B&I Lions 2017

[rotated]

@Billy-Tell said in B&I Lions 2017:

So what are we thinking people? 4 locks?

Whitelock & Retallick.

Then 2 from Romano, Barrett, tuipolotu and a resurgent bird.

Anyone else?

Good call on having Bird at least in the frame. I am a huge Tuipolotu & Blues fan - absolutely love his game and he has been pretty good all things considered this season - but jeez Bird this year has something about him that makes me want to see him in black this season and coming off the bench.

[Billy Tell]

@rotated said in B&I Lions 2017:

@Billy-Tell said in B&I Lions 2017:

So what are we thinking people? 4 locks?

Whitelock & Retallick.

Then 2 from Romano, Barrett, tuipolotu and a resurgent bird.

Anyone else?

Good call on having Bird at least in the frame. I am a huge Tuipolotu & Blues fan - absolutely love his game and he has been pretty good all things considered this season - but jeez Bird this year has something about him that makes me want to see him in black this season and coming off the bench.

I personally think Bird will miss out, simply because to include him would involve ditching recent ABs in Barrett, Tuipolotu and Romano who are all currently in good form. I imagine he would command decent money in Europe, it's hard to see how Canterbury/the Chiefs/NZRU would find a way to keep him here. I hope Hansen at least initially names an extended squad, so he can include players like Bird, and let them know they are not out of the picture.

[Rembrandt]

Any word on the size of the abs squad for the Lions?

[Tim]

Chris Rattue has picked his bolter:

Here's my All Blacks bolter - Michael Collins.

[taniwharugby]

@Rembrandt cant find the 2005 squad, but we used 45 ABs that year.

http://www.allblacks.com/Teams/AllBlacks/Previous/80

[antipodean]

@Tim

[MiketheSnow]

Composite Lions XV, from the selections of 20 leading pundits, created by the Western Mail.

Not sure who those pundits are, but it's an interesting team....4 Welsh, 1 Scot, 6 English and 4 Irish.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/definitive-lions-xv-experts-picked-12803029

Here's my take

B&I Lions XV

15 Stuart Hogg
14 George North
13 Jonathan Joseph
12 Owen Farrell
11 Liam Williams
10 George Ford
9 Rhys Webb

1 Mako Vunipola
2 Ken Owens
3 Tadhg Furlong
4 AW Jones
5 Maro Itoje
6 Ross Moriarty
7 Sam Warburton
8 Billy Vunipola

Replacements:
Joe Marler, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Justin Tipuric
Connor Murray, Elliot Daly, Leigh Halfpenny

[Catogrande]

@MiketheSnow Not bad but I would be concerned about the goal kicking if Farrell went off. That would mean a major re-shuffle to get Halfpenny on the pitch. I'd take Sexton over Ford for just that reason (plus his superior game management and "character").

[gollum]

I can't see any way if he's fit Sexton is not at 10.

He wont stay fit, but for the brief time he is, he'll be first choice at 10 with Farrell outside him slotting into 10 at the 60 minute mark when Sexton fails his 3rd concussion test of the game & goes off for a full shoulder reconstruction.

[Crucial]

That team constructed by committee is probably a bit screwed by where the pundits had those players that could be in more than one position eg Itoje, Farrell, Warburton

If Itoje plays at lock then the 6 or 8 needs to be a lineout operative as well. They can't narrow the lineout options to just the locks when the ABs can usually use the locks, 6 and 8 as targets and they are very skilled lineout targets to boot. (this is without even considering the 6'10" Ardie Savea in the last 20 minutes).

Also, in the 8,9, 10 alley I cannot see any sense in having 3 guys that don't play together. Either the 8/9 or the 9/10 needs to be a combo. For that reason I cannot see how Webb comes into things as any ore than a bench option if Faletau is on the pine as well.

I'd go for Murray and Sexton at 9/10. Farrell at 12

[gollum]

@Crucial said in B&I Lions 2017:

I'd go for Murray and Sexton at 9/10. Farrell at 12

Yep, I reckon that is a racing certainty

[Crucial]

@gollum said in B&I Lions 2017:

@Crucial said in B&I Lions 2017:

I'd go for Murray and Sexton at 9/10. Farrell at 12

Yep, I reckon that is a racing certainty

Assuming that Gatland is as smart as we are.

