The new games in heaven thread (Rugby and Cricket)

[Memnoch]

Hi Donut! Hi PB!

This article appeared in the UK's prestigious Mirror newspaper. It's from a touring Lions supporter. Lovely people by the way, brought a lot of colour to Sydney!



RUGBY UNION: AS ONE EX-PAT SAID TO ME: AT LEAST YOU ARE GOING HOME!


FANTASTIC country, Australia, so why is it we just can't leave quickly enough?

When I booked my flights, I fully intended to stay in Sydney for a few days after the Lions series, to bask in the glory of a momentous victory. Now, in the almighty hangover of defeat, I'm jealous of those who were on the first plane out on Sunday morning.

It's not that the Aussies are unpleasant. Just that they take winning for granted. You quickly bore of congratulating them (through gritted teeth) on being the best in the world at everything.

And they never tire of beating the mother country. One local journo gleefully suggested it could be because "England exported its best genetic stock with the First Fleet".

It could be worse, I suppose. One old codger I met somewhere in the drunken haze of Saturday night had seen the bottom drop out of his world.

The ex-pat (forgive me forgetting his name) had been to the match, but he looked as if he'd been sat on the same bar stool for seven years. His eyes were barely open, and he had a frown like a St Bernard.

"At least you can go home," he said. "I live here. I've got to put up with this for the next 12 years."

I might have replied, at least, that he doesn't have to fly back to the Ashes.

The match itself was a fitting finale. So tight that most of the Barmy Army sat for the last half-hour biting their nails rather than raising the epic chorus that might have spurred the Lions to victory.

The British and Irish fans, sitting on the two great wings of the incredible Stadium Australia, were unlit and virtually invisible, while the spotlights shone on the massed ranks in gold throughout the match. True Aussie gamesmanship.

But we're not bitter. We've had a warm welcome everywhere, and made a lot of friends. The chief of the Australian RU, no less, paid tribute to "a great band of Lions supporters".

There are already cracks showing, though, in the united front of the last six weeks.

A Lions tour is a unique chance to forget national differences, but it doesn't take long for old feelings to resurface. Within minutes of the final whistle, one group could be heard chanting "Wales, Wales".

Later an Englishman said: "Well, at least we can stop being nice to the Welsh now."


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[Davros]

Hi Memsie,

Donut was here lurking a few minutes ago , but we may have scared him away . I might be doing him an injustice but - it may just be that the hangover is still to rough after a couple of days . Nice article by the way - I enjoyed it .

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[Memnoch]

I've discovered the magical world of British press

Here's an article from the official Lions Tour website, www.lionstour.com, written by a truly magnificent writer (he's British, too!)


Harrison the star as Wallabies take the spoils
By Scrum's John Taylor, who toured with the Lions in 1968 and 71

'It's greatly disappointing but you have to give credit to Australia because they played well under pressure and we didn't handle their line-out.' - Graham Henry July 14th 2001. That one small sentence was a fitting epitaph for this tumultuous tour.

Henry, quite correctly, chose the line-out as the decisive battle in this final epic encounter. The Wallabies did not just win it they wiped the Lions out in an area where the tourists probably thought they had the edge.

Austin Healey should be hung drawn and quartered by his team-mates at the final court session for his puerile, boorish attack on Justin Harrison. Everything written in Britain is reported back to Australia and Healey's column in The Guardian (I know they have always been the champions of free speech but, surely, that does not justify dross like this!) certainly fired up the 6ft 8inch second-row. I have never seen a more impressive debutant. He was magnificent and if John Eales is seriously thinking about retiring at the end of the season they have the perfect replacement waiting in the wings.

Since lifting was legalised the side throwing in has usually had too much of an advantage but Harrison used his height and athleticism superbly to disrupt the Lions. At one point you felt Martin Johnson was deliberately throwing away from him - why else would you call high risk long throws to the back inside your own 22 in a tight game and deep into the final quarter, particularly when your thrower has had trouble hitting his men all match? It proved the fatal flaw. On one occasion Neil Back found himself jumping against Eales and on another Wood threw short yet again and Martin Corry came up with a shove in the back so obvious that every Australian in the crowd called it before the referee.

