British and Irish Lions Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

trouttrout

Odds for starting player in each position are up

Like the look lf Heaslip to start the first test @ 3/1

Swiwi

FellasFellas wrote: »

Walsh isn't allowed to referee the tests as he's affiliated with the Australian Union. I think Pollock is a good ref, I'd rather see Barnes take the last test over Poite, and that's saying something.

There was no way an English ref was going to be awarded a Lions test match. It's just begging for controversy, regardless of the result.

Swiwi

trouttrout wrote: »

Odds for starting player in each position are up

Like the look lf Heaslip to start the first test @ 3/1

Heaslip won't start first test, barring an extraordinary run of injuries. I'm pretty sure WG will go with Faletau. Jamie needs to find some extra form just to secure the plane ticket. Loose forward, along with wing, is probably the most competitive position for the Lions.

trouttrout

Jamie Roberts is 2/5 to start the first test! I'll be laying that all day. He was good in the last game of the six nations but he's been very poor all season

trouttrout

Also Jenkins 9/4 is a big price considering Gatland may want to spring Healy from the bench

totallegend

trouttrout wrote: »

Jamie Roberts is 2/5 to start the first test! I'll be laying that all day. He was good in the last game of the six nations but he's been very poor all season

Gatland is a big fan and the only other competition for the 12 jersey is Barritt, so I'd say he's definitely the favourite.

A centre partnership of Roberts-Tuilagi would be awful though, so might work out well for O'Driscoll,

trouttrout

totallegend wrote: »

Gatland is a big fan and the only other competition for the 12 jersey is Barritt, so I'd say he's definitely the favourite.

A centre partnership of Roberts-Tuilagi would be awful though, so might work out well for O'Driscoll,

Tuilagi could play 12

BOD is 11/10 to start 1st test, I reckon he'd be odds on if he wasn't getting injured more frequently lately

Swiwi

totallegend wrote: »

Gatland is a big fan and the only other competition for the 12 jersey is Barritt, so I'd say he's definitely the favourite.

A centre partnership of Roberts-Tuilagi would be awful though, so might work out well for O'Driscoll,

Anyone but Barritt for me! However, I have faith in my compatriot, he won't let the side down with his selection!

Tox56

Swiwi wrote: »

I would be surprised to see Madigan on the plane. His credit in the bank basically comes from the Rabo direct competition, due to sitting behind Sexton in the Leinster pecking order. Much like the ABs no longer select bolters from the ITM cup, I'd be surprised if Gatland did the same from the Pro-12. However, he has form in this area, so it's possible, but I doubt Madigan is generating the same enthusiasm on the Scottish/Welsh/Eng rugby forums as he is on the Irish one.

Gatland is going to be an impartial and keep an eye on everything. Other people on other forums from other countries won't be interested in Madigan because they haven't been watching him. English rugby watchers might have no idea who Madigan is, but Gatland will have been watching him the last few months for sure. A Scottish rugby correspondent at the Glasgow-Leinster game:

As lucky as that might have been for Madigan, everything else he did in this match could more easily be classified as brilliance, an all-round virtuoso performance by the playmaker that begged more questions of Ireland coach Declan Kidney not to call on his services more often in the Six Nations.

Gatland watches that match, does he think the same? I'm using Madigan as an example, he won't go to Australia, but consistent performances will be recognised, regardless of the overall importance of the games they're playing in. Gatland even knew POC was playing a Leinster-Munster A game a few weeks ago for instance, and enthusiasm on forums isn't a reliable way to measure Lions prospects. They may seem like long shots because they were playing on a cold wet night in March, but bolters have to come from somewhere.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Hogg at 5/1 is interesting. He wouldn't be my pick at FB to start but I'd reckon he should be ahead of Kearney at the moment. If I was a bookie I would imagine that I would be pricing it around 3/1 or 5/2

Donnacha Ryan 11/1 is also interesting especially for those of you who have him in their test team. I wouldn't have him starting if I was picking a team but I wouldn't have his as 9th choice either. 4 or 5 to 1 would probably be a fairer price.

