Lions Vs Western Province - Player Ratings
The Lions clawed their way to another determined, if unemphatic, victory. Newlands was the scene, Western Province the opposition and we look at the players performances last Saturday ahead of the first test this coming weekend.
1. Andrew Sheridan - 6
Not the best game for Big Ted. He was solid enough at scrum-time, but we all already know that. For such a big man, he could be a wrecking ball of a carrier, but when he did carry he was far too lumbering and often took contact stationary. Additionally, he gave away a number of silly penalties at the breakdown. He has such potential, but too often he lacks positivity away from the scrum.
2. Matthew Rees - 5
Another fairly anonymous performance from the hooker. Marginally better than other games in the loose perhaps, but marginal improvement at best. In poor conditions he mostly found his man, but this was basically always O'Callaghan at the front. When he did go long it all went wrong, particularly an overthrow when deep in Lions territory. Hooker is a position where the Lions have very little strength in depth and Rees is doing the management no favours.
3. Phil Vickery - 8
Excellent game from the captain-for-the-day. Graham Rowntree described him as a warrior after the game and this was pretty accurate. He positively flung himself into everything, tackling like mad, working hard at the breakdown and an imposing sight running at full-tilt with ball in hand. Also did reasonably well at the breakdown. Sometimes he can be a bit penalty prone but aside from one or maybe two slips he was quite positive in this area.
4. Donncha O'Callaghan - 6
Decent in the lineout, but was thrown a lot of easy ball at the front. He did contest fairly well on the opposition lineout and pinched one or two, but despite a couple of carries he was an anonymous figure in the loose, especially when compared to his second-row partner. We didn't see it on Saturday, but he can also be extremely fiery on the pitch, sometimes to the detriment of good sense, and this added to his mediocre showing will probably rule him out of a first test start.
5. Nathan Hines - 8
An excellent performance from the big man. He carried the ball a huge amount and brings real aggression to the team going forward. Also on display were his improbably soft hands. For such a massive bloke, the guy has excellent passing skills. Simon Shaw is often the lock to be described in this light, but I'd say Hines was even better. He looks hugely comfortable on the ball and plays great heads up rugby. Always ready to offload or link backs and forwards. Threw a long looping pass for Kearney in the second half when he found himself playing centre but it went slightly astray. The full-back didn't look happy, but frankly it wasn't a bad ball from the lock and the blame probably rests mostly with Kearney.
6. Joe Worsley - 7
Looked far more comfortable playing at 6. Worsley is an underrated player here and I think he's closer to a test position than most give him credit for. His ball presentation in contact is superb and he tackles like he was built for it. He's also run some very intelligent blocking lines throughout the tour and this was on show for Monye's try to help Bowe through the gap. The back-row balance is the selection headache of the tour and getting it right is crucial to success. All three must perform. In some ways, I think selecting Worsley as a solution to the running power of the SA loosies (an outside bet) allows the management to pick Williams at openside. It's a hugely difficult call, but it's about getting the balance right.
7. Martyn Williams - 8
Showed his class on Saturday afternoon. On his day he's quite simply the best link-man loose forward in the world. Few players, backs or forwards look so comfortable on the ball and he showed some real finesse to offload perfectly weighted sympathetic passes under pressure. He's also got velcro hands and seems to hold onto the ball when it doesn't look possible. In the buildup to Bowe's try he was crucial in keeping the move alive and it's this positivity that makes him the sort of player you want in a team. He even made a great clearing kick against W.P. - he's a genuine all-action player. Took his try well and has made the number 7 decision a very tricky one.
8. Andy Powell - 7
Powell is a viking of a player, hard as nails and hugely powerful, but sometimes lacking in subtlety. This was an improved performance and there were some excellent moments. With ball in hand he always runs hard, and sometimes makes real yardage, but for a player who takes the ball into contact so often, he needs to improve both his retention and presentation. He gets turned over too often. Caught the ball well on a number of occasions and started the move that lead to the opening try. Destructive tackling but too often leaves himself open for a spot of whistle. He could turn into a real quality player but he's not the finished article yet.
9. Harry Ellis - 7
Has been pretty much slated following the game, but I think this is overly harsh. He did offer some horrible service at times, but he is a defensive handful for the opposition and the arch disruptor. He also knows how to keep a move going and really plays with his head up. He'll have been disappointed with the early poor service, but he did a lot well, including a decent pass leading to Bowe's finish. He's a good link player in broken play and is likely to play some part in the tests.
10. Stephen Jones - 7
Similar to Ellis, Jones had an up and down performance. As a running 10, he looks more comfortable with ball in hand compared to his 10 rival and is very strong in the tackle. He appears to have greater passing game than ROG though he isn't the tactical kicker the Irishman is, and this showed on Saturday. The Lions made life tough for themselves, particularly by not pinning Western Province back in their own half. Territorial management was the biggest Lions weakness on Saturday and Jones needs to improve this part of his game. He did find a lovely ball to put Bowe through the gap in the buildup to the second try, but he also sliced a touchfinder horribly to miss the sidelines entirely. This performance will only make the decision at 10 all the more difficult!
