Lions Team based on this year 6N

flsghujslkuo

If we want the lions to actually win, then with all due respect to the other nations, the team has to have an Irish spine:

1. Horan
2. Flannery
3. Hayes/Vickery
4. DOC
5. POC
6. Best
7. Wallace
8. Leamy
9. Peel
10. O'Gara
11. Williams
12. Darcy
13. BOD
14. Horgan
15. Morgan

My Reasons.

Primarily, This team is essentially Irish, a team who have played together a lot and as such will actually perform as a team and not as a team of individuals and with a few key additions will make the team the best performing unit as apposed to picking a team that is "too mixed" from the nations.

Secondly, you may be looking at the forwards and be saying what is this guy on, recall the Leicester game against Munster, well I do, in that game the new scrum law has only just been introduced and the Leicester team had adapted much faster, but since the such as of Horan have adapted and is obviously reveling in the scrum and is a much better option in the lose than the more immobile counterparts.

Wallace: the best 7 (albeit no classical 7) in the 6 Nations. (why are wales the only team in the world who live in the dark ages picking a classic 7.) Wallace is thriving because D'Arcy and O Driscoll do all the groundhog work and make a classic 7 redundant and are just class together.

Leamy: just look at him unbiased and you see.
Peel. Class
ROG. Getting better and better (and bigger
Williams. twinkle toes!
Horgan. brilliant!
Morgan.

daveirl

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zAbbo

Is this a pisstake ?

6nations isn't over, Williams while a good stepper, has played 1 game, and as we saw last Lions tour is nowhere near good enough.

So much else wrong with this thread, not worth commenting, maybe dig it up in a few weeks.

flsghujslkuo

What the hell are you talking about.

Flannery is better than Best.


"Neil Best based on 30 minutes rugby. Outrageous."

Ehh... he played last friday for Ulster. Just because eddie doesn't like him he is not getting his "international" game.

Did you see the Leicester Munster game; munster's SCRUM was destroyed annihilated, smashed, crushed, mauled or what ever you want to call it.
This is the area I was talking about. Leicester scored their try off a turned scrum.

McCaw is the super flanker, he can do everything. What about the rest of the world????????????????????????????????????

Amz

flsghujslkuo wrote:

What the hell are you talking about.

Flannery is better than Best.

On top form yeah, maybe, but the title of your thread says "based on this years 6N". Flannery is not on top form in this 6N.

"Neil Best based on 30 minutes rugby. Outrageous."

Ehh... he played last friday for Ulster. Just because eddie doesn't like him he is not getting his "international" game.

Again, that's not relevant because your thread title is "Lions team based on this years 6N

Everything else has been said already.

daveirl

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flsghujslkuo

"Yes I was at it, my point is that Leicester would still have a good shot at beating us. Nothing has changed, Castrogivanni will probably still bother Horan on March 17th."

Yeah castrogiavanni would bother Horan, but there are few that he wouldn't.
my point was misconstrued i.e. Since then the new scrummaging law has been grasped, understood and has been trained on a lot since then and as a result Horan has improved his grasp of the new law and since, looks more comfortable in the scrum.


My PRIMARY point has again been misconstrued by ambiguity, entirely my fault. So let me quote the first line of the original post again ehh hem "If we want the lions to actually win, then with all due respect to the other nations, the team has to have an Irish spine". I know that is terribly difficult to grasp, so let's try together. The lions team should be ca. 80% Irish, let me do my maths oh wait that's what I said.

If we don't pick the form "unit" then we may as well be the barbarian team. Let's use the best team, IRELAND, as the spine and add a few players. while the selected team above is NOT based on the 6N is based entirely on the fact that Ireland have the best team of the "lions nations". If you don't get my points this time, there is absolutely nothing I can do.

daveirl

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maxi-twist

I agree totally with daveIRL,if you want a classic no.7 look no further than wales' martin williams,altho id definately still pick walllace assumingg BOD and Darcy were in the team.

Judging by this years 6N u could hardly pick flannery,an impact sub yes,but in his present condition couldnt last a whole match.It'd be hard to replace tho as no hooker has really excelled through this years 6N unless u include ibanez, who of course can be included in the lions, and his lineouts are weak.

6 , best no chance, doesnt even start for ireland.Id definately put easterby ahead here.He had a phenomenal display against england.Another contender would be alix popham who's having a pretty good 6N.

11, shane williams was killed in the lions.And this 6N he has played one match,hardly excelling in it.Hickie would perform better id say.

15,defo have josh lewsey at full back,hasnt been playing there but gave england some pretty good attacking options and is immense in defence.

Webbs

flsghujslkuo wrote:

1. Horan
2. Flannery
3. Hayes/Vickery
4. DOC
5. POC
6. Best
7. Wallace
8. Leamy
9. Peel
10. O'Gara
11. Williams
12. Darcy
13. BOD
14. Horgan
15. Morgan

Your front row would get a really hard time in SA, Flannery has significantly affected the Irish scrum when he has come on, Best is a much better scrummager has been good at lineout time and I thought was pretty handy in loose against england. He has seriously impressed me this year.
I would have chuter as back up for similar reasons, if anything he is better around the park.
I would also have combination of White/Jenkins

I may have someone like Grewcock instead of DOC and this is only to try and compete with the grunt of someone like Matfield, this is really too close to call

I think the back row is really a tough call. For me if Scotland played Simon Taylor at No8 the choice between him and Leamy would again be toss a coin time.

Think Easterby has been best 6 (Popham is an 8 and despite showing up ok, you need an experienced 6), N Best is not even in top 4 in the 6 nations.

Agree with most other posts Williams is not a starter if the game is broken and loose bring him on but not as a starter. I would put M Jones here, his defence has been excellent and is v quick.

Lewsey is I think just ahead of Patterson as full back (Morgan cant kick so rules him out). both players are solid in defence and offer great lines in attack.

So yes Ireland would have a decent spine in the team but you really are being one eyed in a lot of your choices

Webbs

Oh and meant to say that I am huge huge fan of Wallace, but I honestly think if Ireland had Williams in the team they would be a more incisive team.
Ireland have good ball carriers, but to have someone with the linking skills of Williams would get the Irish back line moving even quicker.
The reason Wales are in the 'dark ages' is because they have someone of the skills of Williams, there is a real shortage of players with that level of skill around , classic No7s enable defences to be broken down far more often that a big rumbling No7

Chucky the tree

I wouldnt let Grewcock near any international team let alone the lions. His disicpline is terrible. Constantly gets himself binned and gives away stupid penalties. There's much better 2nd rows in england.

Webbs

Chucky the tree wrote:

I wouldnt let Grewcock near any international team let alone the lions. His disicpline is terrible. Constantly gets himself binned and gives away stupid penalties. There's much better 2nd rows in england.

With hindsight your right there, I was trying to think of a big abrasive 2nd row to go with POC

Also a vid from the time when Lions rugby was fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AadIGJMkEFE