Lions 2013 – Bah! Humbug! part I

As it’s most commonly associated (thanks to Dickens’ famous character Ebenezer Scrooge) with Christmas, the phrase ‘Bah! Humbug!’ might seem a little out of place in August, but as its general intention is to draw attention to the belief of delusion and/or deception, it seems appropriate to put it to use in reaction to most assessments of the 2013 Lions tour. After a week of high-pressure build-up, the Lions finished off their tour of Australia with a highpoint 41-16 win over the Wallabies at the Olympic stadium in Sydney. The 41 points were the most the Lions had ever scored in a Test and, predictably, provoked all sorts of sensational ‘scoreboard journalism’ praise: ‘Gatland’s finest hour, by a long chalk’ (Delme Parfitt, Western Mail) and ‘Triumph enhances Lions’ and Gatland’s reputations’ (Bryn Palmer, BBC) just a pair of examples which, in turn, helped provoke tGL’s own reaction: ‘Bah! Humbug!’

Lions 2013 – Number 8s

On Friday 11 April, tGL posted the introduction to its 2013 Lions squad, talking about the most relevant criteria for assembling the players that will represent Britain and Ireland in Australia. Here is the fifth instalment of our squad, the number 8s, and the justification for our choices. As selection is subjective by its nature, if you agree or disagree, we welcome your arguments in the comments section below…