ozbash
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This game will be every bit as good as the tests.The Lions have won all seven previous matches against the Maori. The last time they met in 1993, the Maori led 20-nil at halftime, only to lose 20-24 at Athletic Park. The Lions' biggest win was 23-12 in 1971 but the other six matches have all been won by six points or less.
It was appropriate as Clive Woodward faced the media to discuss the prospects for Saturday night's clash against the New Zealand Maori in Hamilton, that the end part of the Lions coach's monologue was punctuated by a series of loud grunts coming from across the partition.
It was from the Lions' makeshift weight-room where the particularly primeval noises were emanating and clearly someone was pushing some pretty serious tin over their head.
And come Saturday night in a match being billed the "fourth test" of this DHL Lions tour, there will be some serious pushing going on at scrum time for the Lions have picked a massive front five to take the Maori on at the set piece.
The Lions front three of Andrew Sheridan, Steve Thompson and Julian White is seriously meaty. Abbotoir meaty, as opposed to butcher's shop meaty. At a combined 348kg (or just under 55 stone in old money) they are far and away the heaviest front three in the team's history.
When you throw in the fact that their locks, England hard man Simon Shaw (at 2.06m and 121kg) and Irishman Paul O'Connell (1.98m, 111kg) are not exactly a pair of shrinking violets either, it's clear where the Lions are going to look to take on Matt Te Pou's side.
It certainly won't be by engaging the likes of Rico Gear, Leon MacDonald, Rua Tipoki, Caleb Ralph and Luke McAlister in a game of jiggery-pokery out wide. This is a big Lions pack and they'll look to hit hard and often up front.
Though we weren't going to catch Woodward opening up his playbook for us on the eve of the match. "It's not about size," said the coach who had just picked a trio of aircraft carriers for his front row.
"They've got to play well, they've got to defend well and they've got to run round the field because we know how the Maori are going to play. They're a very talented team, and a very quick team."
Woodward also refused to buy into the matchup that everyone was talking about, that between All Black tighthead Carl Hayman and England loosehead Andy Sheridan who has the princely sum of one test cap but the huge reputation of being the strongest man in the Lions touring party. He is supposed to push weights that most people normally associate with small buildings.
Sheridan, like Hayman, is a big man for a prop at 1.96m and 119kg and it comes as no surprise to learn he's a converted lock (he made 80 appearances as a second-rower for Bristol under Peter Thorburn). But he moved forward in the scrum after shifting to Sale Sharks and has fast developed a reputation as a useful sort of customer, despite the reluctance to pitch him in at test level just yet.
"It's not so much who you're playing against," protested Woodward. "It's seeing how your player adapts to the pressure of playing for the Lions. It's a big pressure game against these guys, and all the front rowers know it's a very, very competitive position."
Woodward even included Graham Rowntree and John Hayes among his list of props who had fronted up so far, which just went to show he wasn't being too selective at this stage. They were decidedly shaky against the workmanlike Taranaki unit.
'Big, Big Step Up'
But the coach did concede it was a big first start in the Lions jersey for Sheridan who already, on the strength of a promising cameo off the bench against Bay of Plenty, is being talked about as a potential test squad member.
"He's playing with a couple of familiar guys in Thompson and White and he's here on merit," said the Lions head coach. "But it's a big, big step up for him so he gets a real good chance tomorrow night.
"He's also packing down with Shaw and O'Connell behind him and it's a pretty big tight five. Again it's a mouth-watering fixture for us and we're really looking forward to it.
"We'll learn a lot tomorrow night about the team, and from my point of view this is all about making sure I get the test selections right."
Sheridan certainly wasn't giving too much away when he spoke to the media soon after his coach. A man of few words and almost quizzical surprise that the media should show such an interest in him, he fended off most questions with fairly bland responses.
He thought he went "all right" off the bench against the Steamers, he reckons the key in his new trade is to "impose yourself" on your opposite and, no, he didn't figure himself a prospective Lion until the documentation arrived in the mail informing him that he was very much in the picture.
"It's just nice to get a start for the Lions -- that's the big goal for all players," he said. As for playing for his test prospects? "Clive said we'd all get an opportunity at some point and its up to us to make the most of it."
He wasn't keen to speculate on much about the Maori game: whether the humungous front five could dominate their opposites at scrum time, whether they might have trouble with the pace of their opponents' game and just how he might measure up against the man considered the rock of the All Blacks front row.
But he did admit Thorburn had been a central figure in his development and even his decision to eventually change from lock to prop when he left the club. And as for the new position, well clearly it has its ups and downs.
"When it goes well, when you're going forward in the scrum, it's a good feeling," he said. "If you're going backwards it's the worst feeling you can get."
