Your Lions Squad Following the 6N

[j'nuh]

And Biggar is making most teams of the tournament.

I suppose we can all agree that Biggar, Burns, Sexton, whatever, at least no one is talking about O'Gara. Or Farrell, surprisingly.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

And Biggar is making most teams of the tournament.

I suppose we can all agree that Biggar, Burns, Sexton, whatever, at least no one is talking about O'Gara. Or Farrell, surprisingly.

Yes but that doesn't mean anything. Sexton isn't going to make the team of the tournament due to only playing 1 match and a 3rd.

 

[big ginger 8]

And Biggar is making most teams of the tournament.

I suppose we can all agree that Biggar, Burns, Sexton, whatever, at least no one is talking about O'Gara. Or Farrell, surprisingly.

And a lot of people citing the averageness of the outhalves in the tournament.

But yes at least Conor George* isn't on this board screaming RO'G's name.

*"journalist" with a huge Munster/Cork bias"

 

[j'nuh]

Fair point.

Okay, let me rephrase.. "Sexton doesn't have Biggar beaten for international form."

Still don't know which I would start. Except to say that Sexton isn't nearly as clearly first-choice as some would like to believe imho.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Fair point.

Okay, let me rephrase.. "Sexton doesn't have Biggar beaten for international form."

Still don't know which I would start. Except to say that Sexton isn't nearly as clearly first-choice as some would like to believe imho. Because we have a small number of great fly-halves available.

Yeah, that's good.

I think you're chronically underrating Sexman but you think I'm chronically overrating him so I think we'll leave it here.

 

[big ginger 8]

Just saw this from the bbc. It's the most defenders beaten chart.

Louis Picamoles (Fra) 15
Mathieu Bastareaud (Fra) 15
Rob Kearney (Ire) 14
George North (Wal) 14
Alex Cuthbert (Wal) 14

Surprised to see Kearney there.

 

[Joseph14]

Sexton is way ahead of the rest.

Burns has the talent to parhaps surpass him but he needs a chance. The fact that chance should have come a while ago isn't his fault of course. It rules him out for the lions in my book though.
The other options are average. I wouldn't start Farrell or Biggar in front of Sexton if you paid me...handsomely too!!!

 

[Ospreylian]

Keep this on topic.
We can expect plenty of bickering on Lion threads (it's just one of those things we must accept and embrace) but this one is getting boring.

Agreed. Was in a particularly grumpy mood tonight and that translated itself into Sexton-bashing But onward...

 

[UlsterRugby2012]

Good post. I'll redirect my replies to all through this one.

I never said, nor wanted to say, that Sexton looks amazing entirely because of the team he plays in. But you can't argue against that it helps a fly-half to look good when they've got other players to work well off of. It's not exclusive to Sexton either - any fly-half is effected by being in a good/poor team. The faster your forwards recycle the ball, the faster your wingers chase your kicks, the more accurate the passes from your scrum-half come... they all effect the performance of a fly-half. Sexton will look better playing for Leinster than he would playing for, say, Connacht. When you play for the best team in Europe over the last 5 years, and you play well, but then you never seem to play so consistently for your national team, then it's perfectly reasonable for people to ask these questions.

Biggar has Sexton beaten for recent international form. Burns may not have proven himself internationally, but I suppose I'm just backing his exceptional season form. Up until injury, the best fly-half in the Premiership and contender for player of the season. I don't know which of the three is the best. So I've taken all three. But I'm happy to admit I don't know which one is the best - I'm just a little confused as to where the evidence that Sexton is so superior to the other two.

Sorry, but I think it's the other way round - you would need to supply evidence that Burns or Biggar is superior to Sexton.

I think everyone, including Leinster fans, would agree Sexton isn't as nailed on as he was before - but he's still pretty far ahead. Even the pundits on Rugby Club, which is all about England, agree Sexton is completely nailed on. (I haven't seen the last 2 so idk if their opinions have changed in the last 2 weeks).

Sexton > Biggar > Burns > Farrell

 

[Ospreylian]

Ok seeing as the Sexton debate/argument/petty-fest stagnated, I'm interested to know (particularly from the Irish posters) who would be everyone's starting fly half if Sexton was out injured for the tour? ​

 

[cyRil]

Get Hooky on

 

[Feicarsinn]

Ok seeing as the Sexton debate/argument/petty-fest stagnated, I'm interested to know (particularly from the Irish posters) who would be everyone's starting fly half if Sexton was out injured for the tour? ​

Ian Madigan

 

[Peat]

If Sexton was out injured, I really don't know who I'd go with tbh and I think it would really be a case of who responded best on tour. I suspect if he didn't go, assuming three fly-halves, we'd see Biggar go, we'd see Farrell go and we'd see one of Burns and Jackson go, which I believe should be Burns, but it wouldn't surprise me if Jackson went, particularly if he picks April 6th for a big game - just has more visibility and reliability. Out of those, if Fazlet can continue to show attacking improvement, I'd probably go with him, but Burns if he took to it like a duck to water, with Biggar - barring insane form - behind those two.

