Highlanders v British & Irish Lions, June 13

Highlanders v British & Irish Lions
13 June 2017
KO: 19:35 NZST (8.35am BST)
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Live on Sky Sports, Sky Sports HD and SkyGo

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Touch judges: [tbc]
TMO: [tbc]

A. FORM:

18 June 2005: Otago 19 - 30 British & Irish Lions

5 June 1993: Otago 37 - 24 British & Irish Lions

8 June 1977: Otago 17 - 12 British & Irish Lions

B. TEAMS:

Highlanders 
01. Daniel Lienert-Brown
02. Liam Coltman
03. Siate Tokolahi
04. Alex Ainley
05. Jackson Hemopo
06. Gareth Evans
07. Dillon Hunt
08. Luke Whitelock (C)

09. Kayne Hammington
10. Lima Sopoaga
11. Tevita Li
12. Teihorangi Walden
13. Malakai Fekitoa
14. Waisake Naholo
15. Richard Buckman

16. Greg Pleasants-Tate
17. Aki Seiuli
18. Siosuia Halanukonuka
19. Josh Dickson
20. Jimmy Lentjes
21. Josh Renton
22. Marty Banks
23. Patrick Osborne

British & Irish Lions
15 Jared Payne – Ulster, Ireland, #830
14 Jack Nowell – Exeter Chiefs, England, #828
13 Jonathan Joseph – Bath Rugby, England, #809
12 Robbie Henshaw – Leinster, Ireland, #824
11 Tommy Seymour – Glasgow Warriors, Scotland, #813
10 Dan Biggar – Ospreys, Wales, #821
9 Rhys Webb – Ospreys, Wales, #820

1 Joe Marler – Harlequins, England, #811
2 Rory Best – Ulster, Ireland, #793
3 Kyle Sinckler – Harlequins, England, #814
4 Courtney Lawes – Northampton Saints, England, #826
5 Iain Henderson – Ulster, Ireland, #808
6 James Haskell – Wasps, England, #823
7 Sam Warburton (capt) – Cardiff Blues, Wales, #800
8 CJ Stander – Munster, Ireland, #831

16 Ken Owens – Scarlets, Wales, #829
17 Jack McGrath – Leinster, Ireland, #827
18 Dan Cole – Leicester Tigers, England, #794
19 Alun Wyn Jones – Ospreys, Wales, #761
20 Justin Tipuric – Ospreys, Wales, #786
21 Greig Laidlaw – Gloucester Rugby, Scotland, #810
22 Owen Farrell – Saracens, England, #780
23 Elliot Daly – Wasps, England, #822

Warbs is fit!

Good joint work on the thread Tighthead.

I'll be surprised if any more than 4 or 5 of that 23 are involved in tbe first test.

Ozzy3213 wrote:I'll be surprised if any more than 4 or 5 of that 23 are involved in tbe first test.

Agreed but I still think that Henshaw and Joseph could make it as a combo if they both shine here.

I'd prefer Henshaw and Joseph George, but I suspect that Gatland is pretty set on Te'o and Davies.

I'll be surprised if any more than 4 or 5 of that 23 are involved in tbe first test.

At least 5 will have to be because there's only another 18 players in the squad.

At the very least you'll need three front rows and a lock involved here as well as a 9 and a 10 to make the test squad.

The 18 players not involved are: Mako, George, Furlong, Itoje, Kruis, O'Mahony, O'Brien, Moriarty, Faletau, Murray, Sexton, Te'o, Davies, North, Watson, Williams, Hogg, Halfpenny.

Moriarty will probably be replaced by Warburton and one of those back 3 players won't make the squad. Other than that, 16 of that 18 will probably make the test squad.

Strange that Moriarty isn't playing and CJ is given the former hasn't played since the first game and the latter will now play 3 in a row?

We can argue forever about the rights and wrongs, chances taken or 2nd chances needed but that does look mostly like the 2nd team.

What's the Highlanders form like anyone?

RDW_Scotland wrote:Strange that Moriarty isn't playing and CJ is given the former hasn't played since the first game and the latter will now play 3 in a row?

he's injured - back

Gwlad wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Strange that Moriarty isn't playing and CJ is given the former hasn't played since the first game and the latter will now play 3 in a row?

he's injured - back

Thanks. Bit of a concern how much gametime some of our potential test players will have had to put in before the tests.

yappysnap wrote:What's the Highlanders form like anyone?

