British and Irish Lions - Can I Feel The Magic?

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:12:08:35:01 by Kimbo.

Paul,

Enjoy your trip but from what I read the LIONS brand has already been hijacked by the media who are trying to wring every penny out of it that they can. Seat tickets ridiculously priced and an under strength Argentina. I don't blame the players, they are being asked to play 24/7 these days. But they do need a down season to refresh, and the media won't allow that. Just look at this mickey mouse football going on in the USA. Just for TV and no-one is interested. It is the CRICKET SEASON now. At least Headingly is full today! Have a great time...

As a completely irrelevant aside (in the spirit of keeping the site going).
Guesses as to which match (and I want the date, oppo, and scoreline) Paul has used for the thumbnail photo of this article.
(I know, cos I took it 😉😊).

I have zero interest in the British lions, it just means more rugby than we need. 12 months of the year is too much for players and the fans. As someone else has said above, no better than the endless Micky Mouse football tournaments world wide. Money making exercise, nothing more.

Quote:

Kimbo
As a completely irrelevant aside (in the spirit of keeping the site going).
Guesses as to which match (and I want the date, oppo, and scoreline) Paul has used for the thumbnail photo of this article.
(I know, cos I took it 😉😊).

Last game at Coundon Road v Manchester W 29-13 ??

Total guess, but I was there. £9 at the turnstiles and my two kids went free.

Quote:

Kimbo

Quote:

covkid1953

Quote:

Kimbo
As a completely irrelevant aside (in the spirit of keeping the site going).
Guesses as to which match (and I want the date, oppo, and scoreline) Paul has used for the thumbnail photo of this article.
(I know, cos I took it 😉😊).

Last game at Coundon Road v Manchester W 29-13 ??

Total guess, but I was there. £9 at the turnstiles and my two kids went free.

Right game. Wrong scoreline.

Quote:

Kimbo

Quote:

Kimbo

Quote:

covkid1953

Quote:

Kimbo
As a completely irrelevant aside (in the spirit of keeping the site going).
Guesses as to which match (and I want the date, oppo, and scoreline) Paul has used for the thumbnail photo of this article.
(I know, cos I took it 😉😊).

Last game at Coundon Road v Manchester W 29-13 ??

Total guess, but I was there. £9 at the turnstiles and my two kids went free.

Right game. Wrong scoreline.

I'll let others guess that 😁

17th April 2004 and we won 34-20. Not a good season for us only winning 7 games out of 28 played avoiding relegation to National League 2 by the skin of our teeth

Quote:

Old Faithful
17th April 2004 and we won 34-20. Not a good season for us only winning 7 games out of 28 played avoiding relegation to National League 2 by the skin of our teeth

Quite.
Still I managed to liberate a few souvenirs from Coundon Road that day so it wasn't all bad.
Lots of blue balloons too!

Quote:

diverkevod
Paul,
Enjoy your trip but from what I read the LIONS brand has already been hijacked by the media who are trying to wring every penny out of it that they can. Seat tickets ridiculously priced and an under strength Argentina. I don't blame the players, they are being asked to play 24/7 these days. But they do need a down season to refresh, and the media won't allow that. Just look at this mickey mouse football going on in the USA. Just for TV and no-one is interested. It is the CRICKET SEASON now. At least Headingly is full today! Have a great time...

Aviva sold out.

BB

Only managed to see the last 15 minutes or so. Time enough to see Kelleher overthrow at a line out close to the line and Bierne give away a penalty for a neck roll, again near the line. Great defence from Argentina.

Don't see how the lions is any more commercialised/money driven than any other rugby competition nowadays - the 6n, world cup etc. Unlike the world cup it has the prestige and history of 130 years behind it.

Was at the aviva friday - atmosphere was rocking.

I was just watching the 2nd episode of the Lions In-house YouTube content, spotted a fan in Cov away shirt celebrating the Lions 2nd Try.

At 16 minutes, anybody on here?

[youtu.be]

Quote:

CovBlueLou
I was just watching the 2nd episode of the Lions In-house YouTube content, spotted a fan in Cov away shirt celebrating the Lions 2nd Try.
At 16 minutes, anybody on here?

[youtu.be]

Just watched this too, great to se that Cov Shirt after the try.
We are definitely taking our Cov Shirts to Australia, will also have our Cov Rugby flag on show so look out for us. Leave on July 14th for all 3 tests

Totally lost the magic for me big mistake giving it to Farrell to run might as well call it the Irish Lions thank god they did not win the six nations otherwise their would be 12+ Irish players in each game. This goes against all the previous goodwill of picking players for the squad. England finished highest so should have had the most in the squad. Wish them the best of luck but I'm losing interest.

Quote:

Colin61
Totally lost the magic for me big mistake giving it to Farrell to run might as well call it the Irish Lions thank god they did not win the six nations otherwise their would be 12+ Irish players in each game. This goes against all the previous goodwill of picking players for the squad. England finished highest so should have had the most in the squad. Wish them the best of luck but I'm losing interest.

Feel this is very harsh on Ireland, especially in a year where the 6n was so tight.

They finished with 4 wins and 1 loss, the same as England, and England lost to them - its only a France masterclass that stopped an Irish GS. In another reality, Finn kicks that conversion against England and we finish 3rd - the margins were that tight.

