British and Irish Lions Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Chabals Beard

Irish players who I think will travel..
POC, BOD, Zebo, Kearney, SOB, Healy, Best, Bowe.. Heaslip and Murray have decent chances of going too.. Madigan and POM with outside chances.

TheGoldenAges

Chabals Beard wrote: »

Irish players who I think will travel..
POC, BOD, Zebo, Kearney, SOB, Healy, Best, Bowe.. Heaslip and Murray have decent chances of going too.. Madigan and POM with outside chances.

Add Ross to the outside chances list

Brian4416

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

not leicester either imo

healy sob sexton and bod are certs to make the squad while Ross heaslip and kearney are maybes. i would be surprised to see more than 5 from any other club/province

Adam Jones, Cole are certainties. How is Ross being mentioned seriously? He only plays one side of the scrum. He will be an alterate behind Euan Murray and Paul James.

danthefan

Brian4416 wrote: »

Adam Jones, Cole are certainties. How is Ross being mentioned seriously? He only plays one side of the scrum. He will be an alterate behind Euan Murray and Paul James.

There are basically no props up for selection who can adequately cover both sides of the scrum.

TheGoldenAges

Brian4416 wrote: »

Adam Jones, Cole are certainties. How is Ross being mentioned seriously? He only plays one side of the scrum. He will be an alterate behind Euan Murray and Paul James.

many people have him in their outside chances list including Skysports

trouttrout

Indo reporting that Warburton is captain while Robshaw will miss out completely

Bogota

trouttrout wrote: »

Indo reporting that Warburton is captain while Robshaw will miss out completely

Wow. I thought Robshaw would start to be honest.

eltonio

danthefan wrote: »

There are basically no props up for selection who can adequately cover both sides of the scrum.

One or two pundits thinking Matt Stevens might go as he does just that. I wouldn't put my own money on it though !

the baby bull elephant

Brian4416 wrote: »

Adam Jones, Cole are certainties. How is Ross being mentioned seriously? He only plays one side of the scrum. He will be an alterate behind Euan Murray and Paul James.

There'll be 6 props and playing two sides doesn't really matter anymore. Yes Jones and Coles are nailed on yes but there's a third tighthead spot up for grabs. Murray has been poor for a few years now and James is a loosehead who can play a bit at tighthead if he goes it'll be as a loosehead. Ross is mainly getting in people's squads by default.

totallegend

Brian4416 wrote: »

Adam Jones, Cole are certainties. How is Ross being mentioned seriously? He only plays one side of the scrum. He will be an alterate behind Euan Murray and Paul James.

Having two props on the bench means being able to play both sides is no longer that much of an advantage.

bilston

trouttrout wrote: »

Indo reporting that Warburton is captain while Robshaw will miss out completely

I just dont get Warburton as captain. On his day he is an exceptional player but those days have been few and far between since the WC.

Rightwing

bilston wrote: »

I just dont get Warburton as captain. On his day he is an exceptional player but those days have been few and far between since the WC.

Few do, but apparently they have a great working relationship. Seems a big call to base it on that.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Brian4416 wrote: »

Adam Jones, Cole are certainties. How is Ross being mentioned seriously? He only plays one side of the scrum. He will be an alterate behind Euan Murray and Paul James.

Gatland has said 6 props 3 on each side. lions has 23 man squads so you don't need someone who can play both sides. this promotes Ross from no hoper to decent chance of touring

Tox56

bilston wrote: »

I just dont get Warburton as captain. On his day he is an exceptional player but those days have been few and far between since the WC.

I've made my feelings clear on the subject, but I just can't get around it at all, I think it would be a terrible call, borderline inept. He could do without the pressure of captaincy, he is a player drifting in and out of form in the most competitive area for selection, he supposedly turned down the Welsh captaincy during the 6N and both he and his team performed better when he was relieved of the responsibility. Several pundits are supporting the idea and I just don't understand it.

PhatPiggins

danthefan wrote: »

There are basically no props up for selection who can adequately cover both sides of the scrum.

Paul James is well able to play both sides but I don't think being ambipropsterous is all that big a deal since they extended the match day squads.

Would still bring James though as a loosehead

JustinDee

danthefan wrote: »

There are basically no props up for selection who can adequately cover both sides of the scrum.

That's more than Australia have. They still pick Kepu these days, for example. He is NOT an international prop.
Stephen Jones reckons the scrum is where the tests will be defined. He even thinks this is how England snuffed out Aussie in 2007. Couldn't be more wrong. England bossed and bullied at the breakdown, neutralising Aussie back row and forcing them to commit.

thomond2006

Does Carl Hayman have any Irish blood in him?

Start him and then bring on Adam Jones for the last 20. Let the destruction begin...

PhatPiggins

JustinDee wrote: »

That's more than Australia have. They still pick Kepu these days, for example. He is NOT an international prop.
Stephen Jones reckons the scrum is where the tests will be defined. He even thinks this is how England snuffed out Aussie in 2007. Couldn't be more wrong. England bossed and bullied at the breakdown, neutralising Aussie back row and forcing them to commit.

Please don't swear in public

Australia haven't had a scrum worth the name in living memory. It hasn't bothered them a jot.