Swiwi

Tox56 wrote: »

Gatland is going to be an impartial and keep an eye on everything. Other people on other forums from other countries won't be interested in Madigan because they haven't been watching him. English rugby watchers might have no idea who Madigan is, but Gatland will have been watching him the last few months for sure. A Scottish rugby correspondent at the Glasgow-Leinster game:

Gatland watches that match, does he think the same? I'm using Madigan as an example, he won't go to Australia, but consistent performances will be recognised, regardless of the overall importance of the games they're playing in. Gatland even knew POC was playing a Leinster-Munster A game a few weeks ago for instance, and enthusiasm on forums isn't a reliable way to measure Lions prospects. They may seem like long shots because they were playing on a cold wet night in March, but bolters have to come from somewhere.

Yeah I agree, I'm just trying to temper the expectations a tad! We haven't seen Madigan at 10 under the blowtorch of a fully-fledged international. It's one thing to look a million dollars in a rabo match v Glasgow, it's another to do it for the Lions v Australia under a worldwide TV glare. It's a crying shame he wasn't given more of a go by Kidney, but that kind of angle has been done to death!

opinionatedfan

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Hogg at 5/1 is interesting. He wouldn't be my pick at FB to start but I'd reckon he should be ahead of Kearney at the moment. If I was a bookie I would imagine that I would be pricing it around 3/1 or 5/2

Donnacha Ryan 11/1 is also interesting especially for those of you who have him in their test team. I wouldn't have him starting if I was picking a team but I wouldn't have his as 9th choice either. 4 or 5 to 1 would probably be a fairer price.

Halfpenny at 15 for me.

danthefan

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Hogg at 5/1 is interesting. He wouldn't be my pick at FB to start but I'd reckon he should be ahead of Kearney at the moment. If I was a bookie I would imagine that I would be pricing it around 3/1 or 5/2

Donnacha Ryan 11/1 is also interesting especially for those of you who have him in their test team. I wouldn't have him starting if I was picking a team but I wouldn't have his as 9th choice either. 4 or 5 to 1 would probably be a fairer price.

I'll be surprised if Ryan tours tbh. He had an average enough 6N and he was calling our pretty awful lineout.

Swiwi

danthefan wrote: »

I'll be surprised if Ryan tours tbh. He had an average enough 6N and he was calling our pretty awful lineout.

Agree, he kind of went backward as the 6N progressed. There are plenty of locking options. If he does make the squad, it will be as a midweek grafter.

Swiwi

opinionatedfan wrote: »

Halfpenny at 15 for me.

The only way Halfpenny won't be 15 is if he's 14. I'd be more interested in whether Sexton or HP gets the goalkicking duties, but I'd be pretty certain HP will get first dibs on it.

Benny Cake

I see Paddy Power are laying Richie Gray to start. Thought I read somewhere his injury would keep him out of the tour?

.ak

Watching the Lions 2nd test in 2009 again... It's crazy how many Irish were in it, and how good they were in it too (well, nearly all of them). But Kearney was just so good.. I mean, they could use that video to teach youngsters how to play FB. Absolute master class. I really hope he travels, and I hope he pulls that form out of the bag perhaps in one of the club games leading up to the tests, because on his day he's just too good.

Ofcourse, as it stands I'd defo have 1/2penny and Hogg on the team ahead of him. Hogg at the moment is the perfect 23.

WinnyThePoo

.ak wrote: »

Watching the Lions 2nd test in 2009 again... It's crazy how many Irish were in it, and how good they were in it too (well, nearly all of them). But Kearney was just so good.. I mean, they could use that video to teach youngsters how to play FB. Absolute master class. I really hope he travels, and I hope he pulls that form out of the bag perhaps in one of the club games leading up to the tests, because on his day he's just too good.

Ofcourse, as it stands I'd defo have 1/2penny and Hogg on the team ahead of him. Hogg at the moment is the perfect 23.

