British and Irish Lions Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

irishbucsfan · 27-12-2012 2:37pm

danthefan wrote: »

Imo Corbisiero is in pole position and to be fair he's a quality player. Lot of rugby to be played.

Anyone picking Jenkins needs their opinion disregarded immediately. The last time I really saw him play was the QF last season and the Cardiff scrum got absolutely destroyed.

Forgot about that.

He's definitely had his bad days

thomond2006 · 27-12-2012 2:41pm

Jenkins isn't in the Toulon squad this weekend: http://www.rctoulon.com/en/news/article/rct-usap-le-groupe-rouge-et-noir/

Ciaran-Irl · 27-12-2012 3:23pm

danthefan wrote: »

Imo Corbisiero is in pole position and to be fair he's a quality player. Lot of rugby to be played.

Anyone picking Jenkins needs their opinion disregarded immediately. The last time I really saw him play was the QF last season and the Cardiff scrum got absolutely destroyed.

The last time I saw Healy play, the scrum got absolutely destroyed by Ulster. Healy is still the favourite for the starting loose head position. Most of the Welsh team are rubbish when they play for their regional teams. That doesn't mean much on its own. Jenkins was excellent in the last Lions tour, and plays well nearly every time he plays for Wales. I wouldn't pick him, but only because he isn't getting his game at Toulon and because he isn't likely to be released in time for the plane. He is a good player, and there aren't that many contenders in the position.

danthefan · 27-12-2012 3:24pm

Ciaran-Irl wrote: »

The last time I saw Healy play, the scrum got absolutely destroyed by Ulster. Healy is still the favourite for the starting loose head position. Most of the Welsh team are rubbish when they play for their regional teams. That doesn't mean much on its own. Jenkins was excellent in the last Lions tour, and plays well nearly every time he plays for Wales. I wouldn't pick him, but only because he isn't getting his game at Toulon and because he isn't likely to be released in time for the plane. He is a good player, and there aren't that many contenders in the position.

That's nice, considering I did not mention Healy at all in my post I don't know why you're telling me that.

Ciaran-Irl · 27-12-2012 3:42pm

danthefan wrote: »

That's nice, considering I did not mention Healy at all in my post I don't know why you're telling me that.

It is fairly obvious what point I was making Dan. You said that Jenkins was destroyed in the scrum fior Cardiff against Leinster as a reason to not select him. I pointed out that it happened to Healy in his most recent game, yet he is still the front runner. Thus, citing one performance isn't a reason to write Jenkins off.

ekevosu · 27-12-2012 3:43pm

danthefan wrote: »

That's nice, considering I did not mention Healy at all in my post I don't know why you're telling me that.

Read his post again. He's not making a point about Healy, it's about club form versus test form, consistency etc. Healy was used as an example.

danthefan · 27-12-2012 4:03pm

Ciaran-Irl wrote: »

It is fairly obvious what point I was making Dan. You said that Jenkins was destroyed in the scrum fior Cardiff against Leinster as a reason to not select him. I pointed out that it happened to Healy in his most recent game, yet he is still the front runner. Thus, citing one performance isn't a reason to write Jenkins off.

Says who, out of interest?

SebBerkovich · 27-12-2012 4:12pm

danthefan wrote: »

Says who, out of interest?

No one at the BBC apparently

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/20266978

SebBerkovich · 27-12-2012 4:15pm

SebBerkovich wrote: »

No one at the BBC apparently

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/20266978

Sorry, i ment.. everyone at the BBC (as of December)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/20576096

Deano7788 · 27-12-2012 4:59pm

Still no love for Heaslip

(for God's sake Keith SOB is not an 8, and O'Driscoll is not a 12 either). Nice to see Healy getting some recognition in Britain finally, though.

jamiedav2011 · 27-12-2012 5:01pm

Deano7788 wrote: »

Still no love for Heaslip (for God's sake Keith SOB is not an 8, and O'Driscoll is not a 12 either). Nice to see Healy getting some recognition in Britain finally, though.

Wood seems to think that positions are fluid. He was on the Stephen Ferris for second row brigade too.

O'Driscoll at 12 in particular would be insanity.

