Your hypothetical post SIx Nations Lions starting 23 and touring squad

Porter / Genge

Sheehan

Bealham

Ryan

Itoje

POM

VDF

Doris

Murray

Sexton

Hansen

Tuipulotu

Ringrose

Lowe

Keenan

Porter / Genge

Kelleher

Furlong

R Gray

Conan

JGP

Farrell

Steward

Dubinusa

Genge

Sheehan

Bealham

Itoje

Ryan

POM

VDF

Doris

JGP

SEXTON

Lowe

Jones

Ringer

Hanson

Hugo

Porter

George

Fagerson

Chessum

Conan

Murray

Russell

VDM

I tried to pick this and was genuinely conscious I was picking too many Irish players, so tried to jam in some others but honestly found it difficult on present form:

37 man squad:

Forwards: Andrew Porter, Ellis Genge, Pierre Schoemann, Dan Sheehan, Ronan Kelleher, George Turner, Tadhg Furlong, Kyle Sinckler, Zander Fagerson, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Maro Itoje, Jonny Gray, Courtney Lawes, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Peter O'Mahony, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Toby Faletau.

Backs: Jamison Gibson Park, Ben White, Rhys Webb, Jonathan Sexton, Finn Russell, Owen Farrell, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Huw Jones, George North, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Anthony Watson, Darcy Graham, Freddie Steward, Josh Adams.

23:

Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, Ryan, Beirne, van der Flier, Doris, Gibson Park, Sexton, Lowe, Henshaw, Ringrose, Watson, Keenan.

Reps: Kelleher, Genge, Sinckler, Lawes, Curry, Webb, Russell, North.

sydthebeat

Itoje only there in reputation, hes had a mediocre 6N 2023 at best.

However, hes the beneficiary of wales and scottish locks being pish.

for me beirne and Ryan are starting Lions if there was a game tomorrow (and everyone was fully fit)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383323#Comment_120383323

Yeah, it was a bit of trying to not just select the entire Irish pack in that selection, so I shunted Beirne to 6 and went for Itoje.

I think it would be disastrous for us though if we did have that sort of Lions representation, as there seems to be enough players who've suffered years of injuries post Lions tours to suggest it isn't good for players.

That said, there are a lot of players who haven't gotten the experience and I'd love it to happen for them, principally James Ryan and Garry Ringrose.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383375#Comment_120383375

if andy farrell is coaching, its hard to see how hed not have a large irish contingent.

ditto for stuart lancaster.

whos due to coach the lions next?

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383375#Comment_120383375

Still irritates me no end that utter club-level journeymen like Adam Beard and Jonny Hill got picked for a Lions tour ahead of James Ryan.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383450#Comment_120383450

Tbf with either of them coaching, it might not be quite as attritional either, as there is a big divergence in style between how they'd play it and how a Gatland coached side would do it.

I don't think it's decided on the 2025 head coach, but the names I've seen linked with it are Lancaster, Gregor Townsend, Gatland (again) and Andy Farrell (who I think is favourite).

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383450#Comment_120383450

I vaguely remember a recent article where the IRFU said they wouldn't stand in Farrell's way.

Australia next as well, so not quite the poisoned chalice of 2017, where few other than Gatland seemed to want it.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383464#Comment_120383464

Irish players have a bad history of being out of form right around Lions time. D'Arcy, Ryan, Ringrose, Henshaw

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383879#Comment_120383879

There's "out of form" and then there's James Ryan 1st being overlooked for the bang average Jonny Hill and then when AWJ got injured he got overlooked again for Adam Bloody Beard!!!

That had next to nothing to do with "form".

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383995#Comment_120383995

i remember hearing it suggested that not having an irish coach on the last tour might hurt some of the players chances for selection. i thought it was rubbish at the time but looking back on it i wonder if it did actually make a difference

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383450#Comment_120383450

Gatland probably, no one else wants it.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120383995#Comment_120383995

I was glad that most of our lads missed that dirge of a tour. Think it really helped Sexton in particular. Gatland is such a reductive coach.

Water John

Gatland picks 10 Irish players in a starting Lions 15, no Welsh player.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations/warren-gatland-picks-10-ireland-players-in-lions-xv-and-has-no-room-for-any-welshmen-42399669.html

Dave_The_Sheep

That's mighty swell of him, now that it doesn't matter a f*cking bit.

Sangre

Deleted

thebaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393752#Comment_120393752

pretty decent selection , I'd go similar - not sure how some of the above would pick POM, and Murray , they had decent championchips , but current starting Lions ?

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120394070#Comment_120394070

He picked Conan ahead of POM. Conan did really well in the last two games. POM was excellent across the entire tournament.

thebaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120394497#Comment_120394497

I know Gatland did , I was reffering to above posters - right now Conan would be ahead of POM for me too - even though POM had a decent tournament.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120394986#Comment_120394986

That's twice now you have said POM had a "decent" tournament, I'd say you're in the minority with that view. I think from what I've seen said about him that most people would say he had a excellent tournament.

thebaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395167#Comment_120395167

I was replying to a misread , my opinion is right now that Conan offers more than POM , my opinion - anyway its all fantasy as ther is no Lions tours - if I cant state my opinion it really is an echo chamber.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395237#Comment_120395237

An echo chamber would be where you state your opinion and people don’t disagree with it.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395237#Comment_120395237

There is a huge difference in stating that Conan offers more than POM and stating POM was decent in the recent 6Ns. One is an opinion the other just misrepresents the fact that POM was seen by many to have had an excellent tournament.

thebaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395334#Comment_120395334

your reading far to much into what I said - I gave an opinion - thats it

PS and by decent , I mean good , not average.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393752#Comment_120393752

I think I kind of forgot when I first saw that he'd picked this team that he was the Welsh coach again.

It's kind of incredible that he did this, just after a tournament where Wales were abysmal and wooden spoon candidates. Maybe he's just being completely honest in terms of how he sees it, and maybe he's trying to send a message to his squad, but if the shoe was on the other foot and Andy Farrell did something like this I would have thought Irish rugby fans would be up in arms.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395386#Comment_120395386

Nobody is reading too much into what you said. you gave an opinion fine. but one that wasnt backed up by what occured and many disagreed with it.

thebaz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405470#Comment_120405470

well you are obviously reading too much into what I said - I gave an opinion on a fictional tour - and you dig this up - let it go

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405959#Comment_120405959

You didn't give an opinion of a fictional tour, you gave an opinion of a player that played in the 6Ns. Unless you think the 6Ns is fictional and that might give us a real understanding of your opinions. Best to let it go rather than having a cut at posters that know what you said doesn't reflect reality.

I think we should close the Peter O'Mahony thread, it keeps leaking into other threads.

He's a player who could fail to make the tour, travel but not play in a test, or play all three tests and travel as tour captain.

Such is the way with Peter O'Marmite.