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The Lions squad

Rosco

Worse than Brendan
Member
A few questionable selections but by and large its what was to be expected.

  1. Rory Best, Dan Cole, Taulupe Faletau, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie George, Iain Henderson, Maro Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler, Jack McGrath, Ross Moriarty, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony, Ken Owens, Kyle Sinckler, CJ Stander, Justin Tipuric, Mako Vunipola, Billy Vunipola, Sam Warburton

  2. the backs: Dan Biggar, Elliot Daly, Jonathan Davies, Owen Farrell, Leigh Halfpenny, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart Hogg, Jonathan Joseph, Conor Murray, George North, Jack Nowell, Jared Payne, Jonathan Sexton, Tommy Seymour, Ben Te'o, Anthony Watson, Rhys Webb, Liam Williams, Ben Youngs
 
Payne, Te'o, Moriarty, Ben Youngs are the four that i wonder about.

As well as the choice of captain, which means we won't play the best back row in the test matches.
 
The pre-announcement publicity was all about Gatland apparently having decided not to take the Blacks on in a footballing contest and concentrating instead on power and heft, which might explain most of those selections. Then, however, he picks Joseph in the centre - which I actually wouldn't quarrel with as I think Joseph is quality, but which doesn't fit in with the supposed overall strategy.

Agree about the captaincy, not least becuse Warburton's game in the Six Nations clearly benefited from giving the armband up. I thought Alun Wyn Jones might get it and I'd have been OK with that.
 
Launchbury should have been a cert.

Hooker looks particularly weak if Owens and Best can make it.

JJ: AWJ might not get in the team looking at who he's up against. Sam has been there and done it in terms of the Lions, and walks into the side at 7 AND 6 after this six nations.

The Ireland game just highlighted how far ahead he is of most of his european rivals.
 
Launchbury should defo have gone - he can play, but he's also a warrior and they're going to need that out there. Gatland seems to have preferred Kruis on the basis that Kruis and Itoje (who had to go) are clubmates, but for me that's an error of judgment. However, given the usual casualty rate on these tours I wouldn't be surprised to see Launchbury flying out at some stage as a replacement (and getting into the Test side from there).
 
I would have thought that they are obvious starters to the vast majority of people who know their rugby.

Maybe Faletau has an outside chance of sneaking in at eight.
 
Ringrose is the biggest miss for me. I also expected Ford and Launchbury to be called up.
 
Eddie Jones has been stirring it apparently, saying a couple of the Lions wouldn't get in the (depleted) England squad he's taking to Argentina.

STOP PRESS: ....who apparently are in England's opening group for the next World Cup, along with France. We still should get through, but I'll bet we'll be flying replacements out after that little lot.
 
Billy Vunipola out of the tour through injury. Faletau will be a decent enough stand-in at no.8 but that is a major embuggeration.
 
Agreed about Stander but I can see Gatland plumping for the other guy.

Haskell's a fair enough choice as a replacement. He's versatile, and mental enough to go toe to toe with the Blacks. I'm reminded of Simon Shaw who went with the Lions to S.Africa at the age of 37, took on the Springbok pack almost single-handed at times and had an absolute blinder of a tour.
 
Barring injuries starting 15:

Marler
George
Cole
Itoje
Jones/Kruis
O'Brien
Warburton (c)
Faletau
Webb/Murray
Farrell

Joseph
Davies

North
Nowell

Hogg/Daly/Williams
 
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Particularly worried about 2

We really lack quality at hooker if our two experienced selections are Best and Owens so very limited options there.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Itoje in at 6 to allow us to play Kruiz and Jones......Would give us great lineout options as well.
 
I'm not convinced Marlar is up to the job of playing the All Blacks either (though in fairness their traditional strengths lie elsewhere than the front row). I might play Daly in the centre ahead of Joseph as Joseph, talented player though he certainly is, might be a bit lightweight. Hogg would be my choice at fullback - Williams wouldn't let anyone down but I don't think he's played as often there as Hogg has, though I'm happy to be corrected on that.
 
Hogg and Williams would be great as attacking options, but I do worry about them both from the defensive point of view

Can't wait for this to get started!
 
Particularly worried about 2

We really lack quality at hooker if our two experienced selections are Best and Owens so very limited options there.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Itoje in at 6 to allow us to play Kruiz and Jones......Would give us great lineout options as well.
I don't know whether you're trolling or just don't understand the game of rugby
 
Best couldn't get near the lions test team on the last tour, he's 34 now and has a good chance of starting.........I think that says everything you need to know about our strength at hooker.

Itoje at 6 is a realistic option for the reasons stated (Eddie Jones has played him there if you weren't aware?).

Have you still not got over the fact that Warburton is captain of the Lions for the second tour in a row despite you claiming that he's rubbish for the last five years?
 
Or else its taken Gatland a long time to figure out the obvious.
The three hookers selected last time around are still younger than Best but none are better now ?
 
Team for the first match:

Hogg, Watson, Joseph, Te'o, Seymour, Sexton, Laidlaw, Marler, Best, Sinckler, AW Jones, Henderson, Moriarty, Warburton (c), Faletau

Replacements: George, Vunipola, Furlong, Kruis, Tipuric, Webb, Farrell, Payne


Its a bit of a mixed bag.
 
Just to confirm:

He was fourth choice on the last tour, 4 years on at 34 his abilities are on the wane.

He's on the tour on merit but it just highlights what a weak position hooker is for us......it's obvious really.
 
Captain Fantastic

One out of one", said an oddly-positive skipper Sam Warburton afterwards, who added that he was "pretty pleased with that", but it's hard to imagine anyone popping champagne after a disjointed first display.
 
I kinda prefer an opening performance like that from the Lions. Had they gone out and aced it in the first game, they might have heaped extra pressure on their own shoulders. As it is, they won even after a drab showing, which (a) is a good sign in itself and (b) means they're less likely to peak early and have to maintain that level all the way through.
 
I think and Hogg and sexton have left themselves a lot to do after their awful performances. Jetlag or not
 
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