2021 British & Irish Lions Squad

[ncurd]

Does Mako have something on these experts?

 

[Groundhog]

People picking Price is understandable, but I think its setting way too much stall by these dirt trackers against dominated packs. IMO he doesn't really do anything exceptionally well and its tough to forget him conspiring to lose that England game this year. Murray is obviously not in his pomp, but I think he's a better player hence why he's started the two near test match scenarios and he has at least been able to turn it on at times this year for Munster and Ireland. He's caught criticism for the A game, which is fair, he did himself no favors, but the Lions barely won a collision in the first 20 odd minutes and the service was shocking.

Don't @ me with any nuanced and well reasoned arguments, he's 6"1 in a Gatland side, so he's starting

 

[MikeTheNative]

To be honest I think all have been a bit 'meh' Price has looked the liveliest of them but maybe has played the easier teams. I still think Murray will start though.

 

[retired9]

Of who is there I think Price has to start, he and Biggar have been a good pairing and Ali can get the tempo up which the other tow SH's seems to struggle with.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

If anything it's the end of Ford's international career

Jones would be mad if that happens, but knowing Jones that is perfectly likely. If he ditches his current stupid game plan and plays to Ford's strength, England could have a much better attack and Smith plays closer to Ford's natural style than he does to Farrell. Farrell is ultra conservative playing in an ultra conservative gameplan and still fails to deliver. If a player can't succeed in a gameplan that is supposed to be built around his style then he simply isn't good enough. If we get more back to running rugby with some cute passing, Ford and Smith are the 2 players to execute that. Couple that with Randall and Robson at 9, a more dynamic 8, a solid 15 and a 12 that is actually a 12 and I think England could have a very good foundation to build on.

Jones should not persist with the negative rugby he has been forcing on the team. I've been saying it for 2 years now, Farrell isn't the only one misfiring in the England team but he is smack bang in the centre of most things that have gone wrong with the team (style and execution). More than any other player on the pitch. The fact that Farrell fucks up so Ford gets punished is such a perverse setup and I don't think any country shifts the blame from 1 player to another quite like we do with shifting Farrell's faults onto Ford.

 

[ncurd]

snip

Honestly I'd take either with the other on the bench and down to a coin toss. Bench player gets 30mins first test unless the starter has a stormer and the better of the two gets to start the second test.

 

[TobesHodges]

1. Sutherland 2. Cowen-Dickie 3. Sinckler 4. AWJ 5. Itoje 6. Bierne 7. Watson 8. Faletau
9. Price 10. Russell (Bigger if not fit) 11. DVDM 12. Henshaw 13. Daly 14. Adams 15. Hogg

This is what i'm hoping for, think Sinckler brings the balance to the pack with ball in hand and will allow Watson and Bierne to just do the grunt work that needs doing against the Boks.
I know DVMD and Adams are left wingers but i think both need to play, they have both been the best wingers on the tour so far.
Centres is going to be the hardest choice for Gatland, there are so many combinations that make sense, but i guess daly and Henshaw is a good blend of pace and power and obviously Daly's long kicking may be the difference on the day, so i'd be surprised if he doesnt get picked.

 

[WaterboySA]

Wonder if they will have a propper juice test for this group(suddenly Eben has to go to Russia for family emergency)

 

[MikeTheNative]

Wonder if they will have a propper juice test for this group(suddenly Eben has to go to Russia for family emergency)

I was going to say that the top level athletes should be a bit clever to not get caught but then remembered SA has had a two in the past few years.

 

[retired9]

1. Sutherland 2. Cowen-Dickie 3. Sinckler 4. AWJ 5. Itoje 6. Bierne 7. Watson 8. Faletau
9. Price 10. Russell (Bigger if not fit) 11. DVDM 12. Henshaw 13. Daly 14. Adams 15. Hogg

This is what i'm hoping for, think Sinckler brings the balance to the pack with ball in hand and will allow Watson and Bierne to just do the grunt work that needs doing against the Boks.
I know DVMD and Adams are left wingers but i think both need to play, they have both been the best wingers on the tour so far.
Centres is going to be the hardest choice for Gatland, there are so many combinations that make sense, but i guess daly and Henshaw is a good blend of pace and power and obviously Daly's long kicking may be the difference on the day, so i'd be surprised if he doesnt get picked.

