Unlucky/lucky Players

KnowItAll

Here are some players that in my opinion are unlucky not to be included in the tour.

Johnny O'Connor - McCaw will dominate Back/Williams
Joe Worsley - great tackler
Jason White - good defensive player
Sean Lamont - had a great 6n
Ryan Jones - promising talent
Marcus Horan - Best ball carrying prop in world! Should least be on the bench


Here are some that should not be there:

Ollie Smith - Might become a good player but has proved nothing yet
Simon Easterby - Cannot see him in the test team
Neil Back - Too old. Reached his peak before world cup 2003
Charlie Hodgson - Great against Bath etc but against NZ, forget it!


This is just my opinion. I'm sure I've left people out but....

Nukem

KnowItAll wrote:

Joe Worsley - great tackler
Marcus Horan - Best ball carrying prop in world! Should least be on the bench

Simon Easterby - Cannot see him in the test team
Neil Back - Too old. Reached his peak before world cup 2003
Charlie Hodgson - Great against Bath etc but against NZ, forget it!

Think your right but your wrong in some parts. Neil Back has to be the greatest player at slowing the ball down in the forwards in the world. Gives his defense that extra second. Easterby ........tsk tsk......what is Clive thinking. Worsley is ten times the player.Hodgson is terrible with his boot but excellent with ball in hand.

Its Matt Stevens im still p*ssed over,his spec speaks for itself. Thats Marcus's place he took IMO

gjim

The only reason Jason White isn't there is cause he's injured as far as I know.

Souless

Marcus Horan isnt anything special people. I definatly wouldnt of included him in the party, heh I know some Munster fans are gonna be pissed of with me for saying that

As for the rest of the players you've mentioned. I think Lamont deserves a place, as does O'connor and so does white.I also think its a bit mad not to include stringer in the party he is better than dawson as a scrum half.

For the people you say who shouldnt of been there I think Ollie Smith deserved to stay as he is a handy adittion. If he plays thats an extra player that can kick on the field. I mean he would of been perfect last week when O'Gara was kicking terrible set pieces but was playing well out of hand. The other people you say that shouldnt be there I agree with you.

I mean you can really see what a difference having two kickers playing on your team does. It worked well for Leinster with Conteponi and Howell last Heniken cup and Celtic cup.

Anyway thats just what I think feel free to pick wholes in my arguements :P

Oh I agree that matt stevens is ****e as well

CJhaughey

Souless wrote:

I also think its a bit mad not to include stringer in the party he is better than dawson as a scrum half.

Strings would be eaten alive and the bones spat out on this tour!! I do like him for his speed of pass(sometimes) but as far as making breaks forget about it, Richie McCaw will be looking for scrumhalves and number 10's to eat.
no much as it pains me to admit it Dawson would be a better choice than strings.

KnowItAll

Souless wrote:

Marcus Horan isnt anything special people. I definatly wouldnt of included him in the party, heh I know some Munster fans are gonna be pissed of with me for saying that

As for the rest of the players you've mentioned. I think Lamont deserves a place, as does O'connor and so does white.I also think its a bit mad not to include stringer in the party he is better than dawson as a scrum half.

For the people you say who shouldnt of been there I think Ollie Smith deserved to stay as he is a handy adittion. If he plays thats an extra player that can kick on the field. I mean he would of been perfect last week when O'Gara was kicking terrible set pieces but was playing well out of hand. The other people you say that shouldnt be there I agree with you.

I mean you can really see what a difference having two kickers playing on your team does. It worked well for Leinster with Conteponi and Howell last Heniken cup and Celtic cup.

Anyway thats just what I think feel free to pick wholes in my arguements :P

Oh I agree that matt stevens is ****e as well

Horan is the best ball carrying prop in the world! Not a great scrummager I know but either are the all Blacks.

As for Stringer.. I'm a munster fan but I think he is useless! He can't kick or run! At least there is a bit more competition coming in munster for the no.9 spot.

I wouldn't have Smith there because there are so many center's on tour and I view him as being the weakest (not phyiscally).

I agree with you about Stevens and having 2 kickers on the team.

daveirl

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I still think Brennan should have been there

Souless

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

Heh I was the one who said thats Stringer is better than Dawson. Ok I suppose Ill try to justify why I think Strings is better than Dawson.

He is better at passing than Dawson for one. OK admitadly he isnt a great kicker but Dawson is hardly a maginficant kicker on that line I think they are both equally medeocre. Strings has much more heart than Dawson. Although he is a very small man even by scrumhalf standerds, he is always in the thick of it. I also think Dawson is a if we are having a bad day F**k it kind of a guy, I think he would give up on a game much quicker than Stringer would.
Dawson is obviously a better runner than stringer he is better than stringer in this aspect I admit. At the same time we have world caliber backs for running the ball if the scrumhalf passes them a decent ball Stringer is also better at scrumaging in a ruck than Dawson is.

Anyway those are the reasons why I think stringer is better than Dawson. As for the he had a bad season arguement.... I think we will all admit he hardlt had a great season but that doesnt seem to be a major credential when it comes to a Lions spot I mean look at D'arcy he barely played a game this season, D'allalgio (before he got and injury that sent him home :P) hadnt been playing international rugby at all. I mean when you look at it like this one bad season doesnt seem to stop people from being picked as a Lion.

I do however condeed that the number 9 shirt is only really a competion between Cusiter and Peel and it would still be that way if Strings was there but at least he could play mid-week games.

CJhaughey

Souless wrote:

, D'allalgio (before he got and injury that sent him home :P) hadnt been playing international rugby at all. I mean when you look at it like this one bad season doesnt seem to stop people from being picked as a Lion.

Did you happen to see Dallaglio in the ZP final against Leicester? He was immense. I think that LD was probably in the form of his career, Thats why he was picked.
International or not when you talk about the top flight teams in the HC and ZP you are talking International standard.

Daveirl, I can see Paterson coming out yet, just wait until the body count starts rising!

Knowitall, You must have missed the match against France in the Autumn, NZ destroyed the pack which was probably the strongest pack inthe 6N, I wouldn't underestimate the AB pack.

Souless

Ok ill give you that he did have an excellent game against Leicster in the Final

KnowItAll

CJhaughey wrote:

Knowitall, You must have missed the match against France in the Autumn, NZ destroyed the pack which was probably the strongest pack inthe 6N, I wouldn't underestimate the AB pack.

I agree. I still think though that it's enough to hold your own if you have other skills. Stephen Jones (the sunday times journalist) seems to think the lions will blow NZ away in the scrums. He's an idiot!

The real cause of concern for the lions will be the rucks. NZ are specialists at this. Thats why it was disappointing that Johnny O'Connor wasn't picked.