Lions XV anyone?

kopykat

Stev_o wrote: »

Hayes wouldnt last 5mins against SA

+1 the english props are on form this year,hayes has no chance

premierstone

kopykat wrote: »

+1 the english props are on form this year,hayes has no chance

Thats feckin news to me, dont tell me you heard it on Sky Sports :rolleyes:

kopykat

premierstone wrote: »

Thats feckin news to me, dont tell me you heard it on Sky Sports :rolleyes:

k,sheridan isnt his best right at the moment ,but he has been consistently good in the premiership up til now,and dont get me wrong.the english team are utterly crap at the moment,so i wouldnt be a believer of listenin to sky sports,especially after that episode of constantly clappin the highly overrated danny cipriani on the back,that child is a choker.ill give credit where it is due and sheridan deserves it.

Podge_irl

Hayes is a poor to average scrummaging prop and there are far better options then him available to the Lions. If either of our props end up being first choice we're ****ed (though I imagine neither will even travel).

Crash

IMO:

10-15, with the exception of the right wing, pretty much picks itself. Though i'd be pushing for Henson at 12 so i'm sure some of you will disagree with me:

15. Byrne
14. *
13. BOD
12. Henson
11. Williams
10. Jones

Right wing is an interesting one - you have so many suggestions here - Monye, Ojo, Armitage, Bowe, I'm really not sure who I'd put in there.

9. Blair (with Care on the bench)

Backrow, to be honest, i'm not too worried about who gets chosen. With the wealth of depth there at the moment, it'll be a strong area. I have the players I want to see there, such as Ferris at 6, but IMO its not exactly a trouble area, and i'm sure there'll be a fair bit of rotation here before the tests.

5. POC
4. AWJ

As above, picks itself. No real other options making themselves known for starting.

3.
2.
1.

I'm gonna leave off on this one til after the next round of HC games - haven't been paying enough attention to Props performance as of late for some reason.

twinytwo

Webbs wrote: »

At least now I know that you either dont watch much rugby or have very green tinted specs if you think that Patterson is a better 10.

Hook is as No10s go a decent defender, (unlike O'Gara where Ireland and Munster have to adjust their defending positions to allow for his frailities), you seem to think that all a 10 is there for is to kick goals (this isnt american football!!). If you actually look at the stats OGara averages 10pts per game and Hook around 7ish and it is rare for a Welsh 10 to play a full game for a good while now.

Henson is not a prolific try scorer but sets up a lot for others and is exemplary as a defender (never lost a 6N game starting if I remember correctly).

I assume you are just on a windup with your posts (or you really do have little appreciation for rugby) but hey couldnt resist biting

you must be joking..both ROG and BOD have gotten by him easily to score in the six nations in 2007.Where did i ever say all a fly half does is kick?... not hard really considering henson has only played(started?) 10 six nations games. I suppose you will be comparing hook to carter next:rolleyes:

barnesd

If Kearney keeps his place at 15 there's going to be serious competition between himself and Byrne for the 15 shirt. Kearney was superb last night, he has to be our 15 heading into the 6N.

Goose81

twinytwo wrote: »

Are you taking the piss or am i missing something??.

Yeah,I was being sarcastic.The other poster claimed Bod was overrated.

Webbs

twinytwo wrote: »

you must be joking..both ROG and BOD have gotten by him easily to score in the six nations in 2007.Where did i ever say all a fly half does is kick?... not hard really considering henson has only played(started?) 10 six nations games. I suppose you will be comparing hook to carter next:rolleyes:

Hook is a long way off Carters all round abilities. What he is is a game breaker now that usually brings with it some risks, ones I would be willing to take to have the positives he brings to a team. At the moment he is a great option to bring on for wales if they need a change of emphasis from the reliable Jones (wouldnt Ireland want something similar if O'Gara is having a poor game)

