dreadful, for the Lions, just dreadful. In fairness, this is far removed from a vintage pride.

To be honest, I'm not massively concerned how much publicity the game gets in Australia. By extension, nor am I about how the game grows in Australia (or England, Wales and Scotland, for that matter) but how it grows in Ireland. All that about no publicity being bad publicity and all of that... Anything that keeps the sport in the headlines and moves it further up the headlines than it otherwise would have been is fine in my book. It's certainly doing no harm; it's not going to turn people off rugby and the involved unions are getting more cash in their pockets, one would suspect.

The quality of the rugby played is a different matter; I didn't see the second test because I was far too busy having time with awesome people in Eastern Europe but it sounds even less exciting than the first test which, bar a few moments of exceptional talent, was as dull as Pro12 game on a Six Nations weekend. That's a different matter, though.

All of that said, to turn your point on its head, were it not for Leigh, the series would already be won...

[againstthehead]

ah, dry your eyes lads. Amazing scenes from Melbourne which will eclipse anything you well ever see in the six nations. Sure, the rugby itself hasn't been amazing on the eye - although there were some magic moments in the 1st test. And the sight of North picking the tackler up and marching him back up the park was just outstanding - if Ferris did that we'd all be wetting our pants. Bar watching Ulster win a HEC, I'd say a Lions tour of NZ would be my dream away day. Magical stuff. That said, the warm-up games are a joke these days and were close to ruining the test matches.

[bazzaj]

Saw Baggys post along with others and I am starting to get the dislike of the Lions which says more about the current format and management and hype rather than the actual concept itself.
I can see that side of things.

At last Jizzer , on the concept - Old Lions tours were class, modern pro tours usually stink the house out, this one is no exception.

SKY playing a lot on history, wheeling out Willie-John etc, plus more modern Lions like Hastings squared, but really, when those guys were about it was the pinnacle of the game, it also produced some special rugby because over a long tour some of those old heroes got "professionally" fit and it produced great rugby. Nowadays the players look jaded after a hugely long season of pro rugby. Not an ounce of inspiration to be seen.

That, my friend, is why I state with utter confidence that it has not only lost its sparkle but has passed it's sell by date. As stated on other threads, I also hate the commercial nature of the Lions who tie supporters to the likes of Burton and allows them to be mercilessly ripped off.

I haven't the remotest interest of ever going to a Lions match, also think the RWC is a waste of time for countries like Ireland but if I had to make a choice, I'd go support Ireland at a world cup, not even something I'd have to think about for 10 seconds.

So Lions tours and World cups are out the window Bagster.
Six nations havent been all that either.
Shall we just abandon international rugby as a concept?

[ruckover]

I'm not overly concerned with the Lions whether they lose or not. I'd say I'm more of a leaning neutral, however I did cheer on the Brumbies two weeks ago. I wasn't overly concerned with the Lions before the squad announcement, and then with the omission of Best I found myself in the Aussie camp. I suppose I've slowly moved back to the Lions supporter camp but I'd still say I don't care who wins the tests.

I'm not that concerned with Ireland either, but I do like to see them win. Kidney probably accounted for some of my unconcern so hopefully under Schmidt I'll be happier to see the national side win, maybe even get to a game every so often. But at the moment Ireland results are not a big concern of mine.

Ulster however, must always win. Simple as.