B&I Lions 2017

[mariner4life]

@taniwharugby some would say you have Dagg and DMac in their wrong spots...

[taniwharugby]

@mariner4life well I did start with Dagg at 10, but figured at least DMac has some experience there....

[dK]

@Tim said in B&I Lions 2017:

@Hooroo It was a harsh burn, but you walked right into onto it.

Lack of lubricant?

[gollum]

@mariner4life said in B&I Lions 2017:

@gollum for someone so bombastic, you don't have much of a sense of adventure do you?

I'm bored with winning all the time, i want to be excited! It's a "cut myself to feel something" kinda thing

We lost once last year & once the year before. Thats enough of a rollercoaster for me.

@Frye said in B&I Lions 2017:

Totally agree.

Which is why we should copy the selection policy of 2005. In the first test we went for the conservative options in MacDonald, Howlett and Marshall. And after being too clinical and too efficient in the first test, we then made a raft of unforced changes in the backline. Mils, Gear and Kelleher started the 2nd test, with Nonu on the bench. Completely changing the dynamic and not giving the Lions any chance whatsoever to settle into their opponents.

And it worked so well we rolled it out again in the 2007 world cup.

[MiketheSnow]

If the backs were being picked this morning

Hogg (Scotland)
North (Wales)
Joseph (England)
Farrell (England)
L Williams (Wales)
Ford (England)
Webb (Wales)

Subs
Youngs (England), Sexton (Ireland), Halfpenny (Wales)

[Bones]

@MiketheSnow No love for the Scottish halves (if not injured)?

[MiketheSnow]

@Bones said in B&I Lions 2017:

@MiketheSnow No love for the Scottish halves (if not injured)?

Laidlaw mid-week scrum half and quite possibly captain if fit.

[Crucial]

I like the idea of the Lions using Ford at 10. We could target his piss poor tackling and he wouldn't get away with having others cover for him like he does against the unimaginative rivals in the 6N
The other thing that was very obvious over the weekend is the England are the only team up there that play anywhere near the pace that we are used to. The contrast going from watching Super rugby (in the rain) to Wales/Ireland was hard to take. It was like they were playing with a medicine ball in a field of treacle.
This is going to cause issues for Gatland as he won't stack his team with the English and every non England player he brings in means he has to adjust the gameplan toward a hybrid of a power game and speed.

[Kruse]

@Crucial Yeah - even that Blues-Highlanders game - I watched it after all the 6N games, and 15 minutes in I felt like I'd watched more rugby in 15 minutes than in the entire Wales-Ireland game. Which was just well, considering the rest of the game.

[mooshld]

@MiketheSnow said in B&I Lions 2017:

If the backs were being picked this morning

Hogg (Scotland)
North (Wales)
Joseph (England)
Farrell (England)
L Williams (Wales)
Ford (England)
Webb (Wales)

Subs
Youngs (England), Sexton (Ireland), Halfpenny (Wales)

I would take Biggar over Sexton, less injury prone more of a team player

[MiketheSnow]

@mooshld

We'll see after the last 6N round.

And still a lot of rugby to be played before the team is selected.

[gollum]

I'd be amazed if (fitness permitting) they didn't start an all Irish 9-10 combo. And then without doubt need to replace at least Sexton game 2 after he goes home broken.

Interesting bit for me on the weekend was the way Englands second string locks shit all over the Gray brothers. Also Itoje looked much more like a 6. Tho' its sort of hard to tell as him & Lawes are basically combining to both play as a 5.5.

[MiketheSnow]

@gollum

The biggest challenge for Gatland is does he pick tried & tested combos or does he put the best 15 in-form athletes on the park.

[Crucial]

@MiketheSnow said in B&I Lions 2017:

@gollum

The biggest challenge for Gatland is does he pick tried & tested combos or does he put the best 15 in-form athletes on the park.

Plus planning how to deal with the two games a week thing. As soon as he splits the squad the combos mix up even more so possibly the second best player in a position may not get to train much with the test squad.

[Catogrande]

@MiketheSnow said in B&I Lions 2017:

If the backs were being picked this morning

Hogg (Scotland)
North (Wales)
Joseph (England)
Farrell (England)
L Williams (Wales)
Ford (England)
Webb (Wales)

Subs
Youngs (England), Sexton (Ireland), Halfpenny (Wales)

If you have both Ford and Farrell playing, then you don't need Sexton there. Halfpenny to cover wing and FB plus place kicking. Leaves room for some centre cover - though who that is I'm not entirely sure. Henshaw perhaps with strict instructions to keep out of rolling mauls, Davies, Jones (the Scottish one)?

[Crucial]

Yes please sir, can we have some of that Scottish midfield defence please?

[MiketheSnow]

@Catogrande

Fair call.

Daly?

[Catogrande]

@MiketheSnow Fair call. Back at you!

[MN5]

@MiketheSnow said in B&I Lions 2017:

If the backs were being picked this morning

Hogg (Scotland)
North (Wales)
Joseph (England)
Farrell (England)
L Williams (Wales)
Ford (England)
Webb (Wales)

Subs
Youngs (England), Sexton (Ireland), Halfpenny (Wales)

No love for superstar Tim Visser?

[Catogrande]

@MN5 I don't think he's done enough, consistently to allay the accusations of being a flat track bully. He's been round for some time now and has shown flashes of what he could do but not enough against quality opposition.

Wing is also a highly competitive area. In no particular order:-

Zebo
Trimble
Bowe (although injured now)
Maitland
North
Williams/Halfpenny (both could be considered for FB)
Watson
Daly
Nowell
May

Somewhere below that is where Visser is at present. Below that it goes like this:

My Grandma
Cuthbert