|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Losing their way Rugby Lions stutter on Australia tour
After an outstanding start to their tour, the British and Irish Lions have lost their way and are now outsiders to win the three-test series against Australia. Just a couple of weeks ago, things looked rosy for the tourists after an impressive 42-8 victory over Super 12 semifinalists Queensland in Brisbane. But in their three matches since, the Lions were beaten by Australia "A," struggled to defeat an under-strength New South Wales Waratahs and were even made to look ordinary by a second-rate NSW Country XV. A string of injuries, a lack of cohesion and a worrying loss of form by several key players are behind the Lions' slump. Still, it could all come together in the first test against the world champion Wallabies, who've had just one warmup match against New Zealand Maori. The Lions' best chance of beating Australia is to expose its weakness up front and to starve the home side of the ball. Australia's front row of Glenn Panoho, Jeremy Paul and Nick Stiles is light on experience and could come under pressure in the scrum. The Lions will miss the mobility of the injured Neil Back, even though their back row of Scott Quinnell, Richard Hill and Martin Corry is full of size and experience. They are also taking a risk by playing the explosive but relatively inexperienced former Rugby League player Jason Robinson on the wing. The Wallabies practice Rugby League-style defensive patterns and should be able to handle his style of running. More significantly, they could target his suspect tackling and lack of confidence fielding kicks. Australia made the right choice by opting for the experienced Nathan Gray at inside-center ahead of utility player Elton Flatley, but is taking a risk by going into the game without regular goalkicker Matthew Burke. Another former Rugby League man, Andrew Walker, who's a better attacking player than Burke, will handle the kicking duties, with captain John Eales providing backup. The big question is whether the series will be marred by foul play and fighting, like the 1989 tour. On that occasion, the Lions used the rough stuff to put Australia off its game and come back to win the series. Certainly all the talk about this from both camps seems to have contributed to the Lions' loss of focus. They also seemed genuinely flustered when the Waratahs took an overly aggressive approach in their match in Sydney. The team that Australia selected for the first Test in Brisbane indicates a readiness to respond in kind if the tourists choose to follow the example of the 1989 team. Nathan Gray is a no-nonsense, "crash-ball" kind of three-quarter, renowned for his tough tackling. In the pack, Owen Finegan takes over from Matt Cockbain as blindside flanker after serving a suspension for stomping on his Wallaby teammate Michael Foley. The battle of the halfbacks could well decide the series. Australia's George Gregan and Stephen Larkham probably have a slight edge over Rob Howley and Jonny Wilkinson, but any injuries to the home combination will give the Lions the upper hand. While Wilkinson will give plenty of ball to his excellent Irish center combination of Brian O'Driscoll and Rob Henderson, he will also use his innate kicking skills to create problems for the Australians. The right kind of kicking will turn the Wallabies around and hinder their momentum. The wrong kind will give them easy possession and allow them to build phase upon phase. South African referee Andre Watson will also play a big factor in the crucial opening game of the series. While he is obviously a Southern Hemisphere officiator, Watson is not on the Christmas card list of many Australian coaches. During the Super 12, his pedantic, whistle-happy displays rarely worked to the advantage of Aussie teams, the Brumbies, the Waratahs or the Reds. From the Lions' viewpoint, the more stoppages the better. The Lions looked dangerous soon after their arrival Down Under, but now the pendulum has swung back in favor of the Wallabies. Australia will win the series. Jason Dasey is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
