Lions Vs Emerging Springboks - Player Ratings
The Lions had to settle for a draw at a rain lashed Newlands on Tuesday night as a determined Emerging Springbok side and the accurate boot of Willem De Waal levelled the match with the final action of the game. We take a look at the Lions players performances in the atrocious conditions and consider if anyone proved anything. It was mostly a poor team performance, so don't be surprised if, individually there are some decent scores.
1. Tim Payne - 6
For a man who only stepped off the plane about a day earlier he performed admirably. I personally don't think he is genuine Lions calibre, but this is what you expect at this stage in the tour. He looked a bit rocky in the first few scrums but settled well and had a decent if uninspiring game. Great effort learning all the calls and getting up to speed so quickly. It might be just a 6, but it was a solid performance from the new man.
2. Ross Ford - 7
His best performance yet, but he didn't set the game alight by any means. He did the basics well however and his throwing was solid which is a must if he's to challenge for a bench spot. He was also better in the loose but he needs to add to this side of his game.
3. John Hayes - 6
Only 'in-theater' so to speak for slightly longer than Payne and did an excellent job at scrum time. The Bull is a powerhouse at the scrum and he never looked trouble by the Boks at the set piece. We may see more of both Payne and Hayes as the tour draws to an end, but if that is their lot, neither have let anyone down.
4. Donncha O'Callaghan - 8
One of the few real highlights in the pack. The irish lock has finally arrived on tour after a very slow start. Both his cameo in the 1st test and his performance at Newlands have been first rate displays. Since captaining the side in Port Elizabeth DOC has really sprung to life and on Saturday night he was into everything. His work at the breakdown was excellent at times and he was a constant threat at the lineout. He didn't initially have much impact on this Lions tour, but he's upped his performances recently and he looks steeled and determined.
5. Nathan Hines - 7
Not quite the impact on the game that his 2nd row colleague had but performed well. Took his lineout catches well and certainly adds power to the pack. He's been subsequently cited and banned for a dodgy tackle in the first ten minutes but his role as on-pitch enforcer is plain to see. At one point he had a Bok forward in each hand - I think it was Deysel and Vermeulen but I didn't catch numbers - and he looked very willing to bang heads together if he didn't get his way. Both the offenders were big chaps but they looked like school children next to Hines. From a power and intimidation point of view he is the lock of choice, very reminiscent of a certain Martin Johnson. Best of all, he tends to not let it boil over.
6. Joe Worsley - 6
A phenomenal tackler but his game isn't anywhere near as rounded as other options. At the lineout he was a decent presence, but he was at times guilty of dull play at the breakdown, particularly when responding to shifting carriers in front of him. He needs to react a little quicker at this level because sometimes he ends up getting disassociated from the ball carrier in contact allowing turnovers and ball poaching from the opposition. His work rate can't be knocked though, he shirks nothing.
7. Martyn Williams - 6
A quieter game from the dynamic welshman. Did nothing wrong, but didn't have the prodigious impact that he sometimes brings to the game. In the wet and rain though, he worked hard as a fetcher, gathering plenty on the floor and doing much of the necessary dirty-work.
8. Andy Powell - 6
Powell is such a hard player to rate. On the one hand he works immensely hard and he is always at the centre of things. At his best he's awesome, but for everything he does there is typically something weak to offset it. Last night he carried plenty as usual, and one charge in particular was an impressive sight to behold. He's too often stripped in contact however and when picking up off the base he sometimes tries to step his way through a defence when a more effective approach would be to use his size and power to simply try and bulldoze his way through. He tends to try and step inside the first tackler which checks his momentum. I'd rather see him banana off the base and just charge. When he does, he tends to make inroads.
9. Harry Ellis - 4
A poor showing from the Englishman. Aside from some decent link play down the right flank in the second half, he was something of a liability. In the wet and rain his willingness to play things tight was at times understandable but he got the balance all wrong and often negated potentially quick dynamic attacking moves by choosing to set driving pods rather than playing a more free-flowing, improvisational game. His box kicking was also a nightmare. He chose this option far too many times and rarely executed well. Particularly after the addition of De Waal his kicking game only served to give the Boks more ammo to drop onto the head of the long suffering Keith Earls. At his best he can be an incisive, troublesome scrum-half, but on this showing he simply doesn't warrant the shirt.