As to your comments on his defendingHook wasnt even involved in the BOD try (Morgan with a weak tackle and Hook coming in after the ball had been grounded!) as for the ROG try he was 3yards from the try line and just reached out to score he didnt break the Hook tackle just had enough momentum to take him the inches he needed. If those are your only examples of Hooks poor defending then I will point you to the last NZ Ireland game to show how not to defend as a No 10
As I said from the comments you have made that you watch with green tinted glasses

RugbyFanatic

Just an update

Full back

Pack your bags
Lee Byrne
Geordan Murphy

Standby tickets
Ben Foden
Mike Brown

Keep June free
Delon Armitage
Keith Earls

Notes: Little movement here this week, the two best performances in a number fifteen jersey came from trade wingers Rob Kearney and LeighHalfpenny. Even more bizarrely, the best performance from a full-back came in the centres, so Keith Earls climbs back into the reckoning.

Wings

Pack your bags

Leigh Halfpenny
Rob Kearney
Chris Paterson

Standby tickets

Shane Horgan - :eek:
Simon Webster
Mark Cueto

Keep June free

Mark Jones
Shane Williams
Paul Sackey


Notes: Leigh Halfpenny stays top of the pile, can he sustain his peak through the Six Nations and then a June tour? Paul Sackey re-emerges from the shadows after a sterling display for Wasps, and Rob Kearney is back on the plane following his excellence at full-back against Sackey and co. How about Josh Lewsey's display as well!

Centres

Pack your bags
Tommy Bowe
Brian O'Driscoll
Luke Fitzgerald

Standby tickets

Gavin Henson
Tom Shanklin
Ben Cairns

Keep June free

Graeme Morrison
Jamie Roberts
Nick de Luca




Notes: We've had a lot of mail pointing out Tommy Bowe is a winger by trade, but we're still defending this selection on the basis of his value in the middle and out wide - only the Six Nations will change that for now. Meanwhile, Brian O'Driscoll's display for Leinster makes it a 1-2-3 for Ireland in the middle, with two Welsh and a Scot behind - Ben Cairns is another mover. Graeme Morrison and Jamie Roberts are both coming up behind, and there's not an Englishman in sight!

Fly-half

Pack your bags

Stephen Jones
Toby Flood

Standby tickets

Ronan O'Gara
James Hook

Keep June free

Dan Parks
Ian Humphreys


Notes: Plenty of movement here. Stephen Jones appears to be hitting his straps at about the right time, he is now ahead of James Hook both in terms of Wales and the Lions. Toby Flood showed what he could do against limited opposition but sterner tests await. Ronan O'Gara is getting back to his best with the hand if not the boot as well, while Danny Cipriani continues to be woefully inconsistent. Dan Parks was excellent against Toulouse and so usurps England's darling for now.

Scrum-half

Pack your bags

Mike Blair
Mike Phillips

Standby tickets

Danny Care
Gareth Cooper

Keep June free

Tomas O'Leary
Dwayne Peel


Notes: The first crack in the Care-Blair stronghold for some time, and Mike Phillips jumps straight in there. It seems only logical to have Gareth Cooper leapfrog Dwayne Peel after Monday's news, but Cooper was on good form for Gloucester on Sunday (Peel also was for Sale, but his choice of club has not been a good one), while Tomas O'Leary deposes countryman Eoin Reddan from the maybes.

Number eight

Pack your bags

Andy Powell
Ally Hogg

Standby tickets

Nick Easter
Jamie Heaslip

Keep June free

Ryan Jones
Kelly Brown


Notes: Nick Easter drops out after an off-day in Ulster was compounded by a real on day for Ally Hogg. Glasgow's Kelly Brown deposes team-mate Johnnie Beattie from the mix following fine work in Toulouse.

Openside

Pack your bags

David Wallace
John Barclay

Standby tickets

Martyn Wililams
Lewis Moody

Keep June free

Michael Lipman
Alastair Strokosch


Notes: Lots of movement here, with John Barclay heading for a squad spot and Martyn Williams pushing hard. David Wallace's display for Munster makes him untouchable though. Alastair Strokosch was good value for his place on the list, on another day he might have risen a place.

