Lions have been named.

Whitely returns from a 7week injury. Marx, Jantjies & Coetzee have been demoted to the bench.

Sylvian Mahuza; Courtnall Skosan, Lionel Mapoe, Franco Naude, Aphiwe Dyantyi; Gianni Lombard, Ross Cronje; Warren Whiteley (c), Cyle Brink, Kwagga Smith, Marvin Orie, Stephan Lewies, Carlu Sadie, Robbie Coetzee, Sti Sithole

Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Frans Van Wyk, Johannes Jonker, Wilhelm van der Sluys, Marnus Schoeman, Nic Groom, Elton Jantjies, Andries Coetzee

Decent looking 23. The Lions look like the side mostly capable of denying the Crusaders the title.

Jack Debreczeni, Sean Wainui, Alex Nankivell, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ataata Moeakiola, Marty McKenzie, Brad Weber (captain), Taleni Seu, Lachlan Boshier, Luke Jacobson, Mitchell Brown, Tyler Ardron, Nepo Laulala, Liam Polwart, Angus Ta'avao

Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Atu Moli, Sosefo Kautai, Jesse Parete, Pita Gus Sowakula, Jonathan Taumateine, Tumua Manu, Shaun Stevenson

And the Chiefs look really shit on paper again.

Surely you’d have Stevenson over the Aussie at the back, has the Aussie played much 15?

Never like seeing the word injury in the same sentence as Brodie Retallick. Hopefully it is nothing major with his hand.

@sparky said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Decent looking 23. The Lions look like the side mostly capable of denying the Crusaders the title.

Seriously? Have you seen how the played the last few rounds? They're not even a shadow of the teams that played in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 finals.

@Duluth good to see Debreczeni back, interesting they got him running at FB...should chuck his name in the AB10 mix....

@taniwharugby said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Duluth good to see Debreczeni back, interesting they got him running at FB...should chuck his name in the AB10 mix....

Sheesh, any old dude washes up in Taniwha country and you're proposing him for the ABs. It's like you're northern Cantabrians.

@Nepia I knew that would get you

@Stargazer I have. Point I was trying to make is I suspect they'll get better.

Is TTT in the doghouse?

@Dice Getting a rest from his heavy workload :man_facepalming_medium_skin_tone:

@Stargazer I can't see him being at the Chiefs next year. I'm hoping we pick him up.

Listening to Cooper on RS, TTT has been released to play club footy.

Tried to sell it as a good thing; to get 80mins and it is his clubs centenary.

@Nepia said in Chiefs vs Lions:

It's like you're northern Cantabrians.

North Cantabrians please...

Match Chiefs v Lions @ FMG Stadium, Hamilton
Referee Brendon Pickerill
AR1 Mike Fraser
AR2 Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO Shane McDermott

@Daffy-Jaffy said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Match Chiefs v Lions @ FMG Stadium, Hamilton
Referee Brendon Pickerill
AR1 Mike Fraser
AR2 Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO Shane McDermott

That's a scary combo.

Lions looking far better than they have recently

How was that not a knock on by their nine

Is Angus Ta'avo a liability? He got pinged a lot last week early and he's given away one already tonight.

Both Taylor and Coles would have continued running if they'd made a break like Marx just did.

Very lucky there. No release from the 9 for me. I guess he might argue he wasn't part of the tackle, but I thought he was.

@Damo said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Is Angus Ta'avo a liability? He got pinged a lot last week early and he's given away one already tonight.

Maybe because he's wearing the 1 jersey instead of 3?

LOL at the commentary. Bad decision for lions to take kick (they've got 3 points), great captaincy for chiefs to take line out (they've got zero points)

Well fuck. Why all the 50/50 passes.

Why are the Chiefs hell bent on throwing low percentage passes?

@Stargazer said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Damo said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Is Angus Ta'avo a liability? He got pinged a lot last week early and he's given away one already tonight.

Maybe because he's wearing the 1 jersey instead of 3?

Yeah I didn't realise that. Why is he playing loosehead then?

@Jailbreak7 said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Well fuck. Why all the 50/50 passes.

Fifty fifty? Throwing it backwards whilst not looking is not fifty fifty! It's just stupid

@Damo said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Stargazer said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Damo said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Is Angus Ta'avo a liability? He got pinged a lot last week early and he's given away one already tonight.

Maybe because he's wearing the 1 jersey instead of 3?

Yeah I didn't realise that. Why is he playing loosehead then?

Cooper be Crazy?

@Damo All Black's call, maybe

Weber also throwing ropey passes

Another bit of great captaincy not going for kick, still 0 points

Why the fuck is Ta'avao playing at loosehead? Dudes a magnet for penalties.

@Machpants said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Damo All Black's call, maybe

Not a great call if it is. He's obviously fooled the refs into thinking he has a problem keeping his bind up.

@Jailbreak7 I've no idea just a guess, probably not correct

Who are the Chiefs' loosehead props and are they available for selection (not injured)?

@Machpants You're possibly correct though. Idiocy from Cooper otherwise.

@Damo said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Stargazer said in Chiefs vs Lions:

@Damo said in Chiefs vs Lions:

Is Angus Ta'avo a liability? He got pinged a lot last week early and he's given away one already tonight.

Maybe because he's wearing the 1 jersey instead of 3?

Yeah I didn't realise that. Why is he playing loosehead then?

Because injury crisis or the Chiefs coaches are shit?

Pretty sure it’s the ABs asked him to swap sides. Ofa and Karl did it earlier in the season

One of the (likely) 5 RWC props will need to cover both sides