CIARAN_BOYLE · 27-12-2012 5:17pm

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Wood seems to think that positions are fluid. He was on the Stephen Ferris for second row brigade too.

O'Driscoll at 12 in particular would be insanity.

Did Wood ever play Prop or Flanker?

He should know that positions aren't fluid.

Deano7788 · 27-12-2012 5:17pm

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Wood seems to think that positions are fluid. He was on the Stephen Ferris for second row brigade too.

O'Driscoll at 12 in particular would be insanity.

It's especially stupid on something like the Lions, where you only have a few weeks together. The last thing a players needs is to be trying to adapt to a new position.

Hagz · 27-12-2012 5:19pm

SOB is a very capable 8.

Deano7788 · 27-12-2012 5:24pm

Hagz wrote: »

SOB is a very capable 8.

He is a 6/7 primarily (becoming more of a 7 recently) capable of doing a good job there imo; I wouldn't have him as 1st choice for the Lions there, though, especially when he's playing alongside Heaslip, who for some reason he jumps ahead of for the Lions. It makes no sense.

jamiedav2011 · 27-12-2012 5:36pm

Hagz wrote: »

SOB is a very capable 8.

Not nearly at the level that Heaslip is though, in terms of the nuts and bolts of playing 8.

Certainly not good enough to displace him at Lions level.

jamiedav2011 · 27-12-2012 5:37pm

Deano7788 wrote: »

He is a 6/7 primarily (becoming more of a 7 recently) capable of doing a good job there imo; I wouldn't have him as 1st choice for the Lions there, though, especially when he's playing alongside Heaslip, who for some reason he jumps ahead of for the Lions. It makes no sense.

Wood, along with many Munster men for some reason, has a thing about Heaslip.

Let's remember that he also said he'd have POM as captain for the AIs.

English Lurker · 27-12-2012 5:41pm

Podge_irl wrote: »

Ah, apologies. I forgot he missed that game. Again I wouldn't object to him starting and Healy coming off the bench for impact. Jenkins is a non runner at the moment though.

No worries.

My personal taste for the front row would be

Healy, Best and Jones to start

Corbisiero, Cole and God Knows Who to come on. Two strong front rows with a fair amount of familiarity with each other and you also keep a fetcher in the front row on the pitch at all times (more or less), which I like.

Tox56 · 27-12-2012 7:28pm

English Lurker wrote: »

No worries.

My personal taste for the front row would be

Healy, Best and Jones to start

Corbisiero, Cole and God Knows Who to come on. Two strong front rows with a fair amount of familiarity with each other and you also keep a fetcher in the front row on the pitch at all times (more or less), which I like.

If you want a fetcher you would want Strauss, he's an openside with a 2 on his back. He really specialises at turning over ball, and even if the rest of his game isn't up to the level of someone like Best, he is better than almost any hooker around at the breakdown.

Glass Prison 1214 · 27-12-2012 10:41pm

Tox56 wrote: »

If you want a fetcher you would want Strauss, he's an openside with a 2 on his back. He really specialises at turning over ball, and even if the rest of his game isn't up to the level of someone like Best, he is better than almost any hooker around at the breakdown.

His excellence at the breakdown will be doubley important against the Aussies who are the masters at it, I want Best to start the six nations but I think Strauss could be more valuable for the Lions, I can't imagine a player who is second choice for their country jumping ahead of the first choice into the Lions team however.

Higher · 27-12-2012 11:20pm

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Wood, along with many Munster men for some reason, has a thing about Heaslip.

Let's remember that he also said he'd have POM as captain for the AIs.

I've always wondered, is there any reason why Heaslip is so hated by Munster fans? Like has there been a specific incident or what?

.ak · 27-12-2012 11:23pm

I don't buy Wood has a 'thing about' Heaslip. That's tinfoil hat stuff. I'm sure he has an interest in certain munster players though, which is fair enough in considering it's a professional game.

Glass Prison 1214 · 27-12-2012 11:25pm

Higher wrote: »

I've always wondered, is there any reason why Heaslip is so hated by Munster fans? Like has there been a specific incident or what?