I like this, thereis a few tweaks you can always make and not lose out but I'd be happy with that. Hogg is the better attacking threat IMO I just don't get excited by Williams (but not to detract from his ability which is unquestionable).

What's the latest on Russell?

 

[MikeTheNative]

I think he's definitely out for the first game at least, might be ok for the rest.

 

[AlRums]

What's Watburtons team? I last I saw he wanted to play Watson and Curry.

I don't know about team selections but I've enjoyed his punditry. Especially considering how dire the BBC 6N coverage usually is.

Sam Warburton picks his Lions XV to take on South Africa in the first Test

Every match from the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa is exclusively live on Sky Sports; fans who dont have Sky will be able to catch all the action via streaming service NOW, which offers day/monthly passes

www.skysports.com

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Wonder if they will have a propper juice test for this group(suddenly Eben has to go to Russia for family emergency)

If only they could test whether someone has ever juiced, because once you've juiced you can maintain muscle that you could never have grown in the first place. Sure, its better if you continue juicing, but…

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

If only they could test whether someone has ever juiced, because once you've juiced you can maintain muscle that you could never have grown in the first place. Sure, its better if you continue juicing, but…

Then they'd have to ban the entire SA team.

 

[Jakedood]

To be fair, DVDM as well. Can never be 100% sure, but him as a 17 year old is bigger than guys i've known that worked out insanely for 10+ years with huge appetites

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Realistically if they start testing properly there's not a pro rugby player in the sport that's making it onto the pitch
Everyone will be on something, be it banned painkillers or something to aid in recovery or something to aid in cardio or just straight up growth hormone or whatever

I think the only reason SA has a bad rep is because Craven week is far more popular/is a more direct line into pro rugby than schools rugby in the rest of the world - they also don't have the teams of sports scientists advising them on the best "supplement" regime, so it's just stuff bought off the dark web/dodgy bloke down the gym, which is easier to test for - if you compared some of the physiques of pro-academy players (/the transformations of kids going into an academy/a season or two later) then they'd look just as suss

 

[big ginger 8]

Realistically if they start testing properly there's not a pro rugby player in the sport that's making it onto the pitch
Everyone will be on something, be it banned painkillers or something to aid in recovery or something to aid in cardio or just straight up growth hormone or whatever

I think the only reason SA has a bad rep is because Craven week is far more popular/is a more direct line into pro rugby than schools rugby in the rest of the world - they also don't have the teams of sports scientists advising them on the best "supplement" regime, so it's just stuff bought off the dark web/dodgy bloke down the gym, which is easier to test for - if you compared some of the physiques of pro-academy players (/the transformations of kids going into an academy/a season or two later) then they'd look just as suss

I'm not in the rugby is completely clean crowd but that is a ridiculous statement. Not a chance every player is on a banned substance. Over 50 quite possibly/probably but saying that every single player is on a banned substance is as ridiculous a statement as saying none of them or on anything.

I think the reason Craven Week gets the attention is because there's literally been an 'expose' written about the steroid culture for it no?

Big transformations after going into an academy don't scream sus to me. They're at the age where men fill out anyway, producing the most natural testosterone they ever will, only have to eat and train (usually don't even play that many games which is the biggest interference for gym time) and have just been introduced to a pro set up. Sure a decent number probably do at that time but the transformations by themselves aren't inherently screaming PEDs.

I'm in the office now so can't really expand but will later

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Also according to all the bodybuilding forums etc just eating 5 chickens a day with veg can make you like this

Obviously a scoop of protein powder as wel

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm not in the rugby is completely clean crowd but that is a ridiculous statement. Not a chance every player is on a banned substance. Over 50 quite possibly/probably but saying that every single player is on a banned substance is as ridiculous a statement as saying none of them or on anything.

Tbh I'm basing this is off of combat sport levels, because I'm more knowledgeable about banned substances in that sport, but there are limits to how much caffeine/ibuprofen you're allowed in your system when you're competing etc. - I know someone who was in an academy and was advised not to take a certain pre-workout because the levels of something in it were too high and he'd pop if he was tested soon after

I'm not saying that everyone's blasting HGH or anything, but everyone will be bending the rules to a certain extent - even if they're not aware that they are

I imagine most players will have TUE for a whole host of prescription meds, but seeing players popping pain pills on the pitch seems pretty odd to me

 

[ncurd]

Wife's Nephew is stupidly huge these days and massive changes over the last year or two. Said he was almost certainly taking something other than protein powder and going down the gym every day.