Tahs crush lousy Lions

Tahs crush lousy Lions

12 Mar 2010

The Lions delivered another poor defensive display as Drew Mitchell scored four tries in the Waratahs’ 73-12 win in Sydney.

This fixture was talked about as the Lions’ best chance of victory, even though they had never beaten the Tahs in Sydney. That hope was short-lived, however, as after just 32 minutes, the hosts wrapped up the bonus point. The Lions have now conceded 29 tries in the tournament, which tells the story of a shocking start to the season.

The Tahs were under pressure from their supporters and the Australian media, but their fans had plenty to cheer about as they crossed the line 11 times.

Carlos Spencer gifted the Tahs their first two tries, the first when the Lions won a turnover but opted to run from deep. This is the approach coach Dick Muir loves to see, but it cost the Lions as the Tahs won the ball back, and from an ensuing penalty, Drew Mitchell tapped and dived over the line. Earlier in the move, Tonderai Chavhanga had also rushed out of the defensive line handing the Tahs the momentum.

The Waratahs winger went from hero to villain momentarily as a mistake behind his own goal-line gifted Chavhanga a score. The Tahs led 7-5 after seven minutes, but then Spencer was again at his worst. His kick was charged and gathered by Dean Mumm who cantered over with the cover defence non-existent.

The Lions’ defence was typically porous as they missed 12 tackles inside 25 minutes. The Tahs were hardly made to work as the Lions handed another Australasian team a bonus point – the third time they’ve conceded five log points in 2010.

Tom Carter crashed over before Wandile Mjekevu’s mistake (which was similar to Mitchell’s) saw Lachie Turner claim the fourth try.

The Lions were intent on running, but clearly lacked confidence, as Spencer and Earl Rose hacked away possession aimlessly. The Tahs were buoyed by the visitors’ mistakes and looked to counter from deep, and Berrick Barnes also drove the Lions back with some lengthy touch-finders.

Muir finally lost patience with his halfbacks as JP Joubert and Spencer were replaced by Jano Vermaak and Burton Francis at half-time. The latter pair didn’t lack effort, but without the platform from their pack, they battled to make an impact.

The Lions have successfully brought other teams, such as the Brumbies, down to their level, but the Tahs kept their structure and scored a further six tries in the second half. The Lions opted to run everything in the final 40, and Mitchell capitalised from their numerous errors to complete a personal tally of four tries.

Muir will undoubtedly find ‘positives’ in this display, but the Lions are going nowhere slowly. The seven-time champions Crusaders lie in wait, and if the Lions’ woeful defence continues, they can expect another hiding.

By Grant Ball


620 Comments

Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 13 » Show All

  • 151.PissAnt: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:30 pm

    @the peanut gallery:

    500, by the Bulls in their nightmare 2002 season.

  • 152.Paws: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:31 pm

    %$#@ disgusting

    thanx ****!!!!!!

  • 153.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:31 pm

    @fantasticbarnsmell: Jealousy makes one nasty

  • 154.logie_Jumpbuck: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:32 pm

    Even the heading is lame…tah’s tame muir’s lions. The journo has lost all his passion for writing watching this game ;-)

  • 155.sharks_lover: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:32 pm

    so sorry lions :shock:

  • 156.Eminem: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:32 pm

    :( :( :(
    Things looked promising for a while earlier in the season. This is just totally unacceptable. What a joke.

  • 157.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:33 pm

    @logie_Jumpbuck: Torture not tame

  • 158.PissAnt: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:33 pm

    @PissAnt:

    Lions currently sitting on 228 points conceded in 5 games.

  • 159.gunther: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:33 pm

    How about those griquas hey pearly?

  • 160.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:34 pm

    @Eminem: Understatement of the year.

  • 161.Karma-zaf: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:34 pm

    Try 73 – 12!!!!!!

    DISGRACE, PATHETIC!!!!!!!!

    Bring the Kings into next years Super 15 and DROP THIS USELESS TEAM FFS!!!!!!!

    Disgrace to South African Rugby!!!!!!!!!!

  • 162.oscarthedawg: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm

    Ah. Quite understandable then. ;-)

  • 163.logie_Jumpbuck: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm

    @Bill Reyts: it was tame for a second….then he had a re-think after he read my post!

  • 164.Bod: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm

    @poppa69: Its Friday and I am all semantic(ed) out…

    Now, back to those stadia….

  • 165.Black Panther: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm

    Awesome performance from Waratahs, they could be the best team in the tourney. Robbed of momentum by a hometown ref in Pretoria, they look a solid outside bet for the title. Visitors to Sydney, beware !

  • 166.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm

    i know the Sharks are garbage at the moment, but i reckon we should combine the Lions and Cheetahs and then bring in the Spears or whatever it’s being called now. they seriously couldn’t do any worse than what the Lions have done today. okay fine the Stormers can also stay.

  • 167.Spinnekop: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:37 pm

    Why is Earl Rose still getting game time? Is DM hoping he will break something and rule him out of action for the year? There is a flaw in that plan, Earl avoids contact in games. Maybe DM should shift focus to the practice sessions to get rid of him, or maybe tamper with his brakes.

  • 168.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:37 pm

    @logie_Jumpbuck: Ok.