JustinDee

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Please don't swear in public

Australia haven't had a scrum worth the name in living memory. It hasn't bothered them a jot.

I know that and I was just showing how little [swear word] can see in a game, particularly when analysing it.
Been a while since a combo like Blades, Kearns and Noriega kept that part of the Aussie game tidy.

danthefan

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Please don't swear in public

Australia haven't had a scrum worth the name in living memory. It hasn't bothered them a jot.

They absolutely annihilated us in the scrum back in 2009 in Croke Park. How we got a draw is a complete mystery.

Nuigforce

Probably a stupid question but i see that some bookies are giving odds on the series finishing 2-0 to either the lions or the wallabies,, can someone explain how thats possible?

CIARAN_BOYLE

Nuigforce wrote: »

Probably a stupid question but i see that some bookies are giving odds on the series finishing 2-0 to either the lions or the wallabies,, can someone explain how thats possible?

not sure but i think its betting that one team wins 2 tests and the 3rd is a draw

Chabals Beard

Will this be streamed anywhere? I ll be stuck in school with no access to a TV ..

part time punk

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

not sure but i think its betting that one team wins 2 tests and the 3rd is a draw

or the loosing team throws their toys out of the pram after loosing the second test and refuses to play the last test?

its_phil

So going for what I think will be the squad picked tomorrow:

Props (6): Jones, Cole, Ross, Jenkins, Healy, James
Hooker (3): Hibbard, Youngs, Best
SR (5): POC, AWJ, Parling, Evans, Hamilton
Flanker (5): Warburton, Tipuric, SOB, Croft, Brown
8 (2): Heaslip, Faletau

9 (3): Phillips, Youngs, Care*
10 (3): Sexton, Wilkinson, Farrell

Centers (4): Tuilagi, BOD, Roberts, Barritt
Wings (4): Cuthbert, North, Bowe, Zebo
Fullback (3): Hogg, Halfpenny, Kearney

15 Welsh
11 Irish
9 English
4 Scottish

I'd prefer it was Murray but I think Gatland will elect for Care based on the hard grounds in Australia. Murray will certainly be on stand-by.

The toughest choice was Maitland and Zebo. Just went for Zebo based on the spark he could bring.

The other area I fancy myself to be wrong in are Launchbury vs Hamilton and Brown vs Robshaw. Also got a sneaky feeling it could be Barritt over Davies because Davies passing is too suspect to play 12. He is a very good 13 but I see BOD and Tuilagi being better choices. Vunipola over James could be another but Gatland has a good ball carrying LH in Healy. As for Lydiate I just haven't heard enough about if he is playing well or not to think Gatland will include him.

I think Gatland will change his mind on the number of OH's he brings just like the props.

I've been quite generous giving 11 Irish spots but then again I am Irish!

buyer95

its_phil wrote: »

So going for what I think will be the squad picked tomorrow:

Props (6): Jones, Cole, Ross, Jenkins, Healy, James
Hooker (3): Hibbard, Youngs, Best
SR (5): POC, AWJ, Parling, Evans, Hamilton
Flanker (5): Warburton, Tipuric, SOB, Croft, Brown
8 (2): Heaslip, Faletau

9 (3): Phillips, Youngs, Care*
10 (3): Sexton, Wilkinson, Farrell

Centers (4): Tuilagi, BOD, Roberts, Barritt
Wings (4): Cuthbert, North, Bowe, Zebo
Fullback (3): Hogg, Halfpenny, Kearney

15 Welsh
11 Irish
9 English
4 Scottish

I'd prefer it was Murray but I think Gatland will elect for Care based on the hard grounds in Australia. Murray will certainly be on stand-by.

The toughest choice was Maitland and Zebo. Just went for Zebo based on the spark he could bring.

The other area I fancy myself to be wrong in are Launchbury vs Hamilton and Brown vs Robshaw. Also got a sneaky feeling it could be Barritt over Davies because Davies passing is too suspect to play 12. He is a very good 13 but I see BOD and Tuilagi being better choices. Vunipola over James could be another but Gatland has a good ball carrying LH in Healy. As for Lydiate I just haven't heard enough about if he is playing well or not to think Gatland will include him.

I think Gatland will change his mind on the number of OH's he brings just like the props.

I've been quite generous giving 11 Irish spots but then again I am Irish!

LOL 11 Irish players, and we won 1 match:rolleyes:

Rumours circulating that Madigan is in...

trouttrout

buyer95 wrote: »

LOL 11 Irish players, and we won 1 match:rolleyes:

Rumours circulating that Madigan is in...

It's not unrealistic at all. I reckon it will be 10 though

colman1212

Madigan, zebo, murray are in apparently.

buyer95

buyer95 wrote: »

LOL 11 Irish players, and we won 1 match:rolleyes:

Rumours circulating that Madigan is in...

Putting money on Madigan right now, Gareth Davies latest to say he thinks he will travel, apparently Gatland isn't keen on Farrell

its_phil

buyer95 wrote: »

LOL 11 Irish players, and we won 1 match:rolleyes:

Rumours circulating that Madigan is in...

Not by anything more than a converted try.

We'll see tomorrow.