Suggest Five Players from Each of Other Home Nations that you think should be in the Lions Squad

Pretty Simple...

Suggest Five Players from Each of Other Home Nations that you think should be in the Lions Squad. Do not suggest any from your own nation.

Lets see who you respect and admire from the opposition that you would like to see playing for us, the Lions, next summer.

Do they have to be uncapped or anything? Or do we pick whoever we want?

Anyone you want capped or uncapped but not of your home nation.

So much Lions stuff! Ok...

Ireland- Rob Kearney- has to at least tour as he is class and the best player under the high ball that I have seen
Tommy Bowe- so dangerous and even out of form he made ad scored tries for fun in the 6N.
Stephen Ferris- one of the best 6s around, his physicality will add a lot to the back row
Jonathan Sexton- good all round FH and very confident at international level
Rory Best- my number 1 choice for Hooker with a top game in the set piece and the loose

Scotland
Mike Blair- when given the chance, a fantastic SH capable of playing an attacking or controlling game
Ross Rennie- a great if flawed 7 who is a great link man and had a top 6 N
Ritchie Gray - one of the best locks in the world. End of.
Jim Hamilton- Gray's partner and a real lump and underrated player
Dave Denton- good rollicking prospect covering 6 and 8 who suits a dynamic gameplan

Wales
Leigh Halfpenny- despite what anyone may say, a fantastic natural FB but also a classy finisher on the wing, brave in defence, great boot especially at goal, and a veritable attacking talent. One of my favourite players.
JD2- looks the real deal at 12 and 13 and is the cutting dagger to Roberts' hammer.
Sam Warburton- good captain and great 7 and fantastic player. Needed to pressurise Poccock.
Adam Jones- wonderful scrummager with Lions experience and full of determination
Ryan Jones- leader, can cover 4-8 to a decent standard and can act (with BOD if he's still around) to inspire the youngsters

Well 5 players from each home nation excluding Ireland, in a team format, would be:

Jenkins - Hartley - Jones
Lawes - Gray
Denton - Morgan - Rennie
Blair - Farrell
Davies - Tuilagi
North - Hogg - Cuthbert

Not sure if that is the way you intend the players to be chosen, but that made it a bit more challenging.

Wales:

George North
Jamie Roberts
Adam Jones
Sam Warburton
Mike Phillips

Scotland

Gray
Denton
Rennie
Ford
Hogg

England

Cole
Tuilagi
Foden
Farrell
Croft

If you want it in a team I could pick Jenkins in place of Ryan Jones, Hogg instead of Rennie (though i'm loath to drop him) and put Bowe at 13 in this team:

Kearney
Halfpenny
Bowe (or BOD)
JD2
Hogg
Sexton
Blair

Jones
Best
Jenkins
Gray
Hamilton
Ferris
Warburton
Denton

Jenkins
Ford
Cole
Gray
Parling
Wood
Warburton
Denton
Blair
Priestland
North
Davies
Tulagi
Visser (does he count?? If not Hogg to 15 and Sharples to 14)
Foden

Dan Cole
Geoff Parling
Ben Morgan
Ben Youngs
Toby Flood

Cain Heeley
POC
Ferris
Sexton
Kearney

Gray
Rennie
Denton
Laidlaw
Hogg

E:

Croft
Parling
Morgan
Youngs
Farrell

I:

Healy
O'Brien
Ferris
Sexton
Kearney

W:

JD2
Warbuton
Lydiate
North
Roberts

So I can pick 5 from all 4 cause I ain't from the home nations.

Wales.
Halfpenny
North
Roberts
J Davies
Phillips

Scotland
Rennie
Denton
Gray
Ford
Hogg

Ireland
Cian Healy
Rory Best
Paul O'Connol
Rob Kearney
Earles

England
Croft
Morgan
Farrel
Cole
Tuilangi

E
Farrell
Cole
Croft
Hartley
Corbisero

I
O'Connel
Best
Kearney
Bowe
Sexton

S
Denton
Rennie
Gray
Hogg
Visser

E
Cole
Corbisero
Foden
Morgan
Youngs

W
Jenkins
A Jones
Warburton
Davies
North

I
Best
Ferris
SOB
Sexton
Kearney

biltongbek wrote:So I can pick 5 from all 4 cause I ain't from the home nations.

