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

[BaggyTrousers]

See this I could get in to ....

Hmmmmmmmm me too Fleg. Sounds great Kofi. Here is a plan for you.

Pay Mike Burton or his ilk a small or quite largish fortune, tour Oz, SA or NZ - all decent wine producers - go on a wine tour, use public transport, see the sights, don't bother going to the game cos its crap. Recipe for a high old time, come home give your liver a rest.

Did I ever tell you I'm from a long line of long livers & floating kidneys?

[Snipe Watson]

There are going to be some very well vented spleens by the time this Lions tour is over.
This is the best therapy Baggy has had in years. He’ll be a sheer delight for the rest of the summer, chilled and full of joie de vivre, much to the relief of the present Mrs Trousers!!

[mikerob]

But I’m trying to get to grips with why others get all excited about it – and I think or hope I’ve begun to understand it.

I think the social aspect is key.

If someone's only exposure to Ulster games was on TV, sitting at home with only gusher to keep them company, no experience of the atmosphere of seeing the team at home, or away (or even in a crowded pub!), then how involved and passionate do you think they would be about the team? Not very, would be my thought.

The attachment to a team can be because the games are a social event and shared experience with others.

[Cornerfleg]

Sir ... your Cortisol levels are worryingly dangerous and ... well these norepinephrine tests are off the charts, I'll be frank sir ... unless you can watch the 3rd test this Saturday and spend a good portion of the 80 minutes suggesting where that Warren Gatland - Warren Gatland can shove his George North, what Sky can do with their CGI effects and where the Post Code Lottery man can go and address himself to - first class - you may not see September ...

Nurse I want this man given a good rendering of the Power of Four forthwith.

[BuckRogers]

That's probably a good enough similarity to be fair mike. Taking yourself out of the confines of your comfortable front room or whatever to engage with others and enjoy te match with other people's input and energy.

I would describe a Lions tour as an Ulster away trip on steroids. You can say you don't like X or Y type people from NI-the posh, the pompous or the poor...whatever. You tend to meet a wide cross-section but by and large they all add to the experience.

There are boorish anglo's, annoying taffs who dare suggest foxy Davies is better than BOD and the old sweaty sock who thinks Ritchie Gray is the next coming of POC but its all great craic and camaraderie at the end of the day.

I imagine that the result is largely second in the minds of most Lions fans. A win is special, I will always consider myself extremely lucky to have been there in 1997 perhaps a little more so than 2001. That said it was like how I travelled to Twickenham in 2012-the being there was as important as the result itself.

Think I've said my piece on the matter. Each to their own.

[BaggyTrousers]

There are going to be some very well vented spleens by the time this Lions tour is over.
This is the best therapy Baggy has had in years. He’ll be a sheer delight for the rest of the summer, chilled and full of joie de vivre, much to the relief of the present Mrs Trousers!!

I'll have you know young man that when I need my bumps read, I seek professional bump readers, not you amateurs.

As for the present Mrs Trousers, she lives in a permanent state of contentment, much indeed as I have with her - aw shucks, don't it do yer heart good.

Mind you, Lions tours and RWCs, crap though they are, do indeed provide excellent ranting opportunities. Its the tricky years in between that I usually get bored here, insult someone most grievously and save the mods the trouble of banning me. Splendid chaps by and large the mods. I do so hate to bother them too much.

That Judge Dredd bloke, I'd say he is a teacher in real life, with his green marker for sorting out chubes. Likes to give a lecture, must be a teacher, probably primary school given his ability to rein in childish wee chubes like BNP. What do you reckon Sniper me oul' China?

[Father Jack]

Don't forget that Jack's never far away either

[Snipe Watson]

The custodians of this board, like our proprietor, are good men and true. Of that there can be little doubt. As for Judge Dredd, he may indeed be a purveyor of wisdom and mentor to the next generation, not unlike myself. I do not know........

Father Jack I do know is head of pastoral care at St Chucky's school for bewildered Ulster chubes who support Turnipstan.

