Gatland in making some "unfortunate comments" shocker!

[TRF Mr Fish]

Funnily enough I'm anticipating the closest tour in a long time. The current range of players available to the Lions are a great crop, especially with the recent emergence of Farrell as a potential future super star of the English set up. Sexton, Priestland etc. are fine, and do the job in the 6 Nations (more often than not), but against the SH teams they generally fail to impress. I think with the genuine X factor players available in the outside backs (Maitland, Visser, Hogg, Brown, Halfpenny, Zebo, North) and with guys in the midfield like Tuilagi, Roberts and BOD there are no excuses for not performing. The forwards are naturally good, and should have an advantage of the Ozzies. I'm quite looking forward to this tour, I think the Lions actually stand a chance of winning it, for once.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Gatland mentions that English players come with the "baggage" of being English (?), what about the baggage of his much vaunted Welsh team being whitewashed three-zip by the Aussies last year, a more pertinent observation in my view if we`re going to talk about the individual nationality of any Lions team.
This Lions tour has the potential to be a joke

Just like Woodward's 2005 Tour ...

To be fair England under Lancaster seems more professional than that under Johnson.

 

[McTallshort]

Yes just like Woodwards tour because the head coach seems to think its all about him

 

[Taylo2]

Funnily enough I'm anticipating the closest tour in a long time. The current range of players available to the Lions are a great crop, especially with the recent emergence of Farrell as a potential future super star of the English set up. Sexton, Priestland etc. are fine, and do the job in the 6 Nations (more often than not), but against the SH teams they generally fail to impress. I think with the genuine X factor players available in the outside backs (Maitland, Visser, Hogg, Brown, Halfpenny, Zebo, North) and with guys in the midfield like Tuilagi, Roberts and BOD there are no excuses for not performing. The forwards are naturally good, and should have an advantage of the Ozzies. I'm quite looking forward to this tour, I think the Lions actually stand a chance of winning it, for once.

I fully agree with you there mate, it should be a very exciting tour, one which the Lions have a very real chance in.

 

[Largejanner]

So then Warren, the important job of melding the 4 disparate rugby cultures together into the formidable team spirit needed to tour successfully in the SH.......How`s that going?

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Just to quote Warren ... Again ...

"The last thing I would ever do is limit the number of English players. There is absolutely no limit to the number of any players from any nation we will pick if they are worthy of a place on the tour. And I would happily pick 15 English players in the first Test at Brisbane if I thought they were the best 15 players for the job."

The headlines take it out of context as it normally does. People see this and think that's its the truth. If they bother reading the meat of the article and what is said by Gatland and not the English Media spin ... Which Gatland mentioned. Then you would find he wouldn't limit the number of any nationality.

 

[Largejanner]

Just to quote Warren ... Again ...

"The last thing I would ever do is limit the number of English players. There is absolutely no limit to the number of any players from any nation we will pick if they are worthy of a place on the tour. And I would happily pick 15 English players in the first Test at Brisbane if I thought they were the best 15 players for the job.

Those are the comments he rather hastily made 24 hours after his original anti-English tirade to the Evening Standard, yes?
Can`t help but think the job is too big for him.

 

[Teh Mite]

Gatland makes a *** of himself in the media then backs down 24 hours later and retracts his comments. Never seen that before.

He's so spineless he could be a socialist MP.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Those are the comments he rather hastily made 24 hours after his original anti-English tirade to the Evening Standard, yes?
Can`t help but think the job is too big for him.

Meh ... whatever.

You are choosing what you read and choosing how the media tell it to you. Funny that.

I'll point you back to these two quotes:

He doesn't say anywhere that he'll limit the number of English players... He says the English media are ***** (basically) and will make a bigger deal out of anything, if given some bait - which is what the reporter is doing here. Obviously, the more English players in the squad, the more interested the English media will be. If anything Gatland defends the English players, saying others like to have a pop at them.

Why does everyone have to be so bloody PC? What he's said is completely true. Read the actual quotes instead of the stupid article writer's inferences...

and

ITT: people reading the first line and not the rest of the article. He clearly states himself that if England win the Six Nations "there will be a reasonable contingent of English players" and the article says "Gatland emphasised he will pick the best players for the squad".

 

[Groundhog]

Complete overreactions. Yeah what he said was tactless, but no need to get offended.

 

[Teh Mite]

It was a bit of self publicity and his annual prod in the ribs to England like he does every year prior to the Eng v Wales match.

Mention the Lions however and the whole world goes nuts.

 

[smb64]

It's a win-win situation for Eng anyway : those players that do get selected for lions will gain a valuable experience and those that don't go can come on the Argentina tour.

I don't see what the problem is

 

[Jbobo]

Classic, any mention of negative truths about the English team and their fans throw they s****y nappies on the floor.

Nothing he said was intended to be insulting or to hint at the exclusion of English players, the man even stated so himself "The last thing I would ever do is limit the number of English players. There is absolutely no limit to the number of any players from any nation we will pick if they are worthy of a place on the tour. And I would happily pick 15 English players in the first Test at Brisbane if I thought they were the best 15 players for the job." The overreaction of some of the English on various rugby boards makes is completely unfounded, you are inventing trouble out of nothing.

Largejanner - I'd like to see things from your point of view, but i can't seem to get my head that far up my a**. Everything you say makes you look a complete mug.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Jesus Christ...

 

[smb64]

Classic Welshman

I kid of course

 

[Teh Mite]

And so it begins...

 

[Largejanner]

Largejanner - I'd like to see things from your point of view, but i can't seem to get my head that far up my a**. Everything you say makes you look a complete mug.

Look, I know Gatland is akin to God to you chaps, but a couple of low level Grandslams does`nt impress me I`m afraid, he`s ****ed up here not because I say so, but because it`s all over the press and respected rugby people like Bill Beaumont are saying so.
What`s a Lions Tour anyway, nothing more than a vehicle to sell SKYTV Digiboxes and for the celts to compete with teams in the SH in a way they can`t when playing for their own countries.
Yes my Welsh friend for an all too brief period you get to cheer on a side that is`nt intrinsically **** on a tour of the SH, now pipe down and enjoy it!

 

[Draggs]

Nobody will care this time next week.
I don't care who makes up the Lions. I am more excited for the Japan tour.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Look, I know Gatland is akin to God to you chaps, but a couple of low level Grandslams does`nt impress me I`m afraid, he`s ****ed up here not because I say so, but because it`s all over the press and respected rugby people like Bill Beaumont are saying so.
What`s a Lions Tour anyway, nothing more than a vehicle to sell SKYTV Digiboxes and for the celts to compete with teams in the SH in a way they can`t when playing for their own countries.
Yes my Welsh friend for an all too brief period you get to cheer on a side that is`nt intrinsically **** on a tour of the SH, now pipe down and enjoy it!

 

[Teh Mite]

Does anyone remember when pre-lions Buildup on TRF didn't slumber into this sort of stuff?


No?

Me neither. There may have been one friendly post in Feb 2005, but that's just a rumour...