Blindside

Pack your bags

Alan Quinlan
Stephen Ferris

Standby tickets

Tom Croft
James Haskell

Keep June free

Joe Worsley
Colin Charvis


Notes: Another Irish-dominated position at present, with Alan Quinlan and Stephen Ferris head-to-head for this spot. Behind them, Joe Worsley and James Haskell continue to shine as Wasps re-emerge as a force.

Second row

Pack your bags

Paul O'Connell
Nathan Hines
Alun Wyn Jones

Standby tickets

Steve Borthwick
Donncha O'Callaghan
Alastair Kellock

Keep June free

Jim Hamilton
Nick Kennedy
Ian Gough


Notes: Paul O'Connell and Alun Wyn Jones were once again the pick of the performers from this weekend, with Alastair Kellock also in the running for the other spot.

Tighthead

Pack your bags

Phil Vickery
Euan Murray

Standby tickets

John Hayes
Matt Stevens

Keep June free

Adam Jones
Rhys Thomas


Notes: Advantage Vickery in the battle between the English pair, while Adam Jones only does not move up by virtue of John Hayes' strength. The Dragons' Rhys Thomas once again proved his worth against Bath. Glasgow's Moray Low is emerging as a contender here.

Hooker

Pack your bags

Lee Mears
Ross Ford

Standby tickets

Richard Hibbard
Rory Best

Keep June free

Dylan Hartley
Jerry Flannery


Notes: Rory Best bumps down Dylan Hartley in the only change to this week's squad here, but he now has a shot at Lee Mears who is looking a touch out of sorts.

Loosehead


Pack your bags

Marcus Horan
Gethin Jenkins

Standby tickets

Andrew Sheridan
Allan Jacobsen

Keep June free

Tim Payne
Tom Court


Notes: Marcus Horahn is back on the plane, with Allan Jacobsen making way, while Ulster's Tom Court drifts onto the periphery.

---

Good week for Irish players it would seem

It'll be quite the turnaround for Matt Stevens if he can get a Lions spot. Really lends credence to the article

RugbyFanatic

think it was done before the Steven's inciddent.

mcgratheoin

Front Row: Wide open due to no real outstanding performances of late and due to my complete lack of experience of this area
Vickery may sneak in due to Wasps connection. Lions will be looking for parity in the scrum, nothing else. Hooker all depends on 6N - a solid tournament from touch with a little bit more around the park will swing it. I suspect whoever gets the Irish spot for 6N may shade it. Loosehead is probably Jenkins at the moment.

Second Row: O'Connell & Wyn-Jones - seems fairly popular choice.

Back Row: Wallace is the form player at the moment and will be accommodated - where McGeechan picks him is open to dispute.
I would go for Wallace, Ferris and Williams, although it depends on Williams' form in the 6N - if he has an excellent tournament, Wallace will be at 8, if not Wallace will be 7 and Powell or whoever is the form player on the tournament may be 8.

Scrum Half: Blair

Outhalf: O'Gara. Cipriani won't get near the test team and the two Welsh lads may suffer from competition between each other for Wales.

Inside Centre: Another wide open position. Henson can nail it down with a good 6N.

Outside centre: BOD

Wings: Shane Williams is the first name on the teamsheet. After his performances against SA for Wales, they will not relish facing him again. Other spot is open for someone to put their hand up. I'm going to go for Kearney (see full-back argument).

Full Back: Similar to the no. 7 slot here. If Lee Byrne has a bad 6N or gets injured again, then it'll be Kearney (provided he keeps at FB for Ireland and Leinster), but if Byrne plays well then I think Kearney will be shifted onto the wing.

Summary

1. Jenkins
2. Flannery/Best (whoever plays in 6N)
3. Vickery
4. Wyn Jones
5. O'Connell
6. Ferris
7. M. Williams
8. Wallace
9. Blair
10. O'Gara
11. S. Williams
12. Henson
13. O'Driscoll
14. Kearney
15. Byrne