British and Irish Lions Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Tox56

jm08 wrote: »

He also says he has no idea why he didn't run against Wales.

Can you explain why any coach would order anyone not to make breaks/hit the line which is what is baffling Smith (who clearly rates Kidney as a coach going on the summary at the end - Ireland are finished without similar like-for-like replacements to BOD & POC).

He is critical of ROG's lack of a breaking/defence game - but he rates him as an attacker ("... but it is not always easy when O’Gara starts to push your defence around the field").

Can you explain why Sexton doesn't "make breaks/hit the line" at international level when he does at provincial level? You seem to have agreed that he sits deeper and kicks more.

Smith's only theory on why Sexton didn't run more against Wales was:

if Sexton was playing to orders, then I am a little baffled.

None of us know if Sexton was playing to orders, but both many here and Smith himself have speculated that this was the case. Even Wayne Smith couldn't figure out another reason why Sexton doesn't "hit the line" more in internationals, and as you said yourself:

Wayne Smith was the All Blacks backs coach for the last 8-10 years so would do a lot of analysis work on these guys and would be informed by that analysis

Surely if he can't find another reason, nobody can?

jm08

Tox56 wrote: »

Can you explain why Sexton doesn't "make breaks/hit the line" at international level when he does at provincial level? You seem to have agreed that he sits deeper and kicks more.

Smith's only theory on why Sexton didn't run more against Wales was:

None of us know if Sexton was playing to orders, but both many here and Smith himself have speculated that this was the case. Even Wayne Smith couldn't figure out another reason why Sexton doesn't "hit the line" more in internationals, and as you said yourself:

Surely if he can't find another reason, nobody can?

Its not his only theory if you read a bit further in the blog:

.... Kris Burton was up there with Rhys Priestland as the most running fly-half in the first round (five apiece, Trinh-Duc and Parks ran it once and Hodgson and Sexton did not bother).

He still rates Trinh-Duc even though he only ran once, but he had the other skills to compensate for his lack of a running threat.

leftleg

jm08 wrote: »

Its not his only theory if you read a bit further in the blog:

Where is the theory explanation in that statement??

Tox56

jm08 wrote: »

Its not his only theory if you read a bit further in the blog:



He still rates Trinh-Duc even though he only ran once, but he had the other skills to compensate for his lack of a running threat.

Seriously? Seriously?

I give up

leftleg

jm08 wrote: »

He still rates Trinh-Duc even though he only ran once, but he had the other skills to compensate for his lack of a running threat.

Trinh Duc is a great fly half he can kick, tackle, pass, attack the line and create holes at will;

ROG can kick........... (tumbleweed floating past in the wind)

jacothelad

leftleg wrote: »

Trinh Duc is a great fly half he can kick, tackle, pass, attack the line and create holes at will;

ROG could kick once upon a time........... (tumbleweed floating past in the wind)

Fixed.

Swiwi

leftleg wrote: »

Carter is a great fly half he can kick, tackle, pass, attack the line and create holes at will;

ROG could kick once upon a time........... (tumbleweed floating past in the wind)

jacothelad wrote: »

Fixed.

Fixed even more

irishbucsfan

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby/top-rugby-stories/video-scotland-legend-gavin-hastings-selects-his-british-irish-lions-starting-xv-1-2621938

Hastings, who played 61 times for Scotland and six times for The Lions, picks a lineup that includes two Scotland Internationals, Tim Visser and Richie Gray. Meanwhile, Brian O’Driscoll returns for a fourth Lions Tour and Danny Care is preferred by Hastings to the 2009 first choice scrum-half Mike Phillips. France-based Lee Byrne takes the full-back position, but there is no place for Wales captain Sam Warburton.

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS STARTING XV

15. Lee Byrne

14. George North

13. Brian O’Driscoll

12. Jonathan Davies

11. Tim Visser

10. Jonny Sexton

9. Danny Care

8. Nick Easter

7. Chris Robshaw

6. Stephen Ferris

5. Courtney Lawes

4. Richie Gray

3. Adam Jones

2. Matthew Rees

1. Joe Marler

Thought this would be very popular on here

TheGoldenAges

irishbucsfan wrote: »

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby/top-rugby-stories/video-scotland-legend-gavin-hastings-selects-his-british-irish-lions-starting-xv-1-2621938



Thought this would be very popular on here

Three Irish players? Should be interesting to say what other people think, I guess there's a case for every player there but Rob Kearney and Cian Healy not in that team is criminal..

goreyguy

Easter? lol.

Lawes and Gray arent in great form but you can understand why their chosen

PhatPiggins

leftleg wrote: »

Trinh Duc is a great fly half he can kick, tackle, pass, attack the line and create holes at will;

ROG can kick........... (tumbleweed floating past in the wind)

Have you ever seen Trinh Duc play for Monty behind a beaten pack of for France for that matter under the same circumstances? Complete armchair hero, not worth a sniff when under pressure.

cgpg5

goreyguy wrote: »

Easter? lol.

Lawes and Gray arent in great form but you can understand why their chosen

Lawes is tearing up the Aviva prem couldn't play for England during Summer cos of injury. He'll be a huge addition for them next week

The worst part of all is, Easter isn't even the worst selection in that side. Not even in the top 2

irishbucsfan

Nick Easter might be the Quinlan of this tour if he keeps up his current form. Wouldn't have him starting though.

Fireball07

Despite only having 3 Irish players, the Hastings team is probably the best one I've seen from a pundit/journalist.

Couple of big issues but most of it makes sense. I, personally, wouldn't bring Byrne...I reckon Kearney and Halfpenny are better, and Foden and Brown too.

I also wouldn't have Robshaw at 7, though I could see why he'd do it. Easter at 8...well, I think he's a long way off Heaslip but he is playing well atm.