Matt Burke slotted the penalty and another, given away in desperation as they literally (but illegally) tried to get their hands on the ball to make it 29-23 and the Lions needed a converted try to win. To their credit they recovered the ball, won a penalty, and set up the chance of a final assault with a line-out on the Wallabies' 22.

Johnson trusted himself at last - I am sure it was supposed to be the catch and lay-off to Danny Grewcock with Back and the rest of the pack driving over - but a totally fired up Harrison got a hand to the ball and the last chance was gone. Nice one Austin!

Nevertheless, it was still a heroic effort. I confess I was worried that the Lions' resolve might have evaporated in the final week but it was not the spirit which was found wanting and if Jonny Wilkinson had kicked with his normal accuracy they could still have won. He did wonderfully well to make it on to the field and scored a terrific try but I would have put alot of money on him kicking that final penalty to give the Lions a 26-23 lead and for once he failed.

If that had gone over the Lions would not have needed to be quite so desperate and it could easily have ended level. That would have been a fitting end.

However, it would be churlish to detract from the Wallabies' triumph. As Henry said, 'they played well under pressure' and their two tries were both out of the top drawer. Under Rod Macqueen they have developed a fluency which few other teams can match. The handling skills are silky smooth and their patience as they recycle the ball half a dozen times if necessary until the gaps appear is exemplary.

They also have a couple of gems in key positions. George Gregan re-established himself as the best scrum-half in the world as far as I am concerned with a dazzling display of distribution skills nobody else can match and George Smith is Back with bells on. The Wallabies clearly won the battle of the back-rows and the young open-side was man of the match as he constantly disrupted the Lions' possession by getting to the ball so quickly that they could not recycle after the tackle. He is having such a devastating effect on the way the game is being played at the breakdown that it might even be necessary to rewrite the laws.

After all the post mortems this should be remembered as an epic series between two very evenly matched teams with the Lions coming up 'just short' as Johnson put it. No disgrace in that.



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[Davros]

Nice article Memmsie,

Plaudits for Harrison, brickbats for our mate Austin, and recognition of the impact that Smith is having on 2nd phase play. His last 3 halves of the series was more in line with his efforts for Canberra this year. Good weekend to look forward to - the Lord's test and the Open Championship for Royal Lytham (too much to hope for OZ success in the golf I think ).



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[Psychedelic Buttafly]

Tom Smith for the British Lions should really be given some recognition for his input to the team the Scottish Prop is very rarely given any praise.
As for George Smith he is always getting on the wrong side of the ball!!!

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[Psychedelic Buttafly]

As for Jonny Wilkonson I think he is crap!!!! Clive Woodward says he is one of the best fly halfs in the world I very much disagree!!!!!

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[Psychedelic Buttafly]

Did I mention, no effence to anyone else but as being a fellow Scot I hate the English and their arrogance!!!!Espiacially Clive Woodward,he thinks Northern Hemisphere Rugby is ruled by his team!!!! Wrong!!!

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[Psychedelic Buttafly]

Ohh well guess no one here to talk to

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[Donut]

Originally posted by Psychedelic Buttafly: Did I mention, no effence to anyone else but as being a fellow Scot I hate the English and their arrogance!!!!

Oh dear PB - and I am so fond of you All this hatred in one so young, how will I sleep tonight knowing that you hate me so much?

Email to self - try to be a little less arrogant from now on.

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Save Chip - Don't let Sarah win!
Official Titterer of the Laughing Hyenas

[Davros]

Hi PB and Donut,

LOL, settle down you pair . My 4 Scottish granparents, and many Scottish relatives have a little of that "anti Sassenach" bias as well. I also saw it the other way in the papers over there (ie the "Joe Brown, English athlete....", and "Jock McTavish, British athlete......"). How can I get the pair of you to unite - I know.....

PB, trust me, the English aren't really all that smug. Now the Aussies, they, o the other hand, are having enough success on the sporting fields to be really smug . What price an Aussie for the Open Championship .

(Davros ducks down to avoid incoming)

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