Always interesting to read the musings of our favourite exception...! Cheers

Ireland:
Sexton
Kearny
Ferris
Healy
O'Connoll

England:
Farrell
Morgan
Tuilagi
Cole
Foden

Scotland:
Hogg
Gray
Ford
Denton
Rennie

Scotland
Richie Gray
E Murray
Ross Rennie
David Denton
Joe Ansbro

England
Robshaw
Parling
Cole
Corbisero
Foden

Ireland
Rory Best
Stephen Ferris
Kearney
Bowe
Sexton

Wales
Adam Jones
Mike Phillips
Halfpenny
George North
Alex cuthbert

A lot of calls for Farrell, even as an Englishman I don't think he's good enough.

Team for Lions with 5 from each minus England.

Jenkins, Best, Jones
POC, Gray
Brown, Faletau, Rennie
Blair, Sexton
Davies, BOD
North, Hogg, Bowe

Isn't that because you prefer Flood at 10 though?

No I'd equally take Hodgson or Burns. I prefer a 10 that can pass and create something for the backline rather than stand deep and pass slow. We had enough of that with Wilko, at least he could kick drop goals, occasionally cross fields and chips. Farrell needs to stand flatter and develop some flair to his passing. At the moment his three options are 1) kick long, 2) kick high and chase and 3) pass to 12.

Is that attacking game a good idea against the Wallabies who will have the likes O'Connor, Beale, Turner, Rod Davies and Ioane waiting to run the ball back? The predictable backline play will make life easy for the Aussie backrow as well.

Jenkins
Ford
Jones
Grey
POC
Ferris
Warburton
Denton

Phillips
Priestland
Visser
McFadden
BOD
Bowe
Hogg

England

1) Ben Morgan
2) Manu Tuilagi
3) Ben Foden
4) Dan Cole
5) Tom Croft

Ireland

1) Rob Kearney
2) Sean O'Brien
3) Stephen Ferris
4) Rory Best
5) Brian O'Driscoll

Scotland

1) Richie Gray
2) Dave Denton
3) Ross Rennie
4) Mike Blair
5) Stuart Hogg

Ireland Ferris, Best, POC, Kearney, Sexton
Wales Warbarton, Lydiate, Halpenny, North, Davies
Scotland Blair, Denton, Grey, Ford, Rennie

Hard to choose for Ireland as would want SOB and Bowe in the squad as well. Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins would be my next picks for Wales and found it hard to select 5 certainties for Scotland. Would only take Ford if his throwing was acceptable and although I rate Rennie and would take him he would be second choice for the test side openside shirt behind Warbarton by some distance.

I know that everyone will disagree with me about players only playing in their specialist positions but I would currently select a backrow of Warbarton at 7, Lydiate at 6 and Ferris at 8. I know Ferris doesn't play there for club or country but I wouldn't want to leave either him or Lydiate out and think Ferris has all the attributes of an 8 anyway. Would then have SOB on the bench as the ideal impact sub who can also cover all 3 positions to international standard.

England

Manu
Dan Cole
Ben Morgan
Foden
Shaw

Ireland

Kearney
Healy
Best
BOD
Ferris

Scotland

Gray
Visser (provided he counts)
Denton
Rennie
Hogg

Ireland
Tommy Bowe
Stephen Ferris
Jonathan Sexton
Brian O'Driscoll
Cian Healy

England
Dan Cole
Manu Tuilagi
Ben Morgan
Tom Croft
Owen Farrell

Scotland
Ritchie Gray
David Denton
Stuart Hogg
Ross Rennie
Ross Ford

Its strange that I can easily pick 5 wooden spoon holders who are Lions standard, but picking 5 of the second place team is quite difficult - few englishmen stood out over their Welsh/Scottish/Irish counterparts.