[Catogrande]

@Crucial He just might be this time round as his favourite 9, Pikey Mikey is no longer an option. I like Webb unless he's playing v England, but I would start with Murray. Webb on the bench, I think, would make a good impact option.

[MiketheSnow]

@gollum said in B&I Lions 2017:

I can't see any way if he's fit Sexton is not at 10.

He wont stay fit, but for the brief time he is, he'll be first choice at 10 with Farrell outside him slotting into 10 at the 60 minute mark when Sexton fails his 3rd concussion test of the game & goes off for a full shoulder reconstruction.

Can't see him finishing the NH season. Too many knocks already, hence his omission @Catogrande

[Crucial]

Here's my A team (in correct order)

1 Mako Vunipola
2 Ken Owens
3 Tadhg Furlong
4 AW Jones
5 Joe Launchbury
6 Sam Warburton (C)
7 Sean O'Brien
8 Billy Vunipola
9 Connor Murray
10 Johnny Sexton
11 Liam Williams
12 Owen Farrell
13 Jonathan Joseph
14 George North
15 Stuart Hogg

Replacements:
Joe Marler, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje , Justin Tipuric
Rhys Webb, Elliot Daly, Leigh Halfpenny

[Catogrande]

@MiketheSnow Quite likely Mike, though Lancaster at Leinster has come out saying that they will manage his game time prior to the Lions. Hmm, we'll see. I still think he's in the box seat barring injury.

[Bovidae]

Has the squad size been confirmed?

Watching some of the games from the 2005 again, Woodward selected 4 no.10s in his large squad (Wilkinson, Jones, O'Gara and Hodgson). Gatland only took 2 (Farrell and Sexton) to Aust in 2013.

Just looking at the suggested Lions 23, neither Marler or Cole offers genuine impact off the bench, as both are more suited to start. Compare that to Crockett and Faumuina for the ABs.

[MiketheSnow]

@Bovidae said in B&I Lions 2017:

Has the squad size been confirmed?

Watching some of the games from the 2005 again, Woodward selected 4 no.10s in his large squad (Wilkinson, Jones, O'Gara and Hodgson). Gatland only took 2 (Farrell and Sexton) to Aust in 2013.

Just looking at the suggested Lions 23, neither Marler or Cole offers genuine impact off the bench, as both are more suited to start. Compare that to Crockett and Faumuina for the ABs.

Continuuation of hard scrummaging and trucking it up

[Crucial]

@Bovidae said in B&I Lions 2017:

Just looking at the suggested Lions 23, neither Marler or Cole offers genuine impact off the bench, as both are more suited to start. Compare that to Crockett and Faumuina for the ABs.

I thought about that but as Jamie George is the closest thing they have to an 'impact' front rower I would take the tactic of going for strength and dominance in the front row scrum wise rather than picking 'looser' players that are ball runners.
Charlie F and Crockett are freaks in that they can hold their own well in the set piece but are also dynamic. We are blessed in that regard and there aren't many around that are like them.
Play to your strengths would be my approach and if there is one weakness to Crockett and Charlie it is that they can be manipulated a bit at the scrum to play the ref.

[gollum]

Daily Telegraph (London one) have named the AB squad of 33 they are picking now, as its Thursday, and as everyone knows thats when teams are named.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2017/03/30/new-zealand-squad-face-lions-blacks-can-take-british-irish/

O Franks
Faumuina
Moody
Crockett
Ofa Tu’ungafasi

Dane Coles
Codie Taylor
Coltman

Retallick
Sam Whitelock
Romano
Pat Tuipulotu

Kaino
Cane
Read
Squire
Todd
Taufua
Ardie

A Smith
TJP
Pulu

Barret
Cruden

Crotty
Fekitoa
ALB
Moala

Savea
NHS
B Smith
Dagg
Dmac