 

[lionsno9]

Really enjoyed picking this squad, sure there are many who will disagree with a lot of my selections and i'll prob change my mind a few times myself before end if april but here goes.


Props: C Healy, G Jenkins, R Grant, A Jones, D Cole

Jenkins can cover both sides.

Hookers: R Best, R Hibbard, R Ford

T Youngs unlucky to miss out, Going by 6N's nothing between them. All struggled at lineout to some degree imo.

Locks: A W Jones, G Parling, R Gray, POC,

Would love Nathan Hines to tour but dont there should be a space for anyone retired from int rugby.

Gray and POC to prove fitness, if they do both should travel imo.

Flankers: C Robshaw, SOB, S Warburton, J Tipuric, S Ferris

Assuming Ferris is fit in time?

No. 8's: J Beattie, J Heaslip

Faletau unlucky to miss out, I'm prob biased but was impressed with Beatties footballing skills and think he deserves to go and prob start.

Scrumhalfs: M Phillips, G Laidlaw, B Youngs

Good Balance with these 3 imo

Flyhalfs: J Sexton, O Farrell, D Biggar

Farrell could cover 12 also imo if necessary.

Centres: M Tuilagi, J Roberts, BOD, M Scott

2 battering rams and Scott maybe offers something a bit different. BOD needs no explanation.

Wings: G North, A Cuthbert, T Visser, T Bowe

All know where the try line is. Hope Bowe is fit in time?

Fullback: L Halfpenny, S Hogg, R Kearney

Hogg deserves to go great 6N's and could poss cover wing.


Welsh 12 Irish 10 English 6 Scots 8

36 man squad, 19 forwards, 17 backs

Feel like England should maybe have more players going after a strong 6N's but i think a lot of players just get edged out here.

Whatever squad finally gets selected i'll be happy to get behind them and look forward to a cracking tour and some great test matches.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Please can we stop talking about props covering both sides of the scrum. There really is no need, no-one is actually any good at covering their unfavoured side at international level, and we now have 23 man squads specifically to remove any need for it.

 

[Peat]

We will be travelling with 3 props of each side anyway, believe that's been confirmed.

 

[j'nuh]

J'Nuh, can I ask then - what does Farrell, Burns or Biggar have that Sexton doesn't? Also, not every other nation casts their doubt over him - infact it's mostly the English who would rather have Farrell.

Sorry, I missed this.

Look at my whole post, I took Sexton with Burns and Biggar and didn't take Farrell. He's more limited than any other international fly-half around.

I'm not saying Sexton is bad or even worse than Burns/Biggar. I'm saying that he's overrated and that it's not as clear-cut that he should start as some are imagining.

 

[lionsno9]

In that case E Murray would travel as well as long as there are no test matches on a sunday?

 

[Aristodemus]

Test team

1, Healy 2,Hibbard 3,Cole 4,Launchbury 5,AWJ 6,SOB 7,Robshaw(c) 8,Morgan 9,Youngs 10,Sexton 11,North 12,BOD 13,Tuilagi 14,Maitland 15,Halfpenny

Midweek team

1,Sheridan 2,Hartley 3,Jones 4,Lawes 5,Gray 6,Tipuric 7,Warburton 8,Falatau 9,Laidlaw 10,Burns 11,Zebo 12,Hook 13,Davies 14,Cuthbert 15,Hogg

Other squad players
Jenkins, Murray, Best, Parling, Wood, Care, 36, Kearney (Hook can be third FH if needed)

 

[cyRil]

Test team

1, Healy 2,Hibbard 3,Cole 4,Launchbury 5,AWJ 6,SOB 7,Robshaw(c) 8,Morgan 9,Youngs 10,Sexton 11,North 12,BOD 13,Tuilagi 14,Maitland 15,Halfpenny

Midweek team

1,Sheridan 2,Hartley 3,Jones 4,Lawes 5,Gray 6,Tipuric 7,Warburton 8,Falatau 9,Laidlaw 10,Burns 11,Zebo 12,Hook 13,Davies 14,Cuthbert 15,Hogg

Other squad players
Jenkins, Murray, Best, Parling, Wood, Care, 36, Kearney (Hook can be third FH if needed)

Is this a wind-up?