Ireland are the highest ranked Northern Hemisphere team in the world according to the rankings - theyve been consistently far better than England over the last few years, and Id struggle to name many of their players who dont deserve a spot (and I'd struggle to name many Englishman who were unlucky to miss out).

15 Irish, 13 English, 8 Scottish, 2 Welsh. Seems a very fair mix based on form in recent times. England finishing above them in the recent 6N by a single point, while also losing to Ireland, doesnt automatically mean England should dominate the squd imo.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025:06:26:11:18:56 by dawson9.

Couldn't agree more d9!

Have the Lions in recent times ever picked "goodwill" players?

Agree with dawson9 - 15/13 is reasonable. Gatland was worse, choosing a lot of ordinary Welsh players last time.

Agree with dawson9 - 15/13 is reasonable. Gatland was worse, choosing a lot of ordinary Welsh players last time.

Yes, agree, excellent post d9.

Says the boy brought up on The Gower.

First game he's chosen 8 Irish and two England players, more Scots than English.
I support Ireland but there's something not right there.

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covkid1953
First game he's chosen 8 Irish and two England players, more Scots than English.
I support Ireland but there's something not right there.

People are reading way too much into team selections at this point - this was literally just a chance to get gametime to all the squad who didnt play vs argentina - which mean there was a heavy Irish influence to the lineup as the Leinster boys were back in the squad following the URC final. Selection on the first tour game wont have any influence on test selection.

Also not sure why people seem to think that Farrell, the Englishman, would have an anti-English bias or have any incentive to do anything but pick the best team possible to win the tests. It's not like his Irish job is on the line.

Think we can stop with any ideas thay andy has an anti English bias now.

Nepotism though...

I'm afraid this selection just about finishes any interest I had in the tour.

Owen Farrell replacing Daly.
Absolute disgrace & sham as far as I am concerned.
The guy has played very little recent rugby in France.
Where on earth is he genuinely going to fit in !

JB

I'm sure Farrell senior is professional enough to choose who he thinks is best to make the tour as successful as possible, regardless of family connections. Sure is a gamble, but the player has a wealth of experience which could be useful on a tour like this. Time will tell if it was the right choice or not.

Plus who wouldn't want to help their son "earn" a hundred grand?

Just to ' top and tail' this thread, I have now overcome my sleep deprivation and a walking overdose, and I am able to report back.
I am not going to comment on the game itself, that's been fully reported on, suffice to say the fixture was needed and to revert to the clichéd comment, ' plenty to work on.' Judging by reports for the tour, despite winning the first three games, there's still , ' plenty to work on'. I am loathe to comment myself as I have only listened to the games on radio and think it's better to view it for yourself. I am eagerly looking forward to the clubs, Lions Breakfasts, The Tests, coming up
It was originally about feeling the Lions magic. There were certainly some special moments for me. The anticipation and roar from the crowd as the Lions took to the field. A real hairs on the back of neck standing up experience.
The excitable young Irish lad along from me, calling out each player as they approached by their names, asking for photos, even calling out ' Mario, Mario ' to the Lions captain. Unsurprisingly, he didn't respond. On Maro, I think I will have to pause on how he'll be as a captain. I am still not sure. An Irish fan behind me irked me with his, seemingly, constant anti-English comments. I suppose it just proves, historically , how great Willie John McBride must have been as a leader of the 1971 Lions, persuasive and unifying?
Anyway, I think , in summary, I will do it again, looking, God willing, at NZ in 2029. Now, that really would be a ' top and tail!'
Thanks for all your comments and thoughts, it keeps the forum active.
See you.

Nobody is much interested in Lions v Australia, the Aussies see rugby as a very minor, some say, unheard of sport that nobody plays. Aussie rules, rules.

Only 23, 000 to see the Lions today then Covkid 53.

So test team named and after all the call of Irish bias the most contentious call seems to be an out of form English man being picked over an in form welshman. 😅

In all seriousness the squad kind of picked itself and all the calls make sense (including the scottish centres over the irish).

Only weird call is the back row where youd argue chessum/morgan/earl should have been miles ahead of beirne/curry/conan on tour form

Quote:

titchywinger
Only 23, 000 to see the Lions today then Covkid 53.

In their regular season, rarely do even the Brumbies exceed 10k for a game. The rest get nowhere near. It's accepted that the lions tour is the last chance saloon for Aussie rugby union to raise its profile.
Games are down, participation is down, crowds are down. It's now number 5 or 6 in Aussie sport popularity.
Don't believe me ? Research it, as I have.

Domestically, you are probably right about the crowds in Australia Covkid. The crowd in Adelaide for the Lions v Aus/NZ was about 44,000. A new stadium record, and crowds in all the Lions games are up around the 40,000 mark. Yes I did a little research. I've been to Aus a few times and been to cricket test matches and whenever us Brits are in town the crowds are massive. Just maybe the Lions will re-kindle interest in Rugby Union.I Hope so.

Anyway. This coming Saturday get yourself comfy in your best chair. A drink in hand. Be it a cup of tea or your favourite tipple and enjoy the game.

Well, I've watched highlights from news outlets and if that's the best Lions can do against a very average Aussie team, thank goodness for them they're not touring NZ or SA where they'd be beaten by cricket scores.
The games might be "exciting"? but they're not top notch matches. No wonder Argentina beat them before the tour, they seem very susceptible to being opened up on the counter all too easily by backs with pace and a jink from anywhere on the park.
Embarrassing? I think it probably is.