10. Ronan O'Gara (c) - 8
If Ellis was playing a tactically slow and poorly executed game, O'Gara was the polar opposite. The irishman constantly chose the correct or at least difficult option for the Boks to handle. He looked so mentally sharp, reacting to the game as it occurred around him. He's not the strongest in the tackle, but he can't be called a tackle-dodger. Presented with Duane Vermeulen at full charge he ended up being rocked back in contact, but took the larger man on with considerable bravery. His ability to pin the corners is the best in the Lions arsenal and although he missed a straightforward shot at the sticks, he performed well for his 45 mins. His dejection post-match was palpable and he looks like a man who'd give his left leg for a sniff of Lions success.
11. Luke Fitzgerald - 6
He's been hailed by some as looking sharp and solid in defence. To me he had a reasonable but not outstanding game. I saw him slide off one tackle without putting the man down, and only just make a second by the skin of his teeth. For me, while Fitzgerald is a fairly solid player, he simply doesn't have the x-factor in any one facet of his game. As a winger, the x-factor in one form or another is nigh on essential and for me, he simply hasn't yet shown anything to really excite me. I'd like to be proved wrong, but not on the strength of this showing.
12. Gordon D'Arcy - 5
D'Arcy clearly left his form at Twickenham. Playing for the BaBa's against England a few weeks ago, the irishman was running rampant, busting tackles and finding space. While Tuesday night wasn't the scenario to showcase good running rugby, D'Arcy had a bit of a mare. He constantly ran down blind alleys, looked devoid of creativity and didn't hit the line with genuine ferocity. He's an undoubtedly class player but he's yet to produce the form we know he's capable of for the Lions 2009 vintage.
13. Riki Flutey - 7
A far better game than his fellow centre. Very little opportunity to run with the ball but when he did find space he made a decisive and impressive break. He could have done with backing himself and trying to finish in the corner, but he plays like a true New Zealand distributor and was searching for the killer offload the entire game. He's sometimes unfairly admonished for poor defence and he roughly kicked that accusation into touch. His defence against the Emerging Boks was unrelentingly crunching and despite not being the biggest man he packs serious firepower in the tackle. A good game from a man who has had a rollercoaster tour.
14. Shane Williams - 6
His best performance on tour so far but didn't have the chance to set the world on fire and made one glaring error. He did well to put his obvious frustrations to one side and managed to play a much more positive team-aware game. He darted well and made yards a few times with ball in hand. He's a famous winger these days unfortunately and he tends to be allowed very little space - a reality of genuine finishing success. He produced a lovely grubber to pin the Emerging Boks back late in the game but unfortunately marred his copy book with some shoddy defensive play to allow Demas the space to land the crushing blow. He can't do much about his size in defense, but in the final move his let himself get stranded infield and left the wing channel entirely bare. Demas would have probably finished nonetheless, but it doesn't offset the mistake. For a small winger, he needs to be all the more solid tactically in defense and Shaun Edwards would be tearing out his hair (if he had any) at the defensive lapse that cost the Lions the game.
15. Keith Earls - 8
Another excellent game from the youngster. He may be sick of carrying Lenny the Lion around, but nobody is carrying him on this tour. He was a reassuring presence at fullback and despite the obvious perception that he'd be ropey under the high ball he was positive and commanding throughout. Once again he was dangerous with ball in hand and took his try well with an excellent step to exploit some poor Bok defense. He's a wonderfully balanced runner, and while at times he didn't have the stature to compete successfully with oncoming kick chasers, he worked hard throughout. He deserves a lot of credit for his improvement since the first game and I don't expect that Tuesday night was the last time we'll see him in a Lions shirt.
Replacements:
16. Lee Mears - N/A
Threw well after a dodgy spell in the test match but didn't really have the time to make any genuine impact.
17. Phil Vickery - N/A
Much like Mears he did reasonably well to 'get back on the horse' come scrum time and was notable in the loose but had no real impact either way.
18. Simon Shaw - 7
Looked impressive in his limited time on the pitch and showcased his soft hands with some lovely off the deck link work. At his venerable age he is something of an up and down player performance wise, with one match being excellent and the next often being markedly less impressive, but with Hines banned and Lions test experience clearly something he craves he is a genuine possible as part of the squad for the 2nd test.
19. David Wallace - N/A
Little impact either way. Didn't do anything to mar his copybook though.
20. Mike Blair - Unused
21. James Hook - 6
Kicked well a few times and found a cracking touch at one point, but also sent a few up-and-unders skywards without sufficient length. He tried hard to inject real pace into the game but at times just ended up running laterally. He's a great player, but he didn't have many opportunities to impress on Tuesday night.
22. Ugo Monye - N/A
Didn't do much in his limited spell. It'll be interesting to see whether the coaches will keep the faith.
Tony Hart - Wednesday 25th June 11.43PM
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