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Lions Tour to Australia

The squad:

Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Sean Maitland (Scotland), George North (Wales), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Manu Tuilagi (England), Owen Farrell (England), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales), Ben Youngs (England).

Forwards: Dan Cole (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Matt Stevens (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dylan Hartley (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Tom Youngs (England), Ian Evans (Wales), Richie Gray (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Geoff Parling (England), Tom Croft (England), Toby Faletau (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Sam Warburton (Wales, captain)




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Comments

  • I'm surprised that there is no room for Chris Robshaw or Rory Best and even more surprised that Matt Stevens is on the tour and that there are two English hookers.
  • edited April 2013
    I thought Joe Launchbury might be a contender but his inexperience was exposed against the Welsh so not a total surprise he is missing. He should develop into a very good player though.

    Best is probably not considered mobile enough, in contrast to converted centre Tom Youngs, and Robshaw's strength for England is as a leader as much as a player. Those selected as wing forwards are decent players.

    I agree with you re Matt Stevens. He was an excellent player but has had very little international exposure for a good few years now.
  • I'm surprised that there is no room for Chris Robshaw or Rory Best and even more surprised that Matt Stevens is on the tour and that there are two English hookers.

    Well they will be away from their wives for a long time.
  • Stevens is VERY lucky to be on the tour as is Hartley. Having said that, Stevens is not an especially good scrummager but is fast across the ground. Australia are not noted for being fierce scrummagers. Hartley and not Best .. strange. Robshaw? ..not really a true 6, 7 or 8, a peculiarly English type of back rower and he is/was up against some outstanding competition for selection in the back row.
    All in all a good squad. You can't pick 'em all.
  • The last I saw of Stevens in an England shirt he gave away too many penalties for a range of basic scrummaging offences. If you want an extra prop take Sheridan as he has considerable form against Australia and can play loose or tight head.

    I'd have taken Rory Best as starting hooker - Hartley concedes too many pens and Youngs is too inexperienced.

    Robshaw - this is the selection that has me wondering...at open-side you have to run with the ball out of scrums/mauls and rucks and he made more yards and got more tackles in than any other player in the 6N (in that position). Australia are weak at the set pieces and they cope by recycling the ball quickly and attacking in the loose. Ideal for Robshaw's game.

    The centres - all worthy names, good at ball carrying etc, but not a lot of pace or passing ability there, perhaps Twelvetrees should have gone, the danger is that when the bal hits the centres it'll go no further leaving the wings isolated and operating on scraps. More so as great player though he is I've never seen Leigh Halfpenny really stepping up into the line and overlapping in the way that Ben Foden used to do for England.
  • Given how poor Ireland was in the 6 Nations I'm surprised at how many of them are going.
  • Hartley's inclusion is a joke,he has proved time after time he lacks the basic fundamental skills a top class hooker needs. Best must be distraught. I've always like Stevens from a personal point of view,but agree his inclusion is a bit strange to say the least.

    Farrel over Wilko is nothing more than a father's pick,and how Andy has even got the job is beyond me. Sexton offers things that the english fly halves don't but in a like for like battle,Wilko pisses all over Farrell this season and I suspect he will be flown out mid tour.

    We have a predominantly Welsh back row that got abused down under in their last series by a young Aussie team,hopefully they've learnt some lessons.

    What strikes me more than anything is how many average players are in this squad,not like the past Lions tours were its been pure class on every teamsheet
  • Plus I'd have taken a third fly-half, on paper Sexton and Farrell look like they are going to be involved in every game even sitting on the bench in the mid-week games. If one gets injured then Jonny Wilkinson will be on the next plane out - and playing fly-half is a specialist position.
  • Wales 15
    England 10
    Ireland 6
    Scotland 2

    Are Wales really as good as that ?
  • I'd imagine the day job helped Warren ;-)
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  • Wilkinson ruled himself out of the tour. He will be on standby though.

    Never thought Robshaw should go, he just isn't better than any of the back rows in the squad.

