This reign of rugby terror has to end soon. Surely. One of the years…
Sean O’Brien’s record against New Zealand is ludicrous.
The Leinster and Ireland flanker has a Test match record of 0-6 against the All Blacks. O’Brien has put in barnstorming performances against New Zealand in Christchurch, Dublin, Dublin [again] and Auckland and lost each time [there were two other decent outings and he missed the triumph in Chicago].
In Wellington, this weekend, the flanker has another opportunity to stop the rot. The only problem is, you can hardly find two humans on the planet willing to back his Lions side to get the job done. In terms of cold, hard odds, the Lions are 5/1 to shock the world. The Kiwis are 1/6.
Johnny Sexton is in at No.10 and renews his partnership with Conor Murray, who has excelled on tour, and tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong. Jack McGrath and CJ Stander are on the bench.
Ronan O’Gara was joined on The Hard Yards rugby podcast by Stephen Ferris [from Wellington], James Downey and Fionn Carr, as well as SportsJOE’s Pat McCarry and guest host Joe Harrington. Few were backing the Lions to keep the series alive but O’Gara is 100% confident O’Brien will once again take the fight to New Zealand.
O’Gara believes the beauty and frustration of the Lions is that players from three different nations [Scots have have yet to be involved in the Test Series] is that many often revert back to their national team’s game-plans and habits when the pressure is on.
As for O’Brien, Lions fans have nothing to fear. O’Gara commented:
“Playing in New Zealand is a challenge but that’s why Sean O’Brien is doing so well – because he’s a great tourist. He’ll play well again on Saturday.
“You really see the characters on the team [when the pressure is on].”
There you have it. More of the same please Sean…
0-7 after another epic personalperformance would be just too cruel.
Here is the full running order for THE HARD YARDS:
1:00 – James and Fionn remember their Churchill Cup appearance in ’09
2:40 – The boys react to the three changes to the Lions starting XV
4:00 – ROG on the inclusion of both Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell
8:20 – James on what Owen Farrell brings to the number 12 jersey
10:40 – The thinking behind including Sam Warburton ahead of Peter O’Mahony
12:40 – Is it a better team with Warburton ahead of O’Mahony?
15:20 – Whose decision was it to pick Owen Farrell at 12 ahead of Ben Te’o?
18:25 – The sudden importance of Liam Williams to this Lions side
20:10 – ROG on the combination of players on the bench
23:30 – Why how Ireland beat New Zealand is no use to the Lions
29:00 – How big a bearing will French referee Jerome Garces have on the game?
35:00 – Stephen Ferris tells us about golfing and going on the beers in New Zealand
37:00 – The New Zealand team and the guys reaction to the two changes
39:20 – That Kieran Read pass
42:30 – Ferris on Warburton and Itoje being brought into the team
47:21 – Has the New Zealand media gone too far with the criticism of Warren Gatland?
49:31 – Marcus Horan’s theory on why the media are going in so hard on Gatland
50:45 – Predictions for All Blacks vs Lions II
54:26 – Hayley O’Connor from Ladbrokes with all the odds for the second test
