Lions vs South Africa

[Mich the Tester]

and they return with nothing other than a free suntan. 3-0....

and a harsh lesson that you still have to stand up for your team mates, despite all the video refs and touch judges giving 'advice'. There was a time when Burger would have had the tulip beaten out of him by 15 players for what he did.
I'd rather lose than lower myself to eye-gouging. I hate to say it, but if the refs aren't going to clamp down on the dirtiest offence you can commit on a rugby field then there's only one option for the Lions; 99. Defend your own.

3rd test will be very, very unpleasant viewing.

[oracleslave]

and a harsh lesson that you still have to stand up for your team mates, despite all the video refs and touch judges giving 'advice'. There was a time when Burger would have had the tulip beaten out of him by 15 players for what he did.
I'd rather lose than lower myself to eye-gouging. I hate to say it, but if the refs aren't going to clamp down on the dirtiest offence you can commit on a rugby field then there's only one option for the Lions; 99. Defend your own.

3rd test will be very, very unpleasant viewing.

1) I think the eye-gouging incident was shameful and possibly deserving of a red. I think the fact that it was so early on in the game may have made the ref hesitate in issuing a red. That and the fact that it may have been merely clumsy, i.e. he couldnt actually see the Lion's players eyes. No excuses though, it was a shameful incident. Incidently so was Andrew Sheridan's punch to the balls right in front of the ref that went completely unpunished.

2) ROG is not world class imho. I can probably name 5 flyhalves in the southern hemisphere alone that I would rate more highly.

3) Mcgeechan is not the great strategist he is portayed as. He got the selection wrong in the first test and should take much of the blame.

4) I find all this focus on the Burger incident has made the Lions sound like a bunch of whining sore losers. That incident didn't affect the result. The boks scored 3 tries to one, two of them excellent tries. The better team won, get over it. Come back in 12 years and try again.

[cailin maith]

and they return with nothing other than a free suntan. 3-0....

Arse... there you are, I wondered how long it would be

I'm just a sore loser! Didn't watch the match on Saturday though so I only have the reviews to go off.

You South African boys are monsters!

[Churchill]

Arse... there you are, I wondered how long it would be

I'm just a sore loser! Didn't watch the match on Saturday though so I only have the reviews to go off.

You South African boys are monsters!

OS isn't, he's a pussycat!

[PM-Junkie]

1) I think the eye-gouging incident was shameful and possibly deserving of a red. I think the fact that it was so early on in the game may have made the ref hesitate in issuing a red. That and the fact that it may have been merely clumsy, i.e. he couldnt actually see the Lion's players eyes. No excuses though, it was a shameful incident. Incidently so was Andrew Sheridan's punch to the balls right in front of the ref that went completely unpunished.

2) ROG is not world class imho. I can probably name 5 flyhalves in the southern hemisphere alone that I would rate more highly.

3) Mcgeechan is not the great strategist he is portayed as. He got the selection wrong in the first test and should take much of the blame.

4) I find all this focus on the Burger incident has made the Lions sound like a bunch of whining sore losers. That incident didn't affect the result. The boks scored 3 tries to one, two of them excellent tries. The better team won, get over it. Come back in 12 years and try again.

So you admit that he should have been red carded....but you think that playing virtually the whole game with 14 players "wouldn't have affected the result"?

You really need to stop smoking whatever it is you are smoking...

[Mich the Tester]

4) I find all this focus on the Burger incident has made the Lions sound like a bunch of whining sore losers. That incident didn't affect the result. The boks scored 3 tries to one, two of them excellent tries. The better team won, get over it. Come back in 12 years and try again.

No doubt SA were good, but the BS spewed by Peter de Villiers about the incident has made SA rugby players look like a bunch of savages; honestly, trying to justify eye gouging and then accuse the victim of a criminal offense of whining. That is just barbaric. Anyone with any backbone would just stand up and say 'it was wrong and we're sorry'. Sure, there's bitterness now, and that's thanks to the failure of the refs and the disciplinary committee to get to grips with what is basically the lowest depth to which a player can sink; sticking your fingers in another player's eyes. Sickening. I'm afraid nothing's changed in SA rugby; same old bunch of thugs as always. Thugs, just good thugs.


"Possibly deserving of red"? Possibly?

Definitely deserving of a red card and a minimum of 12 weeks ban, according to the IRB regulations.
Frankly the result is irrelevant; so what if one team got more points than the other? Rugby was shown off in the wrong light; the message to young players is; you can gouge people's eyes, which is actually a serious criminal offense, and get away with a yellow card and 3 match (8 week) suspension.

The IRB, the assistant ref, and the coach of SA should be hanging their heads in shame for what they're doing to this game. Honestly, talking down gouging as if it's just part of the game; sickening. I wouldn't even expect footballers to plumb these depths. If the SA union gave a tulip about their standing in the world and the image of rugby, they'd be asking the IRB to hand out a tougher sentence; the disciplinary committee even failed to hand down the legally stipulated minimum sentence. That raises suspicions, and SA rugby should want to be above suspicions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X__kjEjTNro

"Clearly fingers in the eye". How on earth they then go on to award yellow; IRB please bring refereeing back to this planet.

[oracleslave]

So you admit that he should have been red carded....but you think that playing virtually the whole game with 14 players "wouldn't have affected the result"?

You really need to stop smoking whatever it is you are smoking...

I said the fact that the incident occurred didn't affect the result. The ref not handing out a red might have though.

If the Lions are going to win a game (unlikely I know) they should want to do it against 15 players.

[oracleslave]

OS isn't, he's a pussycat!

I think the pussycat's were in red jersey's

[oracleslave]

I'm afraid nothing's changed in SA rugby; same old bunch of thugs as always. Thugs, just good thugs.

Your blinkered outlook is noted. What a sorry bunch of innocent victims the Lions are. It doesn't half make winning sweet.

[Moscow Mule]

Your blinkered outlook is noted. What a sorry bunch of innocent victims the Lions are. It doesn't half make winning sweet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSLMKUXZ3hk

Edit: Mind you, I've never met OS. He might be nice.