  • 169.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:38 pm

    @fantasticbarnsmell: Sharks and Spears should be combined as well.

  • 170.the peanut gallery: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:38 pm

    @PissAnt: that was in 11 games. 45.5 per game.

  • 171.XhosaKid: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:38 pm

    Naas is right, we must fire some players

  • 172.Kobus Kitty: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:38 pm

    Haha, did anyone see Turner’s first try? His whole foot covered the touchline, and the convict touch judge’s eyes saw it, yet he ignored it, allowing them to score. It’s not bad reffing, its just cheating.

    A fine piece of anzac spirit on display, 2 weeks in a row now.

    Drop the touch judge… get rid of him, flush him down the toilet like they did Paul Marks.

  • 173.Storm outta hell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:39 pm

    Naas says fire the players…I’d start with the Pearl..!

  • 174.the peanut gallery: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:39 pm

    @PissAnt: pretty much the same average then.

  • 175.PissAnt: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:39 pm

    Did anyone really expect anything less from a team that changes 13 in two weeks?

  • 176.Kobus Kitty: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:40 pm

    @Black Panther:

    Shut up, the Bulls had their way with them fair and square, as did the Stormers.

  • 177.PissAnt: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:40 pm

    @the peanut gallery:

    Yes it is…

  • 178.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:41 pm

    @Bill Reyts: no, what you said is wrong.

  • 179.fantasticbarnsmell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:41 pm

    @Bill Reyts: we’re having a bad season, just like the Stormers and Bulls have had before. the Lions and Cheetahs always have bad seasons.

  • 180.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:41 pm

    @fantasticbarnsmell: The Speared Sharks sounds good!

  • 181.Storm outta hell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:42 pm

    @Kobus Kitty: Ozzie commentators say it has no relevance to the match…but it sure has relevance to points difference..?

  • 182.Pearl Rose: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:43 pm

    @gunther: the griquas have johnson, olivier, pretorius, viljoen, bjorn basson, raubenheimer in the cheetahs team, they are playing super rugby already, why should we get a franchise of our own?

  • 183.Horings: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:43 pm

    At least I had Barnes in my fantasy rugby team! Did he make any line breaks and assists in this game? I am at work.

  • 184.gunther: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:43 pm

    Black panther

    I think you are getting ahead of yourself

    This team almost and should have lost to the sharks last week..

  • 185.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:44 pm

    @Kobus Kitty: hope you are so open eyed with the 4 refs for the Bulls game this weekend, also, why would you be worried about the Lions, didnt you jump ship a loooong time ago? solid supporter that you are..

  • 186.Storm outta hell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:44 pm

    @Bill Reyts: ..or King Sharks :lol:

  • 187.Bod: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:44 pm

    @Black Panther: To me the ref in Cape Town gave them an even worser deal…

  • 188.roobarb2: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:47 pm

    i walked past a TV and saw that flank hit the “earl rose gap”

    the guy had the ball, looked up saw it was earl on defence, and just sped up straight into him. it was almost painful to watch. almost.

    the commentators were joking about the sidestep.

    its embarrassing i tell you. feel sorry for the lions fans.

  • 189.Bouts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:47 pm

    @fantasticbarnsmell: Huh? When did the Stormers have a good season in the last 2 decades?

    At least the Cats reached the semis twice, and the Lions won it once.

    Stormers? What a joke. Not even a decent Currie Cup team for the last decade.

  • 190.Martin: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:47 pm

    @Kobus Kitty: look yourself in the mirror and admit that they were completely awefull…even if the lions had the ref and touch judges in their pocket they still could not have pulled a win from this game. eish….stop blaming the ref already

  • 191.Storm outta hell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:48 pm

    Top of the log gonna get pretty crowded after this weekends rugby…

  • 192.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:49 pm

    @Bouts: Your point?

  • 193.gunther: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:49 pm

    Pearly

    That’s great to see you getting behind the cheetahs..

    How did your doppelgänger go today?

  • 194.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:50 pm

    Well …

    Can only get better from this.

  • 195.Kobus Kitty: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:50 pm

    @Storm outta hell:

    Yes.

    The convicts cheat because they’ve been instructed by O’Neill to let play go on if a try is on offer. Australians have very short attention spans so there have to be tries scored every couple of minutes to keep them entertained.

    They have to win to make any profit. Their crowds are always pathetic. I mean, look at the Loftus crowd and compare it to any other ANZAC teams….

  • 196.Storm outta hell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:50 pm

    @Bouts: Hmmmm…very sour words…down kitty…!

  • 197.Martin: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:50 pm

    @Bouts: only when the super 14 was the super 2 lol……then they managed those amazing feats…but those days are looooooooooooooooooong gone. another 10 more years of misery for you lions fans……some of you desrve it more than others haha

  • 198.Storm outta hell: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:51 pm

    @Kobus Kitty: It’s the most logical explanation I’ve heard so far

  • 199.Eminem: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:51 pm

    I feel particularly bad for Todd Clever and Spencer for some reason.

  • 200.Bill Reyts: Reply to this comment
    12 Mar 2010, 12:52 pm

    @Martin: :lol: Don’t mention the team with the most last places…

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