Perfect example is Foden, he is good, but his defence (and form) is poor and thus he doesn't compare to Halfpenny, Hogg or Kearney for the 15 shirt.

Also, anyone know if Hogg will be playing more at 13 after last week?

Would be a dark horse for a Lions starting shirt if he learns to play there (may also be the answer to all Scotlands prayers)

12. JD2
13. Hogg

Could be electric.

I have a feeling Hogg plays better with more space, which he would get at 15. More chances to counter attack. Although he was impressive there against Munster, three tries is an amazing achievement.

Foden's defence is poor? Really? Form, certainly arguably poor, and I'd start 1/2p or Kearney over him (just, but not Hogg, he has a lot more to prove first) but his defence? He made a mistake against ITaly but that was nothing to do with his defence he was just unlucky

Would you like to validate your comment? In opposition to it, I'd like to use the evidence of his man-on-man try saving tackles against Rennie and Scott Williams this 6N

Wales - Warburton, North, Davies, Jenkins, Lydiate
Scotland - Rennie, Hogg, Denton, Gray, Blair
Ireland - Ferris, Bowe, Sexton, O'Connell, Kearney

Honourable mentions:
Wales - Phillips, Roberts, Halfpenny
Scotland - Hamilton
Ireland - Best, O'Brien

Forgot about Farrell, could possibly have him in over Croft.

Foden's defence is poor? Really? Form, certainly arguably poor, and I'd start 1/2p or Kearney over him (just, but not Hogg, he has a lot more to prove first) but his defence? He made a mistake against ITaly but that was nothing to do with his defence he was just unlucky

Would you like to validate your comment? In opposition to it, I'd like to use the evidence of his man-on-man try saving tackles against Rennie and Scott Williams this 6N

He can't have meant defence (wasn't there a try saver on Denton as well?), he must have meant kicking. Never been a problem with Foden's defence though his kicking can be a bit ropey at times if he's not going for the standard up and under, but that's not a major weakness unless you are asking him to play a tactical kicking game. I think his confidence took a knock under this new England regime which really didn't suit him for large parts of the 6N, he's a running full back who likes to explode into the line and counter attack from deep. The tactics in the 6N were to kick for territory and er... kick for territory (zero tries for backs from phase play if I remember rightly).

Didn't Tuilagi score from phase play against France?

ChequeredJersey wrote:Didn't Tuilagi score from phase play against France?

Unless you can define the difference between open play and first phase, possession changed three times between the french chip kick that Foden knocks on, Dausitoir collects and then England bizarrely are not called up on their blatant knock on?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKi7qqse4c&feature=related

Sorry couldn't remember the exact circumstances of the try, my question was a question rather than a challenge

Yes I know. Wasn't until I watched it again I saw what happened.

Broken play best describes the referees interpretation I guess.

Ireland: Mike Ross, Rory Best, Stephen Ferris, O'Brien, Kearney.

Scotland: Ross Ford, Richie Gray, Dave Denton, Ross Rennie, Greg Laidlaw.

England: Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Ben Morgan, ManuSamoa Tuilagi, Owen Farrell.

Astonishing to think some people on here think Jim Hamilton , Ross Ford and, gulp, His Holiness Euan Murray may make the Lions party from Scotland

Not a great number of good hookers available Schizoid. England can't even provide just the one for their own team. I don't Ford is a bad player at all, his form did dip towards the end of the 6 Nations but it would be difficult to lead a team heading straight down towards a wooden object.

I think it is clear that the best players from each country are back rowers. That is where the most depth is, and where we can compete with most teams in the world. So far Denton, Rennie, Morgan, Croft, Wood, Ferris, O'Brien, Warburton, Lydiate have all been mentioned.. some crazy talent is going to be missed out. And some have still not even been mentioned. Faletau has no votes yet remarkably. Maybe this suggests the welsh rate him more than others do.

Ok my friend except that - but Hamilton and Murray - not a chance !

I rate Hamilton, I think he works well with Gray