Julian White, the impressive 28-cap England tighthead, believed the Maori match was going to be a "benchmark" for these touring Lions. And he was looking forward to running out with his old mate Steve Thompson and their raw, young colleague.
"Sherri is very strong," confirmed the 32-year-old White who has logged time with Hawke's Bay in his younger days. "He's certainly pretty dedicated to his weights. He's a very strong bloke and that's obviously helped him settle into the position as well as he has done
"As his technique gets better and better I think we'll see him more and more destructive really."
And his advice to his propping mate? "Just look forward to it. He's got nothing to worry about. He's big enough, he's played against French sides in the European Cup. If he's confident in his own ability he'll be fine."
It all shapes as an intriguing clash of styles. The Maori, with their slick stepping backs, will want to attack on the flanks and in midfield. And with ball in hand.
The Lions, with veteran Matt Dawson and in-form Stephen Jones behind their over-sized pack, will almost certainly look to a more structured, down the middle game.
It has the makings of being an absolute monty matchup. No wonder it's being billed the fourth test of this tour.
NZ MAORI: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Rico Gear, 13 Rua Tipoki, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Caleb Ralph, 10 David Hill, 9 Piri Weepu; 8 Angus Macdonald, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jono Gibbes (c), 5 Sean Hohneck, 4 Ross Filipo, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Deacon Manu. Reserves: 16 Scott Linklater, 17 Greg Feek, 18 Daniel Braid, 19 Wayne Ormond, 20 Craig McGrath, 21 Carlos Spencer, 22 Neil Brew.
LIONS: 15 Josh Lewsey (England), 14 Tom Shanklin (Wales), 13 Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland, captain), 12 Gordon D'Arcy (Ireland), 11 Shane Williams (Wales), 10 Stephen Jones (Wales), 9 Matt Dawson (England); 8 Michael Owen (Wales), 7 Martyn Williams (Wales), 6 Richard Hill (England), 5 Paul O'Connell (Ireland, vice-capt), 4 Simon Shaw (England), 3 Julian White (England), 2 Steve Thompson (England), 1 Andy Sheridan (Sale Sharks, England). Reserves: 16 Shane Byrne (Ireland), 17 Gethin Jenkins (Wales), 18 Ben Kay (England), 19 Simon Easterby (Ireland), 20 Dwayne Peel (Wales), 21 Ronan O'Gara (Ireland), 22 Shane Horgan (Ireland).
thanks xtra
It was appropriate as Clive Woodward faced the media to discuss the prospects for Saturday night's clash against the New Zealand Maori in Hamilton, that the end part of the Lions coach's monologue was punctuated by a series of loud grunts coming from across the partition.
It was from the Lions' makeshift weight-room where the particularly primeval noises were emanating and clearly someone was pushing some pretty serious tin over their head.
And come Saturday night in a match being billed the "fourth test" of this DHL Lions tour, there will be some serious pushing going on at scrum time for the Lions have picked a massive front five to take the Maori on at the set piece.
The Lions front three of Andrew Sheridan, Steve Thompson and Julian White is seriously meaty. Abbotoir meaty, as opposed to butcher's shop meaty. At a combined 348kg (or just under 55 stone in old money) they are far and away the heaviest front three in the team's history.
When you throw in the fact that their locks, England hard man Simon Shaw (at 2.06m and 121kg) and Irishman Paul O'Connell (1.98m, 111kg) are not exactly a pair of shrinking violets either, it's clear where the Lions are going to look to take on Matt Te Pou's side.
It certainly won't be by engaging the likes of Rico Gear, Leon MacDonald, Rua Tipoki, Caleb Ralph and Luke McAlister in a game of jiggery-pokery out wide. This is a big Lions pack and they'll look to hit hard and often up front.
Though we weren't going to catch Woodward opening up his playbook for us on the eve of the match. "It's not about size," said the coach who had just picked a trio of aircraft carriers for his front row.
"They've got to play well, they've got to defend well and they've got to run round the field because we know how the Maori are going to play. They're a very talented team, and a very quick team."
Woodward also refused to buy into the matchup that everyone was talking about, that between All Black tighthead Carl Hayman and England loosehead Andy Sheridan who has the princely sum of one test cap but the huge reputation of being the strongest man in the Lions touring party. He is supposed to push weights that most people normally associate with small buildings.
Sheridan, like Hayman, is a big man for a prop at 1.96m and 119kg and it comes as no surprise to learn he's a converted lock (he made 80 appearances as a second-rower for Bristol under Peter Thorburn). But he moved forward in the scrum after shifting to Sale Sharks and has fast developed a reputation as a useful sort of customer, despite the reluctance to pitch him in at test level just yet.
