British and Irish Lions Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Hype710

Back on the subject of the Lions selection, Joe Launchbury looks a definite potential bolter. Looks a better player than Lawes so looking forward to seeing him in the 6N. Equally athletic as Lawes but puts it to better use.

jm08

GerM wrote: »

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.

Leinster fans had it in for Dowling because of some things he said about Leinster (might have been that he had no affinity to Leinter even though he was from there back in 2006). Some of the Leinster players also seemed to have it in for Dowling!

The reason why Heaslip isn't popular in some quarters is because he looks as if he doesn't put any effort in when playing for Ireland (in comparison to the effort he puts in for Leinster). He also said in an interview in the Sindo just before the World Cup that his career high was getting selected for the Lions. (BOD & POC - both former Lions captains - were also interviewed for the same piece and they said winning the Grand Slam was their career highs).

bilston

Hype710 wrote: »

Back on the subject of the Lions selection, Joe Launchbury looks a definite potential bolter. Looks a better player than Lawes so looking forward to seeing him in the 6N. Equally athletic as Lawes but puts it to better use.

Definitely, some in Ireland talk about Henderson as a potential bolter well Launchbury is probably further down the line at the minute in that he is starting for England and doing very well.

Deano7788

jm08 wrote: »

The reason why Heaslip isn't popular in some quarters is because he looks as if he doesn't put any effort in when playing for Ireland (in comparison to the effort he puts in for Leinster).

This is ridiculous. I don't see how anyone could think this. He gets through massive amounts of work for both teams.

Deano7788

Hype710 wrote: »

Back on the subject of the Lions selection, Joe Launchbury looks a definite potential bolter. Looks a better player than Lawes so looking forward to seeing him in the 6N. Equally athletic as Lawes but puts it to better use.

Definitely think he has a chance, he's been excellent this season. It will be interesting what combination they go with for the 6 Nations, probably Parling with A.N. Other. Atm I'd say Launchbury, with Lawes providing good impact off the bench (not sure if they'd work starting together). They've really developed a strong lock department, all 3 were selected by at least 1 of the BBC pundits.

phog

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?

I'm a Munster fan and would know a fair amount of Munster fans and I can assure none of us "hate" Heaslip. We may not be as orgasmic about him as some of the Leinster fans are but that's a far cry from hating him.

.ak

jm08 wrote: »

He also said in an interview in the Sindo just before the World Cup that his career high was getting selected for the Lions. (BOD & POC - both former Lions captains - were also interviewed for the same piece and they said winning the Grand Slam was their career highs).

That'd be an equally ridiculous reason to begrudge him. Can't a man have his own goals?

phog

.ak wrote: »

That'd be an equally ridiculous reason to begrudge him. Can't a man have his own goals?

He can of course and let's say if these were ROGs goals rather than Heaslips would you think the opinion of posters would be different? I'm not a betting man but I'd nearly put my house on it.

It amazes me to see Leinster fans being so precious about one of their players being "hated'" when they seem to thrive on similar hatred of non Leinster players/officials.

Glass Prison 1214

phog wrote: »

It amazes me to see Leinster fans being so precious about one of their players being "hated'" when they seem to thrive on similar hatred of non Leinster players/officials.

What players/officials are you suggesting that we 'thrive on hatred' of?

danthefan

phog wrote: »

It amazes me to see Leinster fans being so precious about one of their players being "hated'" when they seem to thrive on similar hatred of non Leinster players/officials.

Have you decided to take posting lessons from jm08 or something recently?

Tox56

Leinster fans tend to dislike some munster players, and vice versa, but the Heaslip thing seems to go above and beyond the dislike for most Leinster players. On MFs some people were suggesting Johnny Sexton and Cian Healy for Ireland captain ahead of Heaslip, so it isn't only a Leinster thing.

phog

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

What players/officials are you suggesting that we 'thrive on hatred' of?

Have peak through the old Ireland and Munster thread you'll get a good idea there.

phog

Tox56 wrote: »

Leinster fans tend to dislike some munster players, and vice versa, but the Heaslip thing seems to go above and beyond the dislike for most Leinster players. On MFs some people were suggesting Johnny Sexton and Cian Healy for Ireland captain ahead of Heaslip, so it isn't only a Leinster thing.

So because someone has an opinion on who should be captain indicates hatred for another player? Maybe they prefer the player they want as captain.

jamiedav2011

phog wrote: »

Have peak through the old Ireland and Munster thread you'll get a good idea there.

Go on?

Glass Prison 1214

phog wrote: »

Have peak through the old Ireland and Munster thread you'll get a good idea there.