It's been good, I think,

Just to put the selection in perspective, 9 of their regular players are declared unavailable because they are either injured or already allocated to another squad to play the Lions - Ben Smith and Aaron Smith are on All Blacks duty and have not been released; Elliot Dixon, Ash Dixon, Joe Wheeler, Rob Thompson and Tom Franklin are unavailable due to New Zealand Maori commitments, and Liam Squire and Matt Faddes are out due to injury.

The key All Blacks who will play are Liam Coltman, Lima Sopoaga, Malakai Fekitoa and Waisake Naholo.

Payne maybe playing for a place in the 23? With Hoggs injury and Farrell and/or Sexton likely to play it negates the need for Halfpenny

Can't see it Marty. Gatland will most likely go with a Welsh back three of North, Williams, Halfpenny and have Watson on the bench.
Playing Payne at 15 now is an insurance policy incase Williams or Watson get injured.

So, the starters are the midweekers plus Webb and Warburton. Lawes and Stander might be involved though.

The Great Aukster wrote:Can't see it Marty. Gatland will most likely go with a Welsh back three of North, Williams, Halfpenny and have Watson on the bench.
Playing Payne at 15 now is an insurance policy incase Williams or Watson get injured.

North I can understand but the other two are baffling, Williams has been a hindrance more than anything and Halfpenny well other than kicking he..well he....he wears a scrum cap

Watson I wouldn't mind see play but the Welsh two if either start we're screwed

marty2086 wrote:

The Great Aukster wrote:Can't see it Marty. Gatland will most likely go with a Welsh back three of North, Williams, Halfpenny and have Watson on the bench.
Playing Payne at 15 now is an insurance policy incase Williams or Watson get injured.

North I can understand but the other two are baffling, Williams has been a hindrance more than anything and Halfpenny well other than kicking he..well he....he wears a scrum cap

Watson I wouldn't mind see play but the Welsh two if either start we're screwed

Its either Watson/Williams or Half at 15. My preference would be Williams but he is mercurial to say the least with the tendency either to cause havoc or, as he did against CC, not to compete in the air. I think Watson has a real chance of being the Test 15 though and I think we'll see him get some game time there next weekend.

Hogg is probably done. We could always call up Brown.

I thought the Lions would potentially lose both of the opening Super rugby games, and was really happy that they produced such a competent defensive performance so early on in the tour, agains the Crusaders.

The Highlanders team, despite being very dangerous, are probably relatively weaker in terms of their personell, due to Maori and NZ call ups. I'm hoping for a step up from the Lions here, and I think we will see a more dominant performance.

I also really hope Hogg's tour hasn't been cut short by such an unfortunate accident.

How many ABs are Highlanders missing? From the squad named it must be 6-7 or so. Pack is there for the taking but some of their backs are very dangerous. Is Faddes in the Maori squad?

The Highlanders are missing a lot of quality:

Smith * 2 - nz
Dixon *2, Wheeler, Thompson & Franklin - Maori
Squire & Faddes - Injured

Just had a look at the starting pack, they are pretty lightweight, the lions pack have a real chance to get some dominance up front.

I have a feeling that Tommy Seymour is going to have a good game tomorrow.

marty2086 wrote:Payne maybe playing for a place in the 23? With Hoggs injury and Farrell and/or Sexton likely to play it negates the need for Halfpenny

That's a big assumption... Also, neither Farrell or Sexton have the accuracy at range that Halfpenny has. Also, there is no way Hogg was holding on to the test shirt. He is great attacking option, but can be very selfish, wanting to score himself when its not on, rather than playing a team member into the gap. And his defence is woeful, so why he is being named as the Test FB beggars belief. Halfpenny or Liam Williams is the better option, and in fact, after last Saturday, I would even say Watson was a better call at FB than Hogg, and I haven't even mentioned Payne. Sorry.. Hogg just isn't a team player, and we need a team to beat the All Blacks.

Defensively hogg was very good. More so that halfpenny. The disappointment has been he hasn't shown the sharpness in attack we know he has.