[Cornerfleg]

Ohhhh .... show of strength

[Snipe Watson]

Anyone for a parade?

[Cornerfleg]

Excellent idea Snipe – Just what we need here – a good ye olde ye world parade ... just as soon as I've finished disposing of the wee scrotes who thought that at 1 o'clock this morning what everyone needed was a Spides on the WKD party with one mandatory Pope kicking moron producing a set of drum sticks and demonstrating his parradiddles on a back door - all feckin night.

Surely there must be more civilised ways of debating the theological dogmas of figurative or literal transubstantiation - other than singing some nauseating chant about some dutch chube knocking seven shades out of some Irish chubes, huners of years ago and emphasising this with a side drumming 'masterclass' on a back door at 1 in the bloody morning ...

[pwrmoore]

Surely there must be more civilised ways of debating the theological dogmas of figurative or literal transubstantiation - other than singing some nauseating chant about some dutch chube knocking seven shades out of some Irish chubes, huners of years ago and emphasising this with a side drumming 'masterclass' on a back door at 1 in the bloody morning ...

Was it not some Dutch chube knocking seven shades out of some Scottish chube over who had the right to sit in an English chair? Do you think if they'd chosen somewhere else for their argument we might have been spared all this crap?

[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.

Actually Jizzer, I should have commented on the management bit of that, I remember when the legendary Carwyn James was the backs coach of the Lions in 1971. He had an aura about him, almost mystical and had been heavily involved in churning out great Welsh players, like Barry John at LLanelli before the great one moved to Caaaaadiff.

He was viewed almost as more important than any player, he was the man who breathed life and adventure into a backline that had a degree of talent that this happless shower can only dream of: Edwards, John, Bevan, Dawes, Gibson, Davies, JPR. The great days of Welsh rugby with an Irish genius thrown in for good measure. Some of the greatest players in their positions to this day, at least 5 of them.

Now tell me, who amongst recent Lions coaching teams has had anything like that, Telfer is the most recent but he too goes way back into last century.

You have stumbled across the crux of the matter Bagster.
I said at the start of this series that Joe Schmidt should have gone as an attack coach.
Gatland went with Howley who did have sucess on the 2009 tour in bringing the best out of the likes of Roberts,Bowe ,Kearney, BOD and Phillips, playing some great stuff in the backs as a result.
Some of the decoy lines and interchanging of play were something to behold and completely absent in this series so far.
This tour he has gone same again with Howley which I couldnt blame him for on that basis.

The tactics are no risk,dull and apart from the odd moment of individual brilliance we are not getting the best out of these players and who is exactly at fault may be a debate in itself but the buck stops with Gatland.
I just wonder if the absence of Roberts has thrown them but Tuilagi was an obvious like for like who was ignored in the last test.
I hope we really decide to go for it on the final test to give everyone including yourself something to watch and admire as in years past.

[mikerob]

I dunno about that bazzaj - I doubt if Schmidt could have made much difference.

The foundation of any team is the set piece and the Lions has been very shaky, and that is Rowntree's area. Without a decent platform, any team will struggle to attack.

The Lions went into the tour thinking the scrum would be a weapon but after the injuries to Healy, Jenkins and Corbisiero, it was barely holding together with Vunipola. The line-out has been less than convincing whatever hooker has been throwing. When it has worked, it has provided safe ball off the front but has never delivered any real attacking ball.

[bazzaj]

Rowntree has been culpable Mike and injuries havent helped but our selections and tactics are at fault as well.
Great point about the platform required but the lines of running have not been good along with the decoys or getting our wings running hard and late in the midfield which is what they do.
Instead they just told them to chase kicks it would seem which I could have told them.

They were not under any more pressure than they were against the box last time, yet managed not one linebreak through tactics and selection.
We were breaking through an excellent spring box side for fun in 09 and they were vastly superior than this Aussie team.

Its easy sometimes to say we didnt have the right ball but we do have enough decent players in the squad to make something happen, other than having to kick the ball away.
Thats what the attack coach is for essentially, I would have thought.