Current B&I Lions 22

A bog standard topic from the old 606, but I always found it interesting and it means I get to imagine that some of the particularly talented players from other countries are on my side for a bit. Not going to select dogmatically on current form but on my general idea of players' ability at the moment.

1. Healey
2. Thompson
3. Cole
4. Lawes
5. AWJ
6. O'Brien
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

9. ???
10. Hook
11. Bowe
12. Roberts
13. Tuilagi (slightly sticking my neck out here on a player who only has one cap and has a huge game tomorrow, but he could be really special)
14. Ashton
15. Foden

16. Rees
17. ???
18. Gray
19. Ferris
20. ???
21. Wilkinson
22. North

Now, I am aware there may be a couple too many English guys in there (but only in our real areas of strength IMO), and it I haven't found room for a Scot in the starting lineup, but what does everyone think of this? Really stuck for a scrum-half who stands out at the moment, and for who the best prop option from the bench would be (could Healey move across to TH?) so suggestions welcome there. Particularly happy with the Irish and Welsh back row which I would not want to see come up against a side I was supporting any time soon.

Adam Jones world class and if we are talking current form George North should be starting.

Cymroglan wrote:Adam Jones world class and if we are talking current form George North should be starting.

I did specifically say that I wasn't just talking current form.

Ability at the moment means current form to me.

tomathy wrote:A bog standard topic from the old 606, but I always found it interesting and it means I get to imagine that some of the particularly talented players from other countries are on my side for a bit. Not going to select dogmatically on current form but on my general idea of players' ability at the moment.

1. Healey
2. Thompson
3. Cole
4. Lawes
5. AWJ
6. O'Brien
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

9. ???
10. Hook
11. Bowe
12. Roberts
13. Tuilagi (slightly sticking my neck out here on a player who only has one cap and has a huge game tomorrow, but he could be really special)
14. Ashton
15. Foden

16. Rees
17. ???
18. Gray
19. Ferris
20. ???
21. Wilkinson
22. North

Now, I am aware there may be a couple too many English guys in there (but only in our real areas of strength IMO), and it I haven't found room for a Scot in the starting lineup, but what does everyone think of this? Really stuck for a scrum-half who stands out at the moment, and for who the best prop option from the bench would be (could Healey move across to TH?) so suggestions welcome there. Particularly happy with the Irish and Welsh back row which I would not want to see come up against a side I was supporting any time soon.

If you can't decide on a scrum half you might as well put one of the Scottish scrum halfs in there. They've all had there good games.

1. Healy
2. Scottish one
3. A Jones
4. Lawes
5. Kellock
6. O'Brien
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

9. Blair
10. Hook
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Scottish bloke
14. Trimble
15. Foden

16. Rees
17. Cole
18. Gray
19. Ferris
20. Tuilagi
21. Wilkinson
22. Ashton

Pot Hale wrote:1. Healy
2. Scottish one
3. A Jones
4. Lawes
5. Kellock
6. O'Brien
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

9. Blair
10. Hook
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Scottish bloke
14. Trimble
15. Foden

16. Rees
17. Cole
18. Gray
19. Ferris
20. Tuilagi
21. Wilkinson
22. Ashton

Four Scotsman! don't be silly.

Cymroglan wrote:Ability at the moment means current form to me.

By that I meant 'at the moment who do I think the best players are'. Realise the wording of that is unclear, but if I had meant current form then I wouldn't have said that I didn't mean current form.

Ashton hasn't had a game yet this summer so you can't really say North is in better form than him anyway.

Jones was arguably the best TH in the world at the time of the Lions tour but has had a really bad run with injuries and Cole has been arguably England's best player for a year now.

Jaysus wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:1. Healy
2. Scottish one
3. A Jones
4. Lawes
5. Kellock
6. O'Brien
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

9. Blair
10. Hook
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Scottish bloke
14. Trimble
15. Foden

16. Rees
17. Cole
18. Gray
19. Ferris
20. Tuilagi
21. Wilkinson
22. Ashton

Four Scotsman! don't be silly.

It's Scotsmen. Watch your spelling please.

Pot Hale wrote:

Jaysus wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:1. Healy
2. Scottish one
3. A Jones
4. Lawes
5. Kellock
6. O'Brien
7. Warburton
8. Heaslip

9. Blair
10. Hook
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Scottish bloke
14. Trimble
15. Foden

16. Rees
17. Cole
18. Gray
19. Ferris
20. Tuilagi
21. Wilkinson
22. Ashton

Four Scotsman! don't be silly.

It's Scotsmen. Watch your spelling please.

Sorry. I'll blame that on the beer.

Cannot for the life of me understand this topic at this time.A couple of weeks prior to the WC where each contry should be focussed on their individual performance.
This is either a wind up or a youngster or both.

Pot Hale - a Scottish hooker?? You must be joking. Our hookers are shocking these days and just about as bad as the Welsh ones.
The two big changes I would make to the OP would be to have Adam Jones and Richie Gray in. Come to think of it, I would also have put Bradley Davis above AWJ.
As the standard of SH play in the NH is pretty patchy just now, we will just do without one and muddle through as best as we can and let whoever is at the back of a ruck, fanny about for a while and then chuck some unguided missile roughly near the stand off. A bit like having Mike Phillips playing then isn't it?

