hey people!
allblacks 48-18 lions
so yea lions lost. boo! hahaha. heck
nway post-match analysis
head-to-head battlesDwayne Peel vs Byron Kelleher- the battle of the scrumhalves was definitely won by kelleher. he was the more dominant scrumhalf in the match. although peel was quick in areas such as penalties, he clearly did not shine as he was expected to. kelleher on the other hand had a shaky start with passes that were astray but still catchable. kelleher made a few good runs and nearly scored a try for himself. this battle was won by kelleher. very outstanding performance by the new zealand scrumhalf.
Jonny Wilkinson vs Dan Carter- wilkinson continued to disappoint pundits with his scrappy performance with jersey no. 10. was hardly strong with his runs. kicks too, were inconsistent. 2 drop kick attempts with none going in. it is very clear that wilkinson has lost his touch on overall aspect of the field eversince his post-world cup shoulder injury. even his kicks for goal werent at a 100% record. wilkinson definitely lost out to carter and it was a significant loss. there was indeed a big difference in the performance by the two flyhalves. carter on the other hand was excellently outstanding in the match, summing up 33 points in total for himself. carter was brilliant, both in open plays and off his boot. well-deserved for carter.
Gavin Henson and Gareth Thomas vs Aaron Mauger and Tana Umaga- it was a rather quiet game for the inside centres on both sides, henson and mauger. the battle of midfield was battled out by both outside centres. thomas gave lions hope when he scored an early try thanks to gaps left by the new zealand defence. umaga was not going to let thomas steal the show as he replied with his own try for his team. really hard to say who won because both sides put in strong performances. solid tackles, brilliant runs. i must say that the new zealand centres should win this as the lions centres were rather quiet in the 2nd half.
Paul O'Callaghan vs Ali Williams- it was a rather quiet game for both as neither managed to shine out with their individual performances. o'callaghan, expected to dominate in the lineout, did not really do that because most of the throws were directed by flanker simon easterby. williams did his part to in helping the all blacks secure possession at the breakdown but still, he didnt really shine like he would when he's at his best.
the following may seem biased but my nominees for the man-of-the-match has 4 players, with 3 of them coming from the all blacks and 1 from the lions team.
Byron Kelleher- very outstanding in today's match. definitely strong in runs. solid passes and tackles put him in here on the list.
Richie Mccaw- he clearly shine through from the beginning to the final whistle. he made his mark as the vice captain of the team, stepping up whenever needed. absolutely strong in the breakdowns, earning him a spot in this list.
Dan Carter- carter is clearly showing that he can match up, or even better the standards left behind by carlos spencer. very dominant in this match with his boot, be it penalties, conversions or even in open play. so outstanding he was that he managed to rake up 33 points for himself.
Simon Easterby- not only this easterby scored a try for the lions, he was very dominant in the lineouts winning almost all of the lions' throws. however, the lineout area was possibly one of the only areas where easterby managed to stand out above the rest.
in my opinion, the man-of-the-match should be:
Dan Carteranyone interested to offer any other opinion? feel free yea?
ciaoz
dreamingaway 7/02/2005 06:26:00 pm