    Matt Stevens is rather left field, but he has had a very good season.
  • I live in Canberra now and I just got my tickets tonight for the game against the Brumbies. Hoping it will be a good contest what with the brumbies having such a good season this year.
  • edited April 2013
    PL54 said:

    Wales 15
    England 10
    Ireland 6
    Scotland 2

    Are Wales really as good as that ?

    Their players performed at the right time, ie annihilating England in the final round of matches, so have edged in as contenders for many positions where the first choice isn't clear cut such as the back row as mentioned by BFR and Lincs.

    EDIT: As ISawLeaburnScore says the involvement of Welsh coach Warren Gatland is a factor too!
  • PL54 said:

    Wales 15
    England 10
    Ireland 6
    Scotland 2

    Are Wales really as good as that ?

    There are nine Irish and three Scots...

    Wales have a good squad and are back-back 6N champs so you should expect them to make up the bulk of the squad and Gatland's day job is coaching them so he should know their game, hence the choice of Sam Warburton as captain as well. They also have some good players in the key positions - such as Tipuric and Lydiate, Phillips at scrum-half and Leigh Halfpenny at FB. However Welsh teams have a poor track record against Southern Hemisphere teams.

    I expect the game to be played in the loose as Australia don't have much of a srum - will Phillips be good enough to stop Genia at the scrum for example?

  • Wilkinson ruled himself out of the tour. He will be on standby though.

    Never thought Robshaw should go, he just isn't better than any of the back rows in the squad.

    Matt Stevens is rather left field, but he has had a very good season.

    Agree about Robshaw. He's a very good captain and leader but not a great backrow forward. England did well this season against a number of poor 6 nation teams. They came unstuck against Wales when they needed him to lead from the front and that just didn't happen.
  • Would someone mind sticking a link up to the fixtures please?
  • •Sat 1 June v Barbarians, Hong Kong
    •Wed 5 June v Western Force, Perth
    •Sat 8 June, Queensland Reds, Brisbane
    •Tue 11 June, Combined NSW-Queensland, Newcastle
    •Sat 15 June, NSW Waratahs, Sydney
    •Tue 18 June, ACT Brumbies, Canberra
    •Sat 22 June v Australia, Brisbane
    •Tue 25 June, v Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne
    •Sat 29 June, v Australia, Melbourne
    •Sat 6 July, v Australia, Sydney
  • Thanks mate
  • Should be a decent England team for the tour of Argentina though. A bit short in the front row but otherwise near full strength. Anybody know if those matches are on tv?
  • The last I saw of Stevens in an England shirt he gave away too many penalties for a range of basic scrummaging offences. If you want an extra prop take Sheridan as he has considerable form against Australia and can play loose or tight head.

    I'd have taken Rory Best as starting hooker - Hartley concedes too many pens and Youngs is too inexperienced.

    Robshaw - this is the selection that has me wondering...at open-side you have to run with the ball out of scrums/mauls and rucks and he made more yards and got more tackles in than any other player in the 6N (in that position). Australia are weak at the set pieces and they cope by recycling the ball quickly and attacking in the loose. Ideal for Robshaw's game.

    The centres - all worthy names, good at ball carrying etc, but not a lot of pace or passing ability there, perhaps Twelvetrees should have gone, the danger is that when the bal hits the centres it'll go no further leaving the wings isolated and operating on scraps. More so as great player though he is I've never seen Leigh Halfpenny really stepping up into the line and overlapping in the way that Ben Foden used to do for England.

