General 2017 Lions Tour of New Zealand

[snake77]

The Lions Tour squad has been announced and even though it is still a few months away the hype is starting to build. How keen is everyone for this tour.

Backs: Dan Biggar (W), Elliot Daly (E), Jonathan Davies (W), Owen Farrell (E), Leigh Halfpenny (W), Robbie Henshaw (I), Stuart Hogg (S), Jonathan Joseph (E), Conor Murray (I), George North (W), Jack Nowell (E), Jared Payne (I), Jonathan Sexton (I), Tommy Seymour (S), Ben Te'o (E), Anthony Watson (E), Rhys Webb (W), Liam Williams (W), Ben Youngs (E).

Forwards: Rory Best (I), Dan Cole (E), Taulupe Faletau (W), Tadhg Furlong (I), Jamie George (E), Iain Henderson (I), Maro Itoje (I), Alun Wyn Jones (W), George Kruis (I), Courtney Lawes (I), Joe Marler (E), Jack McGrath (I), Ross Moriarty (W) , Sean O'Brien (I), Peter O'Mahony (I), Ken Owens (W), Kyle Sinckler (E), CJ Stander (I), Justin Tipuric (W), Mako Vunipola (E), Billy Vunipola (E), Sam Warburton (W).

 

[snake77]

I don't watch as much Union as I used to when I was younger but found myself quite interested in the last one. Life is a bit different now but hopefully I'll get time to watch the mid week games and the tests as long as they don't clash with the Warriors.

The last tour was funny. Growing up my father would always be interested in Welsh Rugby. Kind of makes sense seeing as he was born there and lived up until 1973. So due to that and me always wanting to buy him a Welsh jersey I got him a Lions polar fleece. My mother said get him a large (her default answer along with comments on his weight). Of course this was the start of him loosing weight so I needed to replace it. He also said "Why the hell did you get me a Lions one I live in NZ". I explained about the always wanting to get him a Welsh jersey and thought he would be supporting the Lions due to comments he'd make while watching games when I was younger.

So it took a while for me to send it down to him along with getting it sent back up. So by this time the series was over and I had to find a Sterling Sports store with them in stock.

Anyway after the series was over I swapped a large Lions polar fleece for a medium All Blacks one. I could see the shop attendant looking at me thinking you want to support the winners do you.

 

[snake77]

During the last tour one of the comments from some of the Lions coaching staff was that the NZ journalists go on the attack like they are part of the All Blacks wider staff.

It seems to have already started.

A few articles on them not being a great team. A good way to hype things up. They should be taking the boxing or MMA route and talking the challenger up before the series.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11843289

Also seen a few that they won't be expansive. They probably won't but it is a bit funny saying Gatland can't coach an expansive game. The same journalists were saying in 2011 his Welsh side played like a NZ side and how it was great to see and great for the sport.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lions-tour-2017/news/article.cfm?c_id=697&objectid=11841893

Articles on the eligibility rules is fair enough and pointing out the NZ connections in the squad for the British side is fair enough. It just amuses me that the journalist making the comments and probably the biggest NZ rugby supporter has a thick Scottish accent.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11842792

 

[Dunedin warrior]

Am really excited about the lions, should be a great tour, only comes round every 12 years but their supporters are great and I think they will have a good side.

 

[Sledge]

The only one they will prob win will be against the Blues

 

[snake77]

Having all of the supporters around in 2005 was cool. Back then I was working in Takapuna so there was quite a few around during the day, so it was quite visible. Where I work now it won't be as visible besides maybe while out and about on the weekends.

I remember when I was in school. I can't remember the exact years maybe 1992 we had a world team here followed by the Lions in 1993. It was pretty cool having the two selection teams coming here.

I didn't really know about the Lions back then or the concept. Probably became more aware in 1997 and 2001 seeing the amount of hype and travelling supporters in those tours.

 

[mt.wellington]

I remember when I was in school. I can't remember the exact years maybe 1992 we had a world team here followed by the Lions in 1993. It was pretty cool having the two selection teams coming here.

I'll never forget the 93 tour. To be a kid and experience the hysteria that the Lions generated was just awesome. Back then the All Blacks were the only show in town. League was a little bump on the All Black highway.

The aftermath of the second Test loss was like a public lynching. The whole country gave it to Sean Fitzpatrick and his men. Especially Sean who conceded a heap of penalties. As if that wasnt bad enough you should have seen the absolute bedlam the selection of Lee Stensness caused. There was also Jon Preston who got a lot of shit from people. Stensness proved himself with that little chip kick he put in for Frank Bunce which is something I will never forget. Was a fan of Stensness as he played for the Blues and they were my team.

