The Lions squad for 2021 prediction

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Why didn't he pick the English attack coach?

 

[bushytop]

Token Scot on the coaching crew, so he doesn't have to pick any Scottish players?

I'm shocked and amazed to see that 4/5 of the coaches come from Wales

If Gats was Welsh he would've been a fully capped international!

 

[TRF_heineken]

Why didn't he pick the English attack coach?

You can't pick guys when they are 5th out of 6 teams in a tournament.

Clearly their attacking play was lacking.

 

[Jakedood]

Why didn't he pick the English attack coach?

Or the Italian coaching staff for that matter

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

McBryde still looks like one of the men I'd least like to meet down a dark alley.

At least the kit isn't Umbro.

 

[Reiser99]

You can't pick guys when they are 5th out of 6 teams in a tournament.

Clearly their attacking play was lacking.

Think you missed the tongue in cheek.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Some quotes from the horses mouth regarding Farrell, Borthwick and Rowntree

Gatland phone calls leave Welshmen stunned as details of late Lions drama emerge

The British and Irish Lions have named their coaching team after some late changes in the past week

www.walesonline.co.uk

 

[Welsh Exile]

So we can put the Gats favouring Welsh coaches to bed as Borthwick and Rowntree refused the offer for perfectly legit reasons.

I think it's nailed on O'Connell comes in.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Possible issues over release of English based players....

Warren Gatland warns Premiership players they risk Lions snub

Warren Gatland has warned that British & Irish Lions hopefuls based in England face missing out on the South Africa tour unless Premiership Rugby softens its stance on player release

www.theguardian.com

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Sorry everyone, my comment about an English attack coach was a joke and much funnier in my head. I wouldn't want Gatland taking any of the current England coaches.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Sorry everyone, my comment about an English attack coach was a joke and much funnier in my head. I wouldn't want Gatland taking any of the current England coaches.

Your joke about Tipuric being a coward hiding out on the wing was funnier in your head too, as well as wrong but we've all been there mate. Once you accept Tipuric as the creator of the universe and all that is good in the world it'll all make sense.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Possible issues over release of English based players....

Warren Gatland warns Premiership players they risk Lions snub

Warren Gatland has warned that British & Irish Lions hopefuls based in England face missing out on the South Africa tour unless Premiership Rugby softens its stance on player release

www.theguardian.com

Like clockwork
For as long as Gatland has been involved in international rugby you'd think he'd have even the vaguest idea of what, and when, the international window is

 

[big ginger 8]

Jones has 'captain's material' as Gatland starts whittling down Lions selection https://the42.ie/5408896

So looks like a 36 man squad is confirmed and the coaches agree on roughly 25 players at the moment.

 

[Jakedood]

Your joke about Tipuric being a coward hiding out on the wing was funnier in your head too, as well as wrong but we've all been there mate. Once you accept Tipuric as the creator of the universe and all that is good in the world it'll all make sense.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a dominant tackle stats for the six nations? Be curious to see, as Wales had a lot of the top tacklers, how many were really effective. The defense allowed same number of tries to England (2 more if you disallow the ones given to them v England ) so be interested to see

 

[Jakedood]

Like clockwork
For as long as Gatland has been involved in international rugby you'd think he'd have even the vaguest idea of what, and when, the international window is

I actually think this is understandable as an approach, given the Lions have not that long to really get off the ground. I think English representation will be fine if the Premiership allow players not involved in the final to be released, which really does make sense you'd think? Unless they wanted less players on the Lions tour for injury reasons
Plus He did say it'd make a difference in 50/50 calls, likely you'd see Stuart Hogg in the squad regardless as an example

Also I like that he differentiated between tour captain and test captain again

 

[Welsh Exile]

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a dominant tackle stats for the six nations? Be curious to see, as Wales had a lot of the top tacklers, how many were really effective. The defense allowed same number of tries to England (2 more if you disallow the ones given to them v England ) so be interested to see

Yeah, dunno. I'd imagine there are other players who have put in more dominant tackles but have also missed more tackles. For example, Curry, who missed 11 tackles, I believe, he probably put in more dominant tackles but then how do you define dominant tackle and did those dominant tackles lead to turnovers? Agree though that would be interesting to see. The only dominant tackle I distinctly remember Tipuric putting in was on Farrell near the end of the England game and while it was nice to see it was an easy hit to make and in an area of the pitch where it wasn't exactly critical for a hit like that to be put in so wasn't really bothered by it other than it's always nice to see Farrell get smashed but other than that it wasn't that important and therefore not really worth mentioning even though it would register on a stat.

I reckon Hamish Watson probably had the best all round defensive game. Didn't make as many tackles a Tipuric but that is out of his control due to the specific role he may or may not have been given by Townsend and, more importantly, you're only tackling without the ball, obviously, which again is something out of his control however he made 50 odd tackles missed none and probably put in a fair few dominant hits as well so regardless of dominant hits that is impressive in anyone's book

 

[Welsh Exile]

Only found this which doesn't really tell us anything about the tournament as a whole or individuals

https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/2021/03/01/ireland-and-wales-dominate-the-power-game-in-clinical-victories-analysis-powered-by-aws/?amp

Wales also halted the waves of English attack with nine dominant tackles. A dominant tackle absorbs all the positive attacking pressure and puts the defence on the front foot.

Wales have now done this 21 times, the most of all six sides in the Championship, and tied with France on a per-game basis.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

McBryde on the back row......."Obviously line out ability is huge"....."Contact ability is huge".

McBryde on the front row......."As much as you want them to do the added extras of being able to carry ball or defend well, I think we need to put the set piece first".

So that's Beirne / Itoje / Lawes at 6 and a summer on the beach for Watson and Mako......

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Hopefully his time at Leinster will trump Gatlands insistence and we get Furlong and Porter at 3 and 18, not Francis

Based on Gatlands historical pettiness, the above article, and Bristol almost definitely making the prem final I wouldn't be surprised to see Sinckler left at home

 

[Welsh Exile]

McBryde on the back row......."Obviously line out ability is huge"....."Contact ability is huge".

Who's the best line out option we have at 7?

*whistling as I quietly walk away*