Yea i watched the video last night myself. Kearney, Roberts and O'Driscoll where simply brillant.

.ak

Fitz and Bowe were absolute live wires too. Have to say Bowe was probably the paciest I've seen him, such a different player now. He was popping up all over the place and was taking everything the Boks could throw at him. Pity the two of them will probably miss out this year, well Fitz will defo.

WinnyThePoo

It is a pity. The likes of Ferris as well will miss out. I'd love to see Ferris pick up Genia and go for a run again.

.ak

Is there any chance Fez will be back at all? Or is he out til the preseason?

TheGoldenAges

Does Madigan remind anyone of a certain Keith Earls in 2009, he came from nowhere and was a rank outsider

.ak

Btw, just for a giggle, what do people think of the 2nd test 2009 team vs a possible 2013 test team (basing the possible test team on the average amount of pundits selections)?



British and Irish Lions 2009
15 Rob Kearney
14 Tommy Bowe
13 Brian O'Driscoll
12 Jamie Roberts
11 Luke Fitzgerald
10 Stephen Jones
9 Mike Phillips
1 Gethin Jenkins
2 Matthew Rees
3 Adam Jones
4 Simon Shaw
5 Paul O'Connell (c)
6 Tom Croft
7 David Wallace
8 Jamie Heaslip
Substitutes:
16 Ross Ford
17 Andrew Sheridan
18 Alun Wyn Jones
19 Martyn Williams
20 Harry Ellis
21 Ronan O'Gara
22 Shane Williams


British and Irish Lions 2013 [POSSIBLE]
15 Leigh Halfpenny
14 Alex Cuthbert
13 Brian O'Driscoll (c)
12 Manu Tuilagi
11 George North
10 Jonathon Sexton
9 Mike Phillips
1 Cian Healy
2 Tom Youngs
3 Adam Jones
4 Alun Wyn Jones
5 Geoff Parling
6 Sean O'Brien
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Johnnie Beatie
Substitutes:
16 Rory Best
17 Gethin Jenkins
18 Dan Cole
19 Paul O'Connell
20 Sam Warburton
21 Ben Youngs
22 Owen Farrell
23 Stuart Hogg

WinnyThePoo

I'm not to sure myself. Thought I heard people saying he was going to be out and not make it back before the end of the season. Hopefully I'm wrong.

TheGoldenAges

Watched the second test again, Wally was good as well

schools rugby

That second test was as good a game of rugby you will see . All the Irish lads who started played brilliant. Kearney showed a masterclass at 15 - To be honest knowing what he can do, Gatland may find it difficult to leave him out .

Podge_irl

Swiwi wrote: »

Yeah I agree, I'm just trying to temper the expectations a tad! We haven't seen Madigan at 10 under the blowtorch of a fully-fledged international. It's one thing to look a million dollars in a rabo match v Glasgow, it's another to do it for the Lions v Australia under a worldwide TV glare. It's a crying shame he wasn't given more of a go by Kidney, but that kind of angle has been done to death!

I don't actually expect to see Madigan come even close to touring.

I would dearly love to see him with some big, pacy Welsh backs outside him though - would be a nightmare for the defence. His ship sailed when he wasn't given a chance by Kidney though.

trouttrout

If Madigan had started a few games in the six nations, as he should have, he would have a real chance of touring I reckon.

I mean, if you take goalkicking out of the equation (and even at that Madigan is a very good goalkicker) he's probably a better player than Owen Farrell, certainly in terms of attacking ability anyway

Podge_irl

trouttrout wrote: »

If Madigan had started a few games in the six nations, as he should have, he would have a real chance of touring I reckon.

I suggested it at the start of the season entirely seriously on the proviso that he got a few Ireland caps. I think Gatland would really like him as a player and he'd allow you to play a less creative 12 (which seems to be all we'll have going) because its so important to cover him in defence. It's just not gonna happen at this point though, which is a shame.

opinionatedfan

just watced the first half of the second game versus SA.

Kearney was immense, Luke was brillant aswell.

BOD showed some real class touches aswell.