Or you could just say them straight out rather then have people search through hundreds of pages from old threads

phog

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Go on?

Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you'll feed him for life!

Go on read the threads, you get the picture ;-)

jamiedav2011

phog wrote: »

Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you'll feed him for life!

Go on read the threads, you get the picture ;-)

Ah right so you're deliberately being obtuse because you can't back up what you've said!

Tox56

phog wrote: »

So because someone has an opinion on who should be captain indicates hatred for another player? Maybe they prefer the player they want as captain.

When so many of the opinions are constantly critical of almost anything a certain player does, I think it's fair to say that certain player is being singled out. I was merely using the captaincy debate as an example.

twinytwo

.ak wrote: »

That'd be an equally ridiculous reason to begrudge him. Can't a man have his own goals?

TBF... take a look at healy or kearney they carry their leinster game over to ireland. For me personally.. its not that heaslip plays bad or anything for ireland he just seems to be missing something... dunno what to call it.. passion maybe?? i dunno

That said so long as he plays well for the lions i dont give a ****e:pac:

Ciaran-Irl

twinytwo wrote: »

TBF... take a look at healy or kearney they carry their leinster game over to ireland. For me personally.. its not that heaslip plays bad or anything for ireland he just seems to be missing something... dunno what to call it.. passion maybe?? i dunno

That said so long as he plays well for the lions i dont give a ****e:pac:

It's weird. I get this a lot from my Munster fan mates. When he celebrated tries with his arm in the air, people said it was that. But then when Earls and Zebo did it, that stopped being the reason. People give all sorts of stupid reasons. He is too laid back. Listens to earphones on the pitch before games. The way he speaks in interviews. The movember moustache. Has the wrong colour scrumcap. Lacks "passion", whatever that means. All nonsense.

The stats don't lie. He is consistently among the top tacklers for Ireland, for example. While he doesn't get ball in hand as often any more, that was a deliberate move by the coaching team - we use O'Brien & Healy more to carry now and we ask Heaslip to slow opposition ball down at the breakdown / try to speed up our own ball from rucks. It almost feels like you have to remind people that there is only one ball. You only need a handful of forwards to be focused primarily on carries and making it past the gainline. The other forwards need to be focused on other things - like getting that same one ball when you don't have it.

Essentially, people that don't like Heaslip don't even know why they don't like him - like the post above. The post above it the very definition of irrational dislike. Not being critical, people every single Munster fan that I know in work or whatever thinks the exact same thing from the sounds of it. "They can't put their finger on it".

jm08

.ak wrote: »

That'd be an equally ridiculous reason to begrudge him. Can't a man have his own goals?

Well entitled to have his own goals as supporters are well entitled to like him/dislike* him.

Maybe the reason Woody doesn't rate him is because he doesn't like that me feiner side of Heaslip. Woody said the highlight of his career was his first cap (and he was on a winning Lions tour and the first World Player of the Year).

For a guy who plays a team sport with a career with a lot of highs, its remarkable that he would claim getting selected for a losing Lions tour was a highlight!

*note - not hate.

Podge_irl

Who gives a **** what a player thinks the highlight of their career is. It's entirely personal and their own business. Not to mention I think its fairly normal that being selected for the highest representative side you can be selected for should be a highlight.

jm08

Podge_irl wrote: »

Who gives a **** what a player thinks the highlight of their career is. It's entirely personal and their own business. Not to mention I think its fairly normal that being selected for the highest representative side you can be selected for should be a highlight.

When they are asked in an newspaper interview and they answer, they make it everyone's business.

CatFromHue

It's like in pre school when a little boy pulls a girls hair or is mean to her and then 20 years later they're married :pac:

Ciaran-Irl

jm08 wrote: »

Well entitled to have his own goals as supporters are well entitled to like him/dislike* him.

Maybe the reason Woody doesn't rate him is because he doesn't like that me feiner side of Heaslip. Woody said the highlight of his career was his first cap (and he was on a winning Lions tour and the first World Player of the Year).

For a guy who plays a team sport with a career with a lot of highs, its remarkable that he would claim getting selected for a losing Lions tour was a highlight!

*note - not hate.

A quote from Keith Wood the year before the last Australian Tour is below. Do you dislike him now?