They are just jealous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-JToT2_ZBo

Deano7788 · 27-12-2012 11:30pm

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

They are just jealous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-JToT2_ZBo

Nah, it's due to the period where he wore the wrong coloured scrum cap. How dare he!

P.S. Not all Munster fans have something against him, me being 1 of them. He's a great player imo, and has proven very adaptable to the different roles that have been asked of him

GerM · 27-12-2012 11:48pm

Deano7788 wrote: »

Not all Munster fans have something against him, me being 1 of them.

Bingo. Just some rabid natives who have an unveiled hatred of all things blue. The same proportion, I would think, of Leinster fans exist who reciprocate that feeling and had a fairly illogical critical viewpoint of the likes of Dowling.

jamiedav2011 · 28-12-2012 12:50am

.ak wrote: »

I don't buy Wood has a 'thing about' Heaslip. That's tinfoil hat stuff. I'm sure he has an interest in certain munster players though, which is fair enough in considering it's a professional game.

Is it? He's been quite vocal about starting SOB at 8 and POM should be a captain. Don't see what it being a 'professional game' is about, he's a professional journalist.

When I say he has a 'thing about' Heaslip, I'm referring to the fact that he doesn't seem to rate him, and takes most opportunities to state this, albeit not straight out. Would you not agree?

jamiedav2011 · 28-12-2012 12:53am

GerM wrote: »

Bingo. Just some rabid natives who have an unveiled hatred of all things blue. The same proportion, I would think, of Leinster fans exist who reciprocate that feeling and had a fairly illogical critical viewpoint of the likes of Dowling.

I certainly wouldn't agree with that either.
Was criticism of Dowling illogical when he was being mentioned as an international candidate?
He served an excellent purpose for that Munster team, and was a model pro, but I certainly wouldn't put him in the same bracket as Heaslip, certianly wouldn't put this 'criticism' in the same bracket as that which is subjected to Heaslip in the rabid wasteland of MF, plus you've the fact that Dowling didn't exactly endear himself to Leinster fans iirc.

No, I would agree perhaps if you had said Zebo there or someone, but Dowling was a strange choice!

.ak · 28-12-2012 1:10am

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Is it? He's been quite vocal about starting SOB at 8 and POM should be a captain. Don't see what it being a 'professional game' is about, he's a professional journalist.

Aye, a professional journalist with a strong Munster background. Naturally he's going to push for POM's cause.

When I say he has a 'thing about' Heaslip, I'm referring to the fact that he doesn't seem to rate him, and takes most opportunities to state this, albeit not straight out. Would you not agree?

Well that's different than having a 'thing' about him. That sort of implies a George Hook type of approach. I would have no issue with Wood not rating Heaslip - although I do think he rates him, just not as highly as others.

Fireball07 · 28-12-2012 1:23am

I think linking Wood with some of the people who irrationally hate Heaslip is extremely unfair. Whether he rates Heaslip or not has nothing to do with where Wood is from. A couple of years ago, a lot of people would have thought SOB was a better 8 than a 7, and I've seen numerous calls for him to play there on this forum.

There are Leinster fans who irrationally hate Munster players too, but again, they are a small minority, and it's easy to ignore.

And I think POM will be a great captain fwiw. He's a real onfield leader, very vocal, always encouraging the other players and trying to gee them up. Will captain Ireland in the future.

GerM · 28-12-2012 1:35am

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

I certainly wouldn't agree with that either.
Was criticism of Dowling illogical when he was being mentioned as an international candidate?
He served an excellent purpose for that Munster team, and was a model pro, but I certainly wouldn't put him in the same bracket as Heaslip, certianly wouldn't put this 'criticism' in the same bracket as that which is subjected to Heaslip in the rabid wasteland of MF, plus you've the fact that Dowling didn't exactly endear himself to Leinster fans iirc.

No, I would agree perhaps if you had said Zebo there or someone, but Dowling was a strange choice!

I wasn't putting him in the same bracket as Heaslip as a player and I'd like to think that people would realise that's fairly obvious given they're on different planets in terms of their achievements. The comparison was that he is someone that was better than his detractors would ever give him credit for at his relative level and cite him continuously as a target of their vendetta. Some of the stuff posted about both on the respective fan sites is plain ignorance and bile.

British and Irish Lions Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

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