No9 wrote:

marty2086 wrote:Payne maybe playing for a place in the 23? With Hoggs injury and Farrell and/or Sexton likely to play it negates the need for Halfpenny

That's a big assumption... Also, neither Farrell or Sexton have the accuracy at range that Halfpenny has. Also, there is no way Hogg was holding on to the test shirt. He is great attacking option, but can be very selfish, wanting to score himself when its not on, rather than playing a team member into the gap. And his defence is woeful, so why he is being named as the Test FB beggars belief. Halfpenny or Liam Williams is the better option, and in fact, after last Saturday, I would even say Watson was a better call at FB than Hogg, and I haven't even mentioned Payne. Sorry.. Hogg just isn't a team player, and we need a team to beat the All Blacks.

All the fullbacks on tour bring different things to the party, and I would agree that Hogg definitely isn't a nailed on starter - but your criticism of him seems to be very skewed/outdated. He defence isn't as good as some of those in the squad, but he isn't as bad as you are making out - he made two last ditch tackles in the first game, for example. I also don't buy the idea that he is selfisf....at least he tried to pass to Watson

No 7&1/2 wrote:Defensively hogg was very good. More so that halfpenny. The disappointment has been he hasn't shown the sharpness in attack we know he has.

To be fair all we've seen him in is the first game where everyone was guff then 19 minutes of the third game, where he had made a promising start before being taken out by his teammate!.

I'd still go with Hogg if we can get him back fit.

How long do stitches take to heal before playing anyway, or is there concussion too? What happened to stitching them up DURING the game and getting them back on, a la Martin Johnson for the Lions?!

Griff wrote:I'd still go with Hogg if we can get him back fit.  

How long do stitches take to heal before playing anyway, or is there concussion too?  What happened to stitching them up DURING the game and getting them back on, a la Martin Johnson for the Lions?!

I think he was stitched up, but the black eye was a beauty, and he failed the HIA, not surprising since his eye was swolen shut by the full time whistle.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

Griff wrote:I'd still go with Hogg if we can get him back fit.  

How long do stitches take to heal before playing anyway, or is there concussion too?  What happened to stitching them up DURING the game and getting them back on, a la Martin Johnson for the Lions?!

I think he was stitched up, but the black eye was a beauty, and he failed the HIA, not surprising since his eye was swolen shut by the full time whistle.

Ah OK, didn't know about he HIA. Makes sense though. I've only really seen it in slow motion and that makes it look quite innocuous! Surprised it has led to such an injury. Would like to see more of Hogg.

They probably had concerns it was a fractured cheek bone or eye socket - something you can't tell immediately due to the all the swelling. Plus the fact he couldn't see out his eye...

For those not on Social media he posted a video showing Connor Murray - his roommate that night believe it or not - pleading for forgiveness!

No9 wrote:

marty2086 wrote:Payne maybe playing for a place in the 23? With Hoggs injury and Farrell and/or Sexton likely to play it negates the need for Halfpenny

That's a big assumption... Also, neither Farrell or Sexton have the accuracy at range that Halfpenny has. Also, there is no way Hogg was holding on to the test shirt. He is great attacking option, but can be very selfish, wanting to score himself when its not on, rather than playing a team member into the gap. And his defence is woeful, so why he is being named as the Test FB beggars belief. Halfpenny or Liam Williams is the better option, and in fact, after last Saturday, I would even say Watson was a better call at FB than Hogg, and I haven't even mentioned Payne. Sorry.. Hogg just isn't a team player, and we need a team to beat the All Blacks.

There's only reason why anyone would currently pick Halfpenny over Hogg and even Williams for that matter who has been terrible on tour so far.

Are you English or irish hammer?

No9 wrote:

marty2086 wrote:Payne maybe playing for a place in the 23? With Hoggs injury and Farrell and/or Sexton likely to play it negates the need for Halfpenny

That's a big assumption... Also, neither Farrell or Sexton have the accuracy at range that Halfpenny has. Also, there is no way Hogg was holding on to the test shirt. He is great attacking option, but can be very selfish, wanting to score himself when its not on, rather than playing a team member into the gap. And his defence is woeful, so why he is being named as the Test FB beggars belief. Halfpenny or Liam Williams is the better option, and in fact, after last Saturday, I would even say Watson was a better call at FB than Hogg, and I haven't even mentioned Payne. Sorry.. Hogg just isn't a team player, and we need a team to beat the All Blacks.