"Irish hooker Keith Wood claims it would be the greatest honour of his career if he were to be named the captain for the British and Irish Lions' tour of Australia next year. Wood - who was a key figure on the successful tour of South Africa in 1997 - is, along with England pair Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, one of the favourites to be named skipper by coach Graham Henry for the trip to the southern hemisphere.
"It would be a huge honour for me to be named as captain for the British
Lions' tour next summer," said the Irishman. "It will not be the end of the world if I do not get the job, but it would unquestionably be one of the highlights of my career."
His return to Harlequins, following a year at Munster, has placed the front-row forward back in the spotlight, but he claimed it was too early to make predictions for the Lions' tour. (PA)"

Here is O'Callaghan saying the same thing. Do you dislike him more, or less than Keith Wood?

http://www.lionsrugby.com/8106.php

"The Munster lock last led a team in school, but has become the third Irishman to be given the captain’s armband for the British & Irish Lions for the game against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth.
“It s a huge honour and it means so much to me. It will be the highlight of my rugby career,” said O’Callaghan."

Loads of players from every single one of the 4 nations say the exact same thing. A ten second search on Google for 'Lions highlight of my career' brought up some random ones, and among the countless quotes were these:

Martyn Williams: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynation/the-british-and-irish-lions/2009/07/06/martyn-williams-delighted-with-his-lions-start-91466-24080563/

Ross Ford: http://www.edinburghrugby.org/content/view/1991/189/

Stephen Ferris: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ferris-still-driven-by-pain-of-2009-lions-injury-heartache-3228889.html

jm08

Ciaran-Irl wrote: »

A quote from Keith Wood the year before the last Australian Tour is below. Do you dislike him now?

"Irish hooker Keith Wood claims it would be the greatest honour of his career if he were to be named the captain for the British and Irish Lions' tour of Australia next year. Wood - who was a key figure on the successful tour of South Africa in 1997 - is, along with England pair Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, one of the favourites to be named skipper by coach Graham Henry for the trip to the southern hemisphere.
"It would be a huge honour for me to be named as captain for the British
Lions' tour next summer," said the Irishman. "It will not be the end of the world if I do not get the job, but it would unquestionably be one of the highlights of my career."
His return to Harlequins, following a year at Munster, has placed the front-row forward back in the spotlight, but he claimed it was too early to make predictions for the Lions' tour. (PA)"

Here is O'Callaghan saying the same thing. Do you dislike him more, or less than Keith Wood?

http://www.lionsrugby.com/8106.php

"The Munster lock last led a team in school, but has become the third Irishman to be given the captain’s armband for the British & Irish Lions for the game against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth.
“It s a huge honour and it means so much to me. It will be the highlight of my rugby career,” said O’Callaghan."

Loads of players from every single one of the 4 nations say the exact same thing. A ten second search on Google for 'Lions highlight of my career' brought up some random ones, and among the countless quotes were these:

Martyn Williams: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynation/the-british-and-irish-lions/2009/07/06/martyn-williams-delighted-with-his-lions-start-91466-24080563/

Ross Ford: http://www.edinburghrugby.org/content/view/1991/189/

Stephen Ferris: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ferris-still-driven-by-pain-of-2009-lions-injury-heartache-3228889.html

They misquoted Woody - He said it would be one of the highlights of his career. (to be selected as B&I Lions Captain). He wasn't!

Similar situation with Ferris - "Being a part of that team is one of the highlights of my career," Ferris says now.

It was a big deal for DOC to be selected as captain - must read his biography to see what he thinks of it now.

leftleg

jm08 wrote: »

For a guy who plays a team sport with a career with a lot of highs, its remarkable that he would claim getting selected for a losing Lions tour was a highlight!

jm08 wrote: »

It was a big deal for DOC to be selected as captain - must read his biography to see what he thinks of it now.

so is DOCs reaction remarkable and bizarre as well seeing as he has won a GS and a few HCups or is it just strange when its "Houdini"

jm08

leftleg wrote: »

so is DOCs reaction remarkable and bizarre as well seeing as he has won a GS and a few HCups or is it just strange when its "Houdini"

I'd take what that Lions website would say with a grain of salt.

leftleg

jm08 wrote: »

I'd take what that Lions website would say with a grain of salt.

you can indeed as long as it suits your agenda here and to be honest thats another crazy statement to make. Why would one take that with a "pinch of salt"??

Nervous Nigel

I'm prepared to be attacked for my views, but I reckon that a player and a fan's love for the Lions is related to their background.

The Lions means a lot more to the South County Dublin set than it does to the Limerick set. There's still a "West Brit" stigma about the Lions that many (particularly from the country) find tough to take. Similarly, the Lions means a lot more to people who are steeped in rugby tradition than it does to the "Johnny Come Latelys" that have started supporting Leinster and Ireland in recent years.

It's a bit like the phenomenon of Leinster fans "preferring" Leinster to Ireland. To me, that's an abomination and it's seems most prevalent among the "Johnny Come Latelys".