11. Ugo Monye - 8
Not in the mould of lazy English wingers, Monye worked incredibly hard chasing kicks and always looked to be sprinting full-tilt. Defensively he managed Chavhanga well, particularly in a couple of pressure situations and in the final few minutes he showed good control to shadow the attacking W.P. defense rather than over-committing and making space. Dealt well with the hot potato Simon Shaw lobbed him and kicked pretty well for a player who isn't renown in this area. Threw a nice throw-in to himself, but the ref got it wrong. Having watched it frame by frame three times, I can conclusively say that his foot was on the 5m line before he caught his own throw. He hasn't shown a huge amount as a creative finisher but he has blistering pace, and given space you wouldn't bet against him.
12. Riki Flutey - 7
Didn't have the impact on the game he would have liked but he worked hard and did very little wrong. Jones was sometimes a touch delayed with his passing and this probably contributed to the centres relatively ineffectual attacking display. He's not a huge man, but his tackling is superb and he's a real terrier following the contact. Back on his feet, searching for the ball and then creating untold pressure for the former ball carrier. When Bowe scythed through for Monye's try, the 12 showed real gas to get up on Bowe's inside to offer the alternative passing option. It wasn't used, but his supporting work and lines chosen are both excellent. He didn't sparkle in attack like he'd have wished, but he didn't do much wrong either.
13. Keith Earls - 6
Somewhat anonymous like his centre colleague, but also guilty of a few poor defensive positions. In the buildup to Joe Pietersen's try, the irishman rushed up ahead of the line looking for the man and ball but ended up creating the dog-leg that handed Western Province the attacking impetus. He bounced off a few tackles, but his presentation never looked the best and he never really had the space to showcase his wonderfully balanced running.
14. Tommy Bowe - 9
Another superb performance from the winger. If the tour ended today, he'd be man of the trip without question. Did more of what he's already done to date. Popped up everywhere, was near faultless, caught high balls, tackled anything that moved, and in attack is a genuine revelation. His try was a brilliant team effort but he was left with plenty to do and showed finishing instinct to make it stick. He spun out of the first tackle and then did a great impression of a greco-roman wrestler (less the spandex) to find a way to ground the ball. His pass to Monye for his the second was also jaw-droppingly well executed. He's a great all-field player as well and while he isn't content to simply sit on the wing, he doesn't leave his flank defensively vulnerable either. The only concern is that he may have peaked too early, form this rich doesn't last forever, and we'll all be hoping there is more in the bag.
15. Rob Kearney - 8
Makes catches stick that he has no right to hold. In wet and greasy conditions - exemplified by a few slips himself - Kearney took pretty much everything that fell his way, some while running at full pace and looking over his shoulder. It's meat and water for a full-back, but he does it superbly well. As a cover tackler he showed his worth a couple of times with great technique and pace to line up his quarry. Good kicking also, but perhaps not quite as consistent a howitzer boot as Byrne. He threw a lovely delayed pass for Bowe to leave the fate of the move in his countryman's hands and while he probably hasn't done enough to unseat the welshman, he is making the selection call a tough one.
Replacements:
16. Ross Ford - 5
Not a great game from the Scot. His throwing at the lineout is as shaky as Rees' and although he didn't have long to assert himself, he did nothing to push his selection arguments.
17. Euan Murray - 7
A great performance at scrum-time relieved the pressure on the beleaguered Lions. Round the park, he needs to be more willing to dive on the ball. A few loose balls in front of him should have been cleaned up, but on both occassions he let W.P. get to the ball ahead of him. He's a big man, but actually deceptively quick and he needs to use this pace to improve his all round game.
18. Simon Shaw - 5
For a player renowned for great hands, Shaw threw a ticking time bomb of a quick throw to Ugo Monye to put the Lions under intense pressure. He is in many ways the most experienced player on tour yet he looked fluster and lacking in composure. Not a great game.
19. Tom Croft - 7
Didn't do a great deal in his short time on the field. He did ok in contact, hitting the defensive line hard for a relatively lightweight back-row. Besides this he was fairly anonymous and it was a toss-up between a rating and a 'N/A'. At his best he can be brilliant, but he needs to be more involved if he finds himself handed a test shirt.
20. Shane Williams - Unused
21. James Hook - 8
His first action after coming on late was to kick a woeful ball into the hands of W.P. dangerman Gio Aplon. He quickly put this mistake behind him however and after missing his first long range effort he was cool as a cucumber to slot the winner. Despite the ball being blown over and requiring a reset, the welshman kept his head under red-hot pressure to kick the Lions home. Bloody impressive given conditions, situation and pressure. Hooky now has a new nickname - Kahunas.
22. Gordon D'Arcy - Unused
Tony Hart - Monday 15th June 11.40AM
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