The All Blacks team from that era is one I remember fondly too with players like Grant Fox, Sean Fitzpatrick, Frank Bunce, John Kirwan, John Timu, Inga Tuigamala, Michael Jones, Craig Dowd and Olo Brown. JK, Jones and Bunce being some of my all time favourites.

Be interested in this Tour but it wont compare to the first one I remember. From everything Ive read the Lions wont stand a chance. More looking forward to getting pissed with the Barmy Army like I did in 2005 lol. The amount of money they pump into the economy, especially in the smaller towns, is truly insane and theyve been known to drink bar after bar dry...

 

[Gizzyfan]

Barmy Army motto, 'win or lose, we booze'. Great thing the Lions. We get to see the best players from Britain and Ireland. Just a shame our Service industries double and triple their prices for the tour. Fair enough to charge a premium but I saw one van hire firm charges for a set period going from $900 to about $2,000. Some accommodation is even worse.

 

[mt.wellington]

Barmy Army motto, 'win or lose, we booze'. Great thing the Lions. We get to see the best players from Britain and Ireland. Just a shame our Service industries double and triple their prices for the tour. Fair enough to charge a premium but I saw one van hire firm charges for a set period going from $900 to about $2,000. Some accommodation is even worse.

Supply and demand. There will be a shortage. These guys still spend big. From acom to booze to helicopters they go for the lot...

 

[eudebrito]

I'll go to the 2nd test in wellington, the tickets prices are a bit of a joke - but every 12 years....

Because they play the hurricanes and the NZ in the same week, lot of wellington is trying to figure out if they can turn their house into accommodation for the tour, and how much can they get, seeing as all the retail accomo is sold out.

NZ rugby supporters are the most superior know it all mf-ers around, and as one of them, I say... the lions don't have the backs to take it out, but they will be tough games.

Been replaying the last tour on sky, and its surprising how many stray fists and boots there were in 2005.

Jerry Collins ends up on the wrong side of a ruck, gets the literal shit kicked out of him. He didn't complain. I miss that stuff.

 

[mt.wellington]

Been replaying the last tour on sky, and its surprising how many stray fists and boots there were in 2005.

Was it the 2005 Lions Tour when Brian O'Driscoll got spear tackled by Tana Umaga and Kevin Mealamu? That was some pretty sick shit...

 

[snake77]

People looking to rent their house out and earn some good coin sounds like the Olympics or when we had the World Cup.

My parents finally have internet now (finally felt like the 90's going home for the weekend). If my wife was still on parental leave so we didn't have to organise both of us being away maybe I'd have been able to work remotely and earn some money renting our house out for the month. No Auckland traffic for a month.


The pop-up channel on Sky was on a few weekends ago. Is it back on. Hopefully a few weeks out it is on 24/7.

 

[eudebrito]

Was it the 2005 Lions Tour when Brian O'Driscoll got spear tackled by Tana Umaga and Kevin Mealamu? That was some pretty sick shit...

Accident or Milking. Nothing in it.

Nah just kidding, at the time there wasn’t too much in it, they didn’t have all the HD camera angles they do today, play had moved on, couldn’t find a decent shot of it.

Then after the tour they got some crowd footage or something from the other angle which showed them flipping him up to land badly, probably would have been a suspension had that been available at the time. Mealamu probably more to blame, the old one player lifts the legs, one player pulls down the upper body we see a lot in the NRL.

 

[ryno]

Man that was a good game!! With how shit the Warriors are going its making me turn the Rugby back on.

Excited for the Crusaders game!

 

[Weno]

!! !!SBW!!!!!!

 

[Juju]

Ngani Lamape an ALL BLACK.

 

[Tylz]

Ngani Lamape an ALL BLACK.

He must regret his decision to leave the warrirors haha.

 

[snake77]

Congratulations to Laumape. I haven't seen a huge amount of him playing union but what I have he has looked pretty good, people I know that talk rugby his name comes up often.

This is going to be an interesting tour. It makes sense to play the Super Rugby sides as they are actually active at the moment where last time they played the provincial unions where the NPC competition doesn't start for a few months. So now they are playing battle hardened sides making for a tough itinerary.

 

[mt.wellington]

Congratulations to Laumape. I haven't seen a huge amount of him playing union but what I have he has looked pretty good, people I know that talk rugby his name comes up often.

Been following him when I can and he is playing amazingly. Regularly breaks his first tackle and more often than not his second. The guy is just destructive out wide. He is the leading try scorer and his outside man is the second...

 

[ryno]

mt.wellington you should cross over to the dark side and start a rugby jersey collection!

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/9...led-for-showdown-with-british-and-irish-lions

Screw the Warriors