Hogg's not missed a tackle on tour yet.

Concentrating on tackle success is nowadays misleading when it comes to FBs - as they miss so many tackles.

Across 240 minutes so far the FBs have made 5 tackles and missed 1 (Hogg 2/0, 1/2p 0/1, Hogg 1/0, Watson 2/0). In every gane so far the other 6 back positions have each made more tackles than the FBs.

What will have counted against Hogg would be the two early mistakes when dealing with kicks, one dropped high ball, and then the one that went through his legs. IF the management are worried about his defence, those things merely serve to reinforce their prejudices.

Of course the last try for the Blues did not involve a missed tackle from FB as he was left on his arse before he could touch the Kiwi.

[quote=LondonTiger]Concentrating on tackle success is nowadays misleading when it comes to FBs - as they miss so many tackles.

Across 240 minutes so far the FBs have made 5 tackles and missed 1 (Hogg 2/0, 1/2p 0/1, Hogg 1/0, Watson 2/0). In every gane so far the other 6 back positions have each made more tackles than the FBs.

What will have counted against Hogg would be the two early mistakes when dealing with kicks, one dropped high ball, and then the one that went through his legs. IF the management are worried about his defence, those things merely serve to reinforce their prejudices.

Of course the last try for the Blues did not involve a missed tackle from FB as he was left on his arse before he could touch the Kiwi.

[/quote]

I'm not going to use that as a stick to beat halfpenny with because I'm not remotely confident that any of our Full Backs would have been positioned any better or have the gas to catch West as he powered through.

Certainly all of our fullback options have done well tackle wise and I'm presuming the dropped High ball you are refereing to for Hogg was that chip into the 22 that half of the players on the park were going for?

It's all moot right now, I just hope he recovers well enough to get another crack on this tour. Before he came off against the crusaders he got cheap shotted by Murray

If Hogg gets ruled out of the tour who will get called up instead? Zebo, Brown or another like Kearney?

Anscombe as he is close (geographically)?

As 1/2p, Williams, Watson and Payne all play FB for their clubs, and Daly has in the past, not sure there would be any need to call up a LFL replacement.

Yeah, no need in my opinion. Plenty already there to do the job.

Hogg out - no replacement called up.

robbo277 wrote:Hogg out - no replacement called up.

I honestly believe the chances of us winning any test has now reduced as a result of this.

Gutted for Hogg.

Gutted for the lions

Gutted for our chances of winning

And gutted for Hogg again to silence some critics up by playing on a level playing field.

Hogg out is a gutter.

People moan about the Lions not picking many Scotish players, cant see any in the Highlands team at all. Hardly representative is it.

robbo277 wrote:Hogg out - no replacement called up.

Mike Browns toys no doubt litter the streets of Argentina

Gooseberry wrote:People moan about the Lions not picking many Scotish players, cant see any in the Highlands team at all. Hardly representative is it.

Are you for real? Otago / Southland have a real proud Scottish history which is not shown with the English, Irish nor the Welsh.

No haka tonight but there will be something

rainbow-warrior wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:People moan about the Lions not picking many Scotish players, cant see any in the Highlands team at all. Hardly representative is it.

Are you for real?  Otago / Southland have a real proud Scottish history which is not shown with the English, Irish nor the Welsh.

No haka tonight but there will be something

I'm fairly confident he's joking. For those that don't know Dunedin is an ancient name for Edinburgh and a lot of the streets are named after Edinburgh streets!

Morning all, looking forward to a good game today. Really gutted for Hogg.

I have missed something, what happened to Henshaw, why is Sexton at 10 (4th game in a row) and Farrell at 12?

Ignore me, I was watching Sky's build-up to the test, not todays match...

Right lads detailed updates would be appreciated as I can only listen online!

Nice to see officials ignoring things, literally under their nose, from early on

Highlanders on attack early in the game. Lions have given away a few penalties but the Highlanders opting to play on, only a magnificent tackle from Payne close to the lines stops the Highlanders from scoring and then Henshaw (who's attempted kick gave the Higlanders possession) makes a great tackle to stop the Highlanders attack. Too many infringements leads to the Highlanders taking the 3 point option.

Highlanders 3 - 0 Lions after 7mins