1. Cian Healy
2. Matthew Rees
3. Adam Jones
4. Courtney Lawes
5. Paul O'Connell
6. Shaun O'Brien
7. Sam Warburton
8. Jamie Heaslip
9. Eoin Reddan
10. James Hook
11. George North
12. Jamie Roberts
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Chris Ashton
15. Ben Foden

16. Dylan Hartley
17. Gethin Jenkins
18. Andrew Gray
19. John Barclay
20. Mike Phillips
21. Jonny Sexton
22. Chris Paterson

1- Gethin Jenkins.
2- Mathew Rees.
3- Adam Jones.
4- Richie Gray.
5- AWJ.
6- O'Brien.
7- Warburton.
8- Heaslip.

9- Youngs.
10- Hook.
11- North.
12- Roberts.
13- BOD.
14- Bowe.
15- Foden.

I know it's got a welsh tinge to it, but the front row is obviously the one that did fantastically as a unit in 2009, and that's also the reason I've gone for BOD/Roberts. Chose Youngs simply because it would've been too biased to go for Tavis Knoyle (Though i do think Youngs is over rated and bottles big games, he's probably the best 9 in the Isles atm).

Based on current form, there could be an argument for most positions, although, I doubt anyone could argue that currently the best B&I Lions backrow would be,

6. SOB
7. Sam Warburton
8. Jamie Heaslip

Lawes and O'Connell - no chance. Rather have any combination of Gray, Kellock and Hines. Reckon Cusiter might get a go at SH too.

wales606 wrote:Based on current form, there could be an argument for most positions, although, I doubt anyone could argue that currently the best B&I Lions backrow would be,

6. SOB
7. Sam Warburton
8. Jamie Heaslip

Wait till you see Ferris tommorow. O'Brien has been exceptional, but lets not forget that Ferris was injured when O'Brien became Irelands 6 and that Ferris as first choice for the Lions before he was injured.

Artful_Dodger wrote:

wales606 wrote:Based on current form, there could be an argument for most positions, although, I doubt anyone could argue that currently the best B&I Lions backrow would be,

6. SOB
7. Sam Warburton
8. Jamie Heaslip

Wait till you see Ferris tommorow. O'Brien has been exceptional, but lets not forget that Ferris was injured when O'Brien became Irelands 6 and that Ferris as first choice for the Lions before he was injured.

True, but SOB has been awesome, if Ferris recovers he would probably be the 2nd best 6 in the NH...Ireland have an awesome backrow (although they could used a new proper 7)

https://twitter.com/Gav_TheBachelor

Tualagi? Say wha now?

01 Cian Healy
02 Dylan Hartley
03 Adam Jones
04 Paul O'Connell
05 Alun Wyn-Jones
06 Sean O'Brien
07 Sam Warburton
08 Jamie Heaslip

09 Mike Phillips
10 James Hook

11 Andrew Trimble
12 Jamie Roberts
13 Brian O'Driscoll
14 George North
15 Ben Foden

100% based on last few games form. Also apologies to the Scots, haven't seen your games - so not sure there really...

Taffineastbourne wrote:Cannot for the life of me understand this topic at this time.A couple of weeks prior to the WC where each contry should be focussed on their individual performance.

luckily, not being a member of the england coaching staff, what aspect of rugby I focus on has very little impact. It's just a discussion forum for chrissake, and I've always enjoyed discussions of what the current lions XV would be.

Taffineastbourne wrote:
This is either a wind up or a youngster or both.

Whilst I realise Tuilagi is a wildcard in there I can't see how this in any way looks like a wind up. Think I've been pretty fair in my selections in general.

I'm 21. Don't know whether that fits your definition of 'youngster'.

Tuilagi over ODriscol is a joke not a wildcard. He had one cap where he was described by the media as average but took his try well. He has a lot to prove to England first let alone anyone else. Remember England lack any recognised talent at center.


Team

Jacobson
Rees
Jones
Jones
O'Connell
O'Brien
Warburton
Heaslip
Reddan
Wilkinson
North
Roberts
O'Driscoll
Bowe
Hook

My word, if it was that team ^, I'd support the bleedin' Aussies

maestegmafia wrote:Tuilagi over ODriscol is a joke not a wildcard. He had one cap where he was described by the media as average but took his try well. He has a lot to prove to England first let alone anyone else. Remember England lack any recognised talent at center.

fair enough I suppose, although I would say that that is what a wildcard choice is - one where there is a recognised player ahead in the pecking order but you just have a feeling that the player you choose is going to do something special.

I'm not trying to claim that Tuilagi is proven or established, or I wouldn't have commented on how I knew that it was an odd decision in the original article. I just have a feeling that he is going to be really good.

At the end of the day I am as aware as any of how bad our midfield has been since Greenwood retired. At least let me dream

EDIT: on your team, I think Hook would be completely wasted at full back. He's a really good fly half and Foden is a really good full back. I'd leave them there.