2013 British and Irish Lions

[Aristodemus]

I sense this one is english

Ahh yes, the players named in the squad are better.

 

[McTallshort]

Pleased with the number Tigers players involved and thats it now no point moaning just get behind the lads now cannot wait for the series to start!

In other breaking news after a second scan I can reveal Mrs Tallshort is having a girl due in September!

All the best to all

 

[lynam1104]

Ahh yes, the players named in the squad are better.

I agree on Care and Launchbury, but the others are better IMO.

 

[Johnny Boy]

Especially compared to the season Launchbury's had.

I would've picked Launchbury in my test team, him and Morgan can count themselves real unlucky.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Which club/province/region has the most then? Anyone got better than 6?

 

[Aristodemus]

I agree on Care and Launchbury, but the others are better IMO.

But I post what I think and you belittle it by saying it is just because I am English. Right after you agreed with a fellow Irishman on a 6 Irish and 7 Welsh test team.

Morgan is better than Heaslip and I think you will find Toulon don't agree about Jenkins either.

 

[lynam1104]

I think Leinster are the best represent club

 

[lynam1104]

But I post what I think and you belittle it by saying it is just because I am English. Right after you agreed with a fellow Irishman on a 6 Irish and 7 Welsh test team.

Morgan is better than Heaslip and I think you will find Toulon don't agree about Jenkins either.

I was trying to be a little funny it's cool we don't agree nothing personal.

Ahh crap double post sorry guys

 

[Feicarsinn]

But I post what I think and you belittle it by saying it is just because I am English. Right after you agreed with a fellow Irishman on a 6 Irish and 7 Welsh test team.

Morgan is better than Heaslip and I think you will find Toulon don't agree about Jenkins either.

Post your own then.

 

[Aristodemus]

Post your own then.

I am not saying that a team I would pick would be without bias. Glass houses and all that.

 

[McTallshort]

Which club/province/region has the most then? Anyone got better than 6?

Just the 6 for Tigers!

 

[j'nuh]

Scotland can count themselves unlucky. A few that could have gone - Laidlaw, Grant, Visser, Scott, Beattie. In the end, Gray and Maitland... (Hogg is decent though)

My biggest complaint is - Morgan did more in one half of rugby during the 6N than Heaslip did in 5 games. He provides the perfect foil to Faletau, and unlike Heaslip, is a real game-changer. I think Gatland has missed one of the biggest tricks the Lions had up their sleeve - Faletau until they tire, Morgan to run through their tired legs. More to the point, Heaslip and Faletau are basically the same player, except Faletau has been in better form. Both play the "third flanker" role: tackle, breakdown work, a few carries. SOB could fill out that role too. Morgan and Beattie are the two "traditional 8s" available to the Lions, and neither are going.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

I like the look of the squad. Hartley should be banned from the sport, but otherwise I think it's a pretty good squad. Two fly halves seems dodgy - are both of them going to feature in every single game?

 

[irelandfan123]

FB I'm happy with and wings bit confused on how Maitland got on the plane, woulda had Visser ahead of him maybe even Gilroy. Centres would be grand if Roberts wasn't there, I thought maybe Matthew Scott or even even Barritt as his defence is soo strong. Not fussed on Farrel in at stand-off Wilkinson showed he was clearly stronger but Gatland says he rang him to ask him to go but Wilko said he wasn't up for it... Would have had Blair or Laidlaw above Murray as Blair is faster and laidlaw offers another option at ten. I know nothing bout props but how the **** did Youngs and Hartley (mainly Hartley) get ahead of Best. Also Euan Murray? or am I insane? Also if you are taking players that are in France (Jenkins) where the balls is Sheridan? Every one is moaning bout Stevens but I haven't seen enough of him lately to comment. In the second row, only gripe is why is Gray there, Lanchbury probably has done more to deserve a spot. In back row happy enough although some English people will moan over Robshaw. Warburton being captain is annoying considering he has never beat Assuies and struggled to get on the Wales squad. No Ryan Jones either he has gotta be ****** at Gats.

 

[Crapspray]

I like the look of the squad. Hartley should be banned from the sport, but otherwise I think it's a pretty good squad. Two fly halves seems dodgy - are both of them going to feature in every single game?

Supposedly Stuart Hogg will cover the position as well, so may be bench cover for a few of the mid-week games. Wilkinson is also apparently on stand-by, having turned down the whole tour.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

For me, the glaring omissions are as follows:

Chris Robshaw (But it may be because he's now injured. For any other reason, this would be a completely unforgivable absence)
Rory Best
Ben Morgan
Someone who isn't Matt Stevens

Then there's absences which are notable but not glaring as such:
Kelly Brown
Johnny Beattie
Danny Care
Ryan/Launchbury
Sheridan

Overall, a bit disappointed. I feel like Gatland has picked players on the back of previous form. Croft, Lydiate, Gray...neither of the first two have been back long enough to really merit automatic selection, and Gray has been meh altogether as far as I've seen.

Sorry to say it but I think 4 Welsh loosies is too many - especially since that seems to be at the expense of both england's and scotland's captains. Also, Jenkins over Sheridan is a disgrace.

Personally I think it's a bad idea to pick a coach with too much invested in one particular camp. I think it's shown itself here not in the form of huge bias, but in virtually all the borderline calls for Welsh players going in their favour, where the same can't quite be said for Scotland, England or Ireland.

 

[irelandfan123]

For me, the glaring omissions are as follows:

Chris Robshaw (But it may be because he's now injured. For any other reason, this would be a completely unforgivable absence)
Rory Best
Ben Morgan
Someone who isn't Matt Stevens

Then there's absences which are notable but not glaring as such:
Kelly Brown
Johnny Beattie
Danny Care
Ryan/Launchbury

Overall, a bit disappointed. I feel like Gatland has picked players on the back of previous form. Croft, Lydiate, Gray...neither of the first two have been back long enough to really merit automatic selection, and Gray has been meh altogether as far as I've seen.

Sorry to say it but I think 4 Welsh loosies is too many - especially since that seems to be at the expense of both england's and scotland's captains.

Good shout, he should have been on there ahead of Lydiate

 

[Aedaphon]

Pleased with the number Tigers players involved and thats it now no point moaning just get behind the lads now cannot wait for the series to start!

In other breaking news after a second scan I can reveal Mrs Tallshort is having a girl due in September!

All the best to all

Congratulations!!

And about the squad... It's what we could have predicted from a way out from Gatland's time with Wales. I'm not wholly upset, but some of the calls certainly smack of a familiarity with players over form.

The Lions aren't there to build up to a great squad, they come with little preparation and (for me at least) that requires a little more present form than in this squad. It would've been nice to see the fairy tale with Wilko on the plane, but I guess it wasn't too be.

 

[munstermuffin]

Can I ask why people are shocked at the Rory Best exclusion. He's been terrible the last few months. As in alot of this team is picked in my opinion on reputation. Irish players alone:
Bowe on what 2/3 games ???
Paulie same as Bowe ???
Kearney and Heaslip aren't on form
Murray and SOB have had decent seasons but are lucky as calls were flip of coin.
Healy and Sexton deserved spots.

 

[Amiga500]

More to the point, Heaslip and Faletau are basically the same player, except Faletau has been in better form. Both play the "third flanker" role: tackle, breakdown work, a few carries.

:huh:

They aren't very alike - Heaslip operates much closer to the breakdown area than Faletau, who tends to make longer carries in wider channels.


I would suspect Gatland remembers how well Heaslip did for the Lions in South Africa at the base, and also how well he has done behind awful Irish scrums. [Not that it really should be a big concern given the "strength" of the Aussie scrum!]