All Blacks 48 Lions 18
let's just say one team was good, the other was simply better..
a truly superlative game, thanks to the excellent weather conditions in Wellington.. high in tempo and intensity.. and to think that the Lions actually had looked like actually upsetting the heavy odds stacked against them by taking the lead, thanks to some early nerves by the Blacks, exploited by an outstanding Gareth Thomas.. in fact Wilkinson missed a chance to make it 10-0 in just under 10 minutes..
but as the game progressed, the cohesion of the All Blacks started to improve and their grip on the game started to strengthen with strangling possession and territory.. 7-0 slowly became 7-6 before Carter made the first try for Umaga, as the All Blacks became the irresistable force that they were in Christchurch..
the Black tide was simply unstoppable, partly thanks to a wonderful performance from a wonderful no. 10.. if anything this could be the moment Carter takes over Jonny Wilkinson's mantle as the best no.10 in the world.. not that Jonno had a bad game.. far from it.. his effort cannot be doubted although ultimately it led to his premature departure.. but he was firmly put in his place by Carter, who never ceased to look for gaps and breaks in the strong Lions defence.. 33 points is the highest points haul for any All Black against this opposition, but this record merely scratches the surface of what is prob the finest performance by a NZ no.10 since Grant Fox's performance in the first Lions test
of '93..
and perhaps romantically, Carter, the hero of the night, left just three minutes from the end, holding his shoulder, which means he, along with Mauger, are out of the 3rd test in Auckland.. a crisis that would have been had the All Blacks lost.. perhaps it still is as they bid to make it 3-0..
could we see the unexpected one-off return for Mehrtens or Spencer in the black jersey? we'll just have to wait and see..
as for the Lions, well they certainly did put up a lot more resistance than they did at Jade, but ultimately they were just not good enough.. i don't think Dallaglio or O'Driscoll would have made any difference.. these All Blacks can potentially be a dominant force in world rugby if they continue to progress.. that forward pack is prob the best the All Blacks have had in many years.. and as usual, it's not just those 8 forwards who make up that pack, with many others, particularly at loose, able to do as good a job as the incumbents..
i watched the game at the hip and modern Score bar at the beautiful Darling Harbour, and must say that the Kiwis - and Aussies - certainly outnumbered the Brits.. there was one group of Brits but their numbers shrunk towards the end.. they must be glad they dint wear a Lions jersey.. and must also say that Tooheys New is a fantastic beer.. prob the best ale i've ever had.. while Queensland's XXXX is quite similar to Speights..
a fantastic night to be a Kiwi..
a final word for the Lions.. it's just great to see the Ashes series on terrestial station, Channel 7 atm.. means every Aussie has a chance to watch the best contest in world cricket.. and certainly from England's recent form, it looks like the Aussies aren't gonna have it easy this summer.. but what impresses me about this England side is their determination, agility and most importantly cohesion.. Michael Vaughan has created a team that loves to play cricket and it shows.. on the other hand this Lions team just dint seem eager to play rugby.. there was no pattern and there just seemed to be no cohesion.. it felt like a bunch of aliens from different planets playing in the same team..
whatever the case, the flag planted in '71 on top of what is prob now rugby's Mount Everest, will be by itself, at least for another 12 years.. even i can't see that changing if New Zealand rugby continues to be as strong as it is now..
a truly superlative game, thanks to the excellent weather conditions in Wellington.. high in tempo and intensity.. and to think that the Lions actually had looked like actually upsetting the heavy odds stacked against them by taking the lead, thanks to some early nerves by the Blacks, exploited by an outstanding Gareth Thomas.. in fact Wilkinson missed a chance to make it 10-0 in just under 10 minutes..
but as the game progressed, the cohesion of the All Blacks started to improve and their grip on the game started to strengthen with strangling possession and territory.. 7-0 slowly became 7-6 before Carter made the first try for Umaga, as the All Blacks became the irresistable force that they were in Christchurch..
the Black tide was simply unstoppable, partly thanks to a wonderful performance from a wonderful no. 10.. if anything this could be the moment Carter takes over Jonny Wilkinson's mantle as the best no.10 in the world.. not that Jonno had a bad game.. far from it.. his effort cannot be doubted although ultimately it led to his premature departure.. but he was firmly put in his place by Carter, who never ceased to look for gaps and breaks in the strong Lions defence.. 33 points is the highest points haul for any All Black against this opposition, but this record merely scratches the surface of what is prob the finest performance by a NZ no.10 since Grant Fox's performance in the first Lions test
of '93..
and perhaps romantically, Carter, the hero of the night, left just three minutes from the end, holding his shoulder, which means he, along with Mauger, are out of the 3rd test in Auckland.. a crisis that would have been had the All Blacks lost.. perhaps it still is as they bid to make it 3-0..
could we see the unexpected one-off return for Mehrtens or Spencer in the black jersey? we'll just have to wait and see..
as for the Lions, well they certainly did put up a lot more resistance than they did at Jade, but ultimately they were just not good enough.. i don't think Dallaglio or O'Driscoll would have made any difference.. these All Blacks can potentially be a dominant force in world rugby if they continue to progress.. that forward pack is prob the best the All Blacks have had in many years.. and as usual, it's not just those 8 forwards who make up that pack, with many others, particularly at loose, able to do as good a job as the incumbents..
i watched the game at the hip and modern Score bar at the beautiful Darling Harbour, and must say that the Kiwis - and Aussies - certainly outnumbered the Brits.. there was one group of Brits but their numbers shrunk towards the end.. they must be glad they dint wear a Lions jersey.. and must also say that Tooheys New is a fantastic beer.. prob the best ale i've ever had.. while Queensland's XXXX is quite similar to Speights..
a fantastic night to be a Kiwi..
a final word for the Lions.. it's just great to see the Ashes series on terrestial station, Channel 7 atm.. means every Aussie has a chance to watch the best contest in world cricket.. and certainly from England's recent form, it looks like the Aussies aren't gonna have it easy this summer.. but what impresses me about this England side is their determination, agility and most importantly cohesion.. Michael Vaughan has created a team that loves to play cricket and it shows.. on the other hand this Lions team just dint seem eager to play rugby.. there was no pattern and there just seemed to be no cohesion.. it felt like a bunch of aliens from different planets playing in the same team..
whatever the case, the flag planted in '71 on top of what is prob now rugby's Mount Everest, will be by itself, at least for another 12 years.. even i can't see that changing if New Zealand rugby continues to be as strong as it is now..
posted by Unknown at 5:36 pm
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