    You make some very good points. The centres are not noted for flair or elegance apart of course from O'Driscoll and he is getting very torn and tattered in his old age.
    My test centres would be O'Driscoll and Davies with Sexton and Phillips at 1/2 back, Kearney at full back (though he has not been 'himself' recently thru injury), with Halfpenny and Cuthbert on the wings. But really any combination of centres and backs could do a job so long as O'Driscoll is out there.
    It is a sign of the poverty of British back play that our most creative centre is well into his 30s.
    The pack has been picked for pace and ball playing potential as much as for bulk and power, that will suit against Australia who like to play an expansive and somewhat risky game.
    I have a feeling that Hooker Youngs will prove to be a real find on this tour,( although Hibbard is probably perceived as the starter right now), as will Tuperic, Vunipola and Gray, all comparative novices.
    I am looking forward to watching (alas only on TV) some good, fast games on those hard and fast southern grounds between what are on paper, two evenly matched test sides.
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  • edited April 2013
    for all of us oval heads there is a 2 hour Lions special on 5Live from 7.30 p.m. tonight .. oh and ... Millwall/Palace on 5Livextra
  • Looks as though Gatland is going to go for a big physical side with little or subtlety - if North and Cuthbert start (as I'd expect) then the average height and weight of the backs is going to be well over 6ft and and about 12/13 stones.

    Leigh Halfpenny will start at FB - Kearney is another who's lucky to be on the tour, he had a very poor 6N but was playing behind a very poor Irish side.
  • My starting XV:

    15. Halfpenny
    14. Cuthbert or Maitland
    13. BO'D
    12. Roberts
    11. North
    10. Sexton
    9. Phillips
    1. Healy
    2. Hibbard
    3. Jones
    4. AWJ
    5. PO'C
    6. Lydiate
    7. Warburton
    8. Falatau
  • edited April 2013
    I'd like to wait and see who's fit or not, who's come through the field and who has shot his bolt after the first few games .. however my side right now would be:

    15 Kearney
    14 Halfpenny
    13 O'Driscoll
    12 Davies
    11 Cuthbert

    10 Sexton
    9 Phillips

    3 Jones A
    2 Hibbard
    1 Jenkins
    4 Parling
    5 Wyn Jones
    6 Warburton
    8 Falatau
    7 Tipuric
  • From an Irish perspective...I would love to have seen Simon Zebo make the squad. Was adding a very exciting dimension to Munster and Ireland before his injury in the 6 Nations. Think he would have benefitted from being out for a while and coming back fresh for this tour.

    Like O'Connell, who has been immense since his return from injury.

    Based on 6 Nations form, I have to say that Jamie Heaslip is lucky to be there.
  • edited May 2013
    I am sure that a fully fit Zebo would have made the touring party. On such a short tour there is no time to allow players to get over niggling injuries.
    As for Heaslip, captaincy took its toll on him. He is obviously not captain material and this cost Ireland and ultimately Kidney heavily during the six nations. On form and on his day, Heaslip is the best number 8 in Europe bar none, French and Italian candidates included
  • I agree with both points Lincs. Zebo has just started playing again, so a month or so behind O'Connell, but still with a few games to play before the tour. From some of the comments made, he can only have been a fraction away from making the squad.

    With Heaslip, we know well enough how good he is and can be, which made his performances in the 6 Nations so frustrating. Agree fully that captaincy didn't suit him. On form no argument...hopefully he finds it again soon.
  • Dylan Hartley suspended and out of the tour - in comes Rory Best, who should have been in the original squad.

  • Never understood the attraction of Hartley. He is a fat wally who can't catch the ball nor can he pass or throw into the line out. He's made his name as an 'enforcer' for Northampton, i.e. a fat bully and he has been sussed out. He should f*** off back to New Zealand where he belongs. Gatland surely only selected him for the Lions because he and Hartley are fellow sheep shaggers from the NZ back of beyond. Best by a strange quirk of fate has got the seat on the plane that should have been his by right from the outset.
  • Never understood the attraction of Hartley. He is a fat wally who can't catch the ball nor can he pass or throw into the line out. He's made his name as an 'enforcer' for Northampton, i.e. a fat bully and he has been sussed out. He should f*** off back to New Zealand where he belongs. Gatland surely only selected him for the Lions because he and Hartley are fellow sheep shaggers from the NZ back of beyond. Best by a strange quirk of fate has got the seat on the plane that should have been his by right from the outset.

    no need to be racist
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