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British & Irish Lions 2025 General News and Chat

Leonormous Boozer said:
View attachment 24216

I honestly can't see anyone beating 9 in the modern era. Willie John's record was whem tours were 4 tests and frequently two or three years apart. He has two more from 1962 which is staggering, more than a quarter of his tests were for the Lions and I think he retired as the most capped international ever at the time.
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As noted in other thread by someone else Itoje has good chance of making 11 surely?
 
ncurd said:
As noted in other thread by someone else Itoje has good chance of making 11 surely?
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Yeah fair, thought he was older than 30. Will likely be McCarthy and another in 4 years and not a whole lot coming through the ranks. Definitely a couple of prospects but provided Itoje doesn't dip it'll be him.

~300 first class games at 30 is a lot on the body at the same time.
 
Leonormous Boozer said:
View attachment 24216

I honestly can't see anyone beating 9 in the modern era. Willie John's record was whem tours were 4 tests and frequently two or three years apart. He has two more from 1962 which is staggering, more than a quarter of his tests were for the Lions and I think he retired as the most capped international ever at the time.
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I know that table is specificcaly 'successive test starts' (bit arbatrary), but AWJ actually has 10 test starts in total, coming on as a replacement in the 2nd and 3rd tests in 2009 to take his total test appearances to 12.

So it shows that 12 could be possible in the pro era, and as pointed out Itoje could easily achive 11.
 
dullonien said:
I know that table is specificcaly 'successive test starts' (bit arbatrary), but AWJ actually has 10 test starts in total, coming on as a replacement in the 2nd and 3rd tests in 2009 to take his total test appearances to 12.

So it shows that 12 could be possible in the pro era, and as pointed out Itoje could easily achive 11.
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Let's be honest, if it weren't for Gatland no way would AWJ have got 3 caps in SA.

No issue with him being selected for the squad, but he quite clearly wasn't fit enough for a test jersey after that shoulder injury.
 
dullonien said:
I know that table is specificcaly 'successive test starts' (bit arbatrary), but AWJ actually has 10 test starts in total, coming on as a replacement in the 2nd and 3rd tests in 2009 to take his total test appearances to 12.

So it shows that 12 could be possible in the pro era, and as pointed out Itoje could easily achive 11.
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Easily might be a stretch hahah, need a lot of luck! Like Furlong has missed an insane amount of rugby in his stretch, just fit at the right time. BOD would have 8 consecutive and 11 total starts but for a cheap shot. Doubt anyone would have bet in 2013 that George North would only have one more tour with no tests etc...

I have no numbers on this but I feel like less 20-22 year olds are breaking into international teams these days so I think it'll become a lot harder. There's been a 4th time tourist in 2013, 2021 and likely 2029. Could be awhile after that, Pollock and maybe Fin Smith really the only potential ones.
 
Jimbo said:
But Curry is actually good when he's in form.
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Which was early 2025...

Quality player, injured for months, didnt play well for Sale last few games, barely made the tour, played poorly on tour, shouldn't have made the test, played bang average in tests, and needed replacing with the props twice.

I like Curry, but he's a shadow of his former self, and kept VDF and Morgan out of the test starts unfairly IMO.
 
dirty harry said:
Which was early 2025...

Quality player, injured for months, didnt play well for Sale last few games, barely made the tour, played poorly on tour, shouldn't have made the test, played bang average in tests, and needed replacing with the props twice.

I like Curry, but he's a shadow of his former self, and kept VDF and Morgan out of the test starts unfairly IMO.
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That’s completely fair, I was being slightly tongue in cheek, I just never rated AWJ very highly, it’s not an anti Welsh thing either, I’d put Shane Williams, George North, Warbs, TF, Half Penny, JD2 (many I’ve forgotten that’s just a handful that spring to mind) into conversations around being elite/wc at points in their carriers, I might even be open to conceding Biggar and Cuthbert could be in that conversation on their day, I just can’t recall ever thinking that about AWJ, don’t get me wrong he was exactly what wales needed leadership wise and they enjoyed success, but being the Welsh Talisman and excelling there IMHO did not make him worthy of the Lions caps, I guess the difference for me is that we know what Curry is capable of having shown it many times over where as AWJ simply never had the ceiling or athleticism in him (IMO).
 
dirty harry said:
Which was early 2025...

Quality player, injured for months, didnt play well for Sale last few games, barely made the tour, played poorly on tour, shouldn't have made the test, played bang average in tests, and needed replacing with the props twice.

I like Curry, but he's a shadow of his former self, and kept VDF and Morgan out of the test starts unfairly IMO.
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That’s incorrect, he played well in the tests. You just are so jealous of curry that you are mean to him like a little boy who fancies the girl on the playground.

Get over your Turry obsession and join the real obsession of Burry.
 
Jimbo said:
That's completely fair, I was being slightly tongue in cheek, I just never rated AWJ very highly, it's not an anti Welsh thing either, I'd put Shane Williams, George North, Warbs, TF, Half Penny, JD2 (many I've forgotten that's just a handful that spring to mind) into conversations around being elite/wc at points in their carriers, I might even be open to conceding Biggar and Cuthbert could be in that conversation on their day, I just can't recall ever thinking that about AWJ, don't get me wrong he was exactly what wales needed leadership wise and they enjoyed success, but being the Welsh Talisman and excelling there IMHO did not make him worthy of the Lions caps, I guess the difference for me is that we know what Curry is capable of having shown it many times over where as AWJ simply never had the ceiling or athleticism in him (IMO).
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I agree AWJ was never the athletic specimen, but neither was Martin Johnson. They both though, had a leadership level, and had that talismanic stature that made them an absolute necessity. You could probably add Brian O Driscol to that too.
 
dirty harry said:
I agree AWJ was never the athletic specimen, but neither was Martin Johnson. They both though, had a leadership level, and had that talismanic stature that made them an absolute necessity. You could probably add Brian O Driscol to that too.
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MJ was an enforcer in more of the tough man mould, who played in an era where levels of thuggery was tolerated and part of the sport, if those two went toe to toe In their primes I know which one I’d be backing.
 
Jimbo said:
MJ was an enforcer in more of the tough man mould, who played in an era where levels of thuggery was tolerated and part of the sport, if those two went toe to toe In their primes I know which one I'd be backing.
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AWJ in a heart beat...

MJ was too amateur to stand a chance. Great in his day, but it wasnt modern day
 

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