"It's not so much who you're playing against," protested Woodward. "It's seeing how your player adapts to the pressure of playing for the Lions. It's a big pressure game against these guys, and all the front rowers know it's a very, very competitive position."
Woodward even included Graham Rowntree and John Hayes among his list of props who had fronted up so far, which just went to show he wasn't being too selective at this stage. They were decidedly shaky against the workmanlike Taranaki unit.
'Big, Big Step Up'
But the coach did concede it was a big first start in the Lions jersey for Sheridan who already, on the strength of a promising cameo off the bench against Bay of Plenty, is being talked about as a potential test squad member.
"He's playing with a couple of familiar guys in Thompson and White and he's here on merit," said the Lions head coach. "But it's a big, big step up for him so he gets a real good chance tomorrow night.
"He's also packing down with Shaw and O'Connell behind him and it's a pretty big tight five. Again it's a mouth-watering fixture for us and we're really looking forward to it.
"We'll learn a lot tomorrow night about the team, and from my point of view this is all about making sure I get the test selections right."
Sheridan certainly wasn't giving too much away when he spoke to the media soon after his coach. A man of few words and almost quizzical surprise that the media should show such an interest in him, he fended off most questions with fairly bland responses.
He thought he went "all right" off the bench against the Steamers, he reckons the key in his new trade is to "impose yourself" on your opposite and, no, he didn't figure himself a prospective Lion until the documentation arrived in the mail informing him that he was very much in the picture.
"It's just nice to get a start for the Lions -- that's the big goal for all players," he said. As for playing for his test prospects? "Clive said we'd all get an opportunity at some point and its up to us to make the most of it."
He wasn't keen to speculate on much about the Maori game: whether the humungous front five could dominate their opposites at scrum time, whether they might have trouble with the pace of their opponents' game and just how he might measure up against the man considered the rock of the All Blacks front row.
But he did admit Thorburn had been a central figure in his development and even his decision to eventually change from lock to prop when he left the club. And as for the new position, well clearly it has its ups and downs.
"When it goes well, when you're going forward in the scrum, it's a good feeling," he said. "If you're going backwards it's the worst feeling you can get."
Julian White, the impressive 28-cap England tighthead, believed the Maori match was going to be a "benchmark" for these touring Lions. And he was looking forward to running out with his old mate Steve Thompson and their raw, young colleague.
"Sherri is very strong," confirmed the 32-year-old White who has logged time with Hawke's Bay in his younger days. "He's certainly pretty dedicated to his weights. He's a very strong bloke and that's obviously helped him settle into the position as well as he has done
"As his technique gets better and better I think we'll see him more and more destructive really."
And his advice to his propping mate? "Just look forward to it. He's got nothing to worry about. He's big enough, he's played against French sides in the European Cup. If he's confident in his own ability he'll be fine."
It all shapes as an intriguing clash of styles. The Maori, with their slick stepping backs, will want to attack on the flanks and in midfield. And with ball in hand.
The Lions, with veteran Matt Dawson and in-form Stephen Jones behind their over-sized pack, will almost certainly look to a more structured, down the middle game.
It has the makings of being an absolute monty matchup. No wonder it's being billed the fourth test of this tour.
NZ MAORI: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Rico Gear, 13 Rua Tipoki, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Caleb Ralph, 10 David Hill, 9 Piri Weepu; 8 Angus Macdonald, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jono Gibbes (c), 5 Sean Hohneck, 4 Ross Filipo, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Deacon Manu. Reserves: 16 Scott Linklater, 17 Greg Feek, 18 Daniel Braid, 19 Wayne Ormond, 20 Craig McGrath, 21 Carlos Spencer, 22 Neil Brew.
LIONS: 15 Josh Lewsey (England), 14 Tom Shanklin (Wales), 13 Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland, captain), 12 Gordon D'Arcy (Ireland), 11 Shane Williams (Wales), 10 Stephen Jones (Wales), 9 Matt Dawson (England); 8 Michael Owen (Wales), 7 Martyn Williams (Wales), 6 Richard Hill (England), 5 Paul O'Connell (Ireland, vice-capt), 4 Simon Shaw (England), 3 Julian White (England), 2 Steve Thompson (England), 1 Andy Sheridan (Sale Sharks, England). Reserves: 16 Shane Byrne (Ireland), 17 Gethin Jenkins (Wales), 18 Ben Kay (England), 19 Simon Easterby (Ireland), 20 Dwayne Peel (Wales), 21 Ronan O'Gara (Ireland), 22 Shane Horgan (Ireland).
thanks xtra
