2021 British & Irish Lions Squad

[BiggusLaddus]

Hill ain't 3 stone heavier than Beard is he? Surely not. Beard must be 19/19.5 stone so Hill can't be 22 stone. I'll google now but weight is always unreliable on the net.

I had a quick look. Depending whether you believe the lions, England, Exeter or wiki, his height and weight varies by about 5 inches and 20 kg.

 

[Welsh Exile]

WRU also has Beard at same weight as Ospreys so I'd go with them for reliability.

Again, though, it's moot as the point is, whatever the difference in weight is that Hill is definitely more explosive than Beard and if he's a lot lighter then that looks worse on Beard than it would if Hill was a lot heavier if you get what I mean.

I would like to see them together. I have concerns as @The Oggmonster said earlier but you don't know until you try. They're definitely different types of payers so their skills could compliment each other.

 

[Welsh Exile]

I had a quick look. Depending whether you believe the lions, England, Exeter or wiki, his height and weight varies by about 5 inches and 20 kg.

It's mad init. To be fair I guess weight can vary quite a lot especially for these big lads. But still.

 

[BiggusLaddus]

I'm guessing that exeter haven't updated the numbers since he was 12 and the person who created his wiki page is the same guy who measured all the WWF wrestlers as 7' 35"

 

[MikeTheNative]

Obviously the clubs know and their weight etc would be tracked. Marketing probably ask for player's info, medic team team don't bother to reply so they just make it up.
Don't really see the point of looking at height/weight etc. What matters is how they play on the field.
That's why Hamish Watson is still a very good player despite being 5'6. .......

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Hamish Watson (rugby union) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

He's listed as 6" 1.

 

[MikeTheNative]

It's a joke about people saying he's too small

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Only looks small on screen because of his body shape perhaps. Open side flankers are supposed to be smaller than other back rowers.

 

[MikeTheNative]

He's definitely on the smaller size for a pro back row player but he doesn't play like it.

 

[retired9]

His overtly Scottish sounding name carries extra weight

 

[General Melchett]

If you watch the 'inside the bubble' Q&A with Murray, Lawes and Liam Williams one of the questions is 'Who's the strongest in the squad?'.

Murray says Rory Sutherland, Lawes says Hamish and Williams says DVDM. They said Hamish and DVDM were lifting 60kg dumbells in the gym. Hamish looks smaller than he is because he's really broad.

 

[RedruthRFC]

If you watch the 'inside the bubble' Q&A with Murray, Lawes and Liam Williams one of the questions is 'Who's the strongest in the squad?'.

Murray says Rory Sutherland, Lawes says Hamish and Williams says DVDM. They said Hamish and DVDM were lifting 60kg dumbells in the gym. Hamish looks smaller than he is because he's really broad.

I picked up on the strength comment too and thought it was telling. The weight obsession with flankers is bizarre, as if those who seek to use random weights they found online to prove point haven't watched enough rugby to notice that some players don't run their weight and others run more. I would much rather have Haskell run at me with a ball under his arm all day than have Watson do it once, despite the difference in sheer mass.

I didn't notice the point about him being broad, but it's a good one. The term I would use is well proportioned, but for the most part it means the same thing.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I struggle to believe Watson is 6ft1

Kinghorn and Ritchie are both down as 6ft 4

Granted I don't think his height is too small for a 7, just you have to really get that balance right in the back row.

 

[ncurd]

I picked up on the strength comment too and thought it was telling. The weight obsession with flankers is bizarre, as if those who seek to use random weights they found online to prove point haven't watched enough rugby to notice that some players don't run their weight and others run more. I would much rather have Haskell run at me with a ball under his arm all day than have Watson do it once, despite the difference in sheer mass.

I didn't notice the point about him being broad, but it's a good one. The term I would use is well proportioned, but for the most part it means the same thing.

I know its a different game now but Neil Back was 5ft 10in and not on the extreme heavy end of the scale either. Still a pretty successful bloke.

 

[General Melchett]

Power > Size

 

[RedruthRFC]

I know its a different game now but Neil Back was 5ft 10in and not on the extreme heavy end of the scale either. Still a pretty successful bloke.

Back was considered a small flanker as part of an England squad that had the preferred back row of Tim Rodber, Dean Richards and Ben Clarke! Watson is a giant in terms of comparison to his peers.

Back is also a good example of what I'd call a well proportioned player though. He didn't look like an impressive specimen until he took his shirt off, when you realised that he had the upper body of a middle weight boxer. Complete bro science on my part, but it's the "well proportioned" guys who move better and look better athletes while the muscle bound guys move like what they are - people carrying too much muscle for their frame and pick up injuries easier.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Power > Size

For a flanker, yes. A flanker's important interactions in a game are dynamic ones (tackling, hitting rucks, carrying).

Try and use power to stop an opposition ruck, or to push in a scrum and let me know how it goes. Simon Shaw was a great example - quite well known for being much weaker than he looked in the gym, but on the field, knew how to use his size and leverage to his best advantage.

 

[MikeTheNative]

So in conclusion, the dick measuring contest of who weighs more or who has a better bench is kind of a secondary to how well they actually play rugby.

 

[General Melchett]

For a flanker, yes. A flanker's important interactions in a game are dynamic ones (tackling, hitting rucks, carrying).

Try and use power to stop an opposition ruck, or to push in a scrum and let me know how it goes. Simon Shaw was a great example - quite well known for being much weaker than he looked in the gym, but on the field, knew how to use his size and leverage to his best advantage.

Of course - that's why you need a mix of skill sets and attributes in the team to give balance. I'm sure that's why Gatland has put his trust in the likes of Hill and Beard!

 

[ncurd]

So in conclusion, the dick measuring contest of who weighs more or who has a better bench is kind of a secondary to how well they actually play rugby.

I mean one of those numbers that comes up I always feels make little difference is total 'pack weight'. Which scrum is usually better the one with the bigger weight or the one with better props?