Lions out to deliver a sucker punch

“We want it to be an extremely physical game so that they know they’ve been in a battle. If things get fiery, that’s good – good for us. There were a few things that got under their skin against the Barbarians, so maybe we’ll do that and see what happens.”

It is hardly the most credible threat, though the Lions could be excused an apprehension that, because the Force team are so weakened by the priority being given to their weekend game against New South Wales, belligerence is their only recourse. Force coach Michael Foley, once of Bath, is one of many in Australian rugby who cannot comprehend how their own Union could accept the compensation on offer from Lions tour sponsors to transfer the first fixture to Hong Kong.

It so happened that last weekend Foley’s side had a timely bye in the Super-15, yet still their Lions fixture – as everyone here keeps saying, a once-in-a-career opportunity for many of the home players – was deferred to midweek.

“The most important thing is to look at the scheduling. There was the Barbarians game that could have been a Force game,” he said. “It’s doable but there’s a balance between quantity and quality and at the moment there’s a big push to get more games.”

In Tom Croft’s case, he cannot get enough games after his 18 months recovering from a broken neck that last June was a new and profoundly worrying injury. “This time last year I just wanted to get back and play,” said the Leicester flanking gazelle.

“At best I imagined my team-mates Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi being here, with me being in Argentina with England. So pulling the Lions jersey on again is a dream come true.”

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2335080/England-rugby-captain-Tom-Wood-says-cut-mistakes-beat-Argentina.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

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Lions out to deliver a sucker punch