Marler and Rees ahead of Healy and Best...again, not what I'd do but you can see where he's coming from.

Tox56

Hastings really goes from one extreme to another, some perfectly reasonable selections and some slightly bizzare ones.

ssaye

Fireball07 wrote: »

Despite only having 3 Irish players, the Hastings team is probably the best one I've seen from a pundit/journalist.

Couple of big issues but most of it makes sense. I, personally, wouldn't bring Byrne...I reckon Kearney and Halfpenny are better, and Foden and Brown too.

I also wouldn't have Robshaw at 7, though I could see why he'd do it. Easter at 8...well, I think he's a long way off Heaslip but he is playing well atm

Marler and Rees ahead of Healy and Best...again, not what I'd do but you can see where he's coming from.

Agree a lot and the thing is glass half empty, no irish teams may get into last 4 of HEC and with the possibility of a poor 6N and you could say 3/4 starters would be the fair amount. If provinces and country stay fit and perform successfully over the next 6 months there will be 6/7/8 Irish in the starting 15
RK
TB
BOD
JS
JH
SOB
SF
POC
RB
CH

5, 7 and 4 Irish started games in the 3 2009 Lions tests from a successful country and provincial season TB and JH and POC (c)starting all 3

English Lurker

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Nick Easter might be the Quinlan of this tour if he keeps up his current form. Wouldn't have him starting though.

Thing is, such a man has to have a positive effect on the morale of the squad, and I cannot see Lancaster's continual shut door on Easter as anything other than tacitly saying he's crap for that - he's in form and there's plenty of other guys with no future in the squad.

I also personally think a first priority for back-rows will be the ability to keep up with the Aussies moving it around quickly on hard ground, which should be bad news for Easter and, I'm sad and reluctant to say, Robshaw.

.ak

irishbucsfan wrote: »

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby/top-rugby-stories/video-scotland-legend-gavin-hastings-selects-his-british-irish-lions-starting-xv-1-2621938



Thought this would be very popular on here

That's close... I'd have 1/2penny ahead of Byrne. I'd also have Kearney ahead of Byrne...

Healy is a better technical scrummager than Marler imo, but they're both good in the loose.

On current form Robshaw at 7 is fair, although I'd have Tupiric ahead of him... and I'd hope SOB will have a big 6N and be in contention there also.

totallegend

If Gatland has discarded Lee Byrne at national level, I don't see him being picked for the Lions (although a good run in the HC by Clermont won't hurt).

Nick Easter will not be on the tour and I don't see Rees edging out Best (or maybe even Strauss) for the hooker jersey. Other than that, not a bad team.

Fishooks12

Can't take Hastings seriously with that team. As someone said, some really daft calls. Cian Healy seems to be criminally underrated outside of Ireland

shuffol

Beeb lads did theirs too, the ignorance of Kearney and Healy continues.

Jeremy Guscott's Lions XV: Halfpenny (Wales), Cuthbert (Wales), O'Driscoll (Ireland), Roberts (Wales), North (Wales); Sexton (Ireland), Phillips (Wales); Jenkins (Wales), Best (Ireland), A Jones (Wales), Charteris (Wales), Gray (Scotland), Ferris (Ireland), Warburton (Wales), Heaslip (Ireland).

Keith Wood's Lions XV: Halfpenny (Wales), Bowe (Ireland), J Davies (Wales), O'Driscoll (Ireland), North (Wales); Sexton (Ireland), Phillips (Wales); Jenkins (Wales), Best (Ireland), A Jones (Wales), Gray (Scotland), AW Jones (Wales), O'Brien (Ireland), Warburton (Wales), Ferris (Ireland).

Andy Nicol's Lions XV: Halfpenny (Wales), Bowe (Ireland), Tuilagi (England), Roberts (Wales), Visser (Scotland); Sexton (Ireland), Phillips (Wales); Jenkins (Wales), Hartley (England), A Jones (Wales), Gray (Scotland), Lawes (England), Ferris (Ireland), Warburton (Wales), Faletau (Wales).

Jonathan Davies's Lions XV: Kearney (Ireland), Bowe (Ireland), O'Driscoll (Ireland), Tuilagi (England), North (Wales); Sexton (Ireland), Care (England); Sheridan (England), Best (Ireland), Cole (England), AW Jones (Wales), Lawes (England), Ferris (Ireland), Tipuric (Wales), Heaslip (Ireland).

Fireball07

Is that Jonathan Davies the current player?

Podge_irl

I assume it's Jonathan Davies the BBC pundit...

Fireball07

Podge_irl wrote: »

I assume it's Jonathan Davies the BBC pundit...

Oh well...

Either way his team is the best of them. Add in Jonathan Davies the player and Healy, and you've got an extremely strong team.

Podge_irl

His team is the best alright. Not quite sure why Healy seems to not be an option amongst any of the pundits. His scrummaging has come on massively and he has phenomenal in the loose. I'm not saying he should be a dead cert or anything but I'm surprised he isn't being touted as an option.

.ak

Defo love the look of Davies team.

Woods' is hilarious. You can tell a Hooker picked that team. Massive from 1-15.

thomond2006

Jenkins is clear second choice at Toulon behind Sheridan. There's a danger of him being undercooked late in the season.

Tox56

Looking at the BBC comments on the story, most of them also have no mention of Healy and have Jenkins ahead of him, I really find that amazing.

goreyguy

I still think Healy is viewed as being an average scrummager.

danthefan

Tox56 wrote: »

Looking at the BBC comments on the story, most of them also have no mention of Healy and have Jenkins ahead of him, I really find that amazing.

It's basically the exact same as the way we all think Healy is better than Jenkins. Jenkins is the player they know in the team they support (ahead of Ireland at least).