An Australian's neutral pick of the Lions

First topic message reminder :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/picturegalleries/9722323/British-Lions-XV-Mick-Cleary-picks-his-team.html?frame=2418086

Mick Cleary goes for 10 English, 3 Irish, 1 Scottish and 1 Welsh.

Can't really argue with any of it, although a strong 6N for Foden/Goode/Brown and Flood could see the England number rise to 12 or 13, although it's a given that this would never be allowed.

This raises another interesting point, is it right that the best Lions team should be compromised to uphold the spirit of its concept?

Bit of a joke team really, one win against NZ and suddenly we're world beaters???

Barritt will be nowhere near a Lions jersey, similar with Gilroy. Heaslip is also imo the worst of all the home nations 8's.

Come the end of the 6N's they'll be a complete shift, this Lions talk is pointless until then.

I don't know about heaslip in my Irish 6 nations team he would lose out to SOB at 8 if everyone is fit and well. A lot of guys have to come back too Ferris, O'Driscoll and Kearney. Looks like Bowe wont be going as he is likely to miss most of rest of the season. Gilroy is a good player but even as an Ulster fan he needs to have a big year to go. Some of them english selections are just daft and clearly based on one win over New Zealand all in all a pretty poor effort really.

I do think its kinda odd that gatland gets the job in aus against aus yet cant get a NH side(that is probally good enough for at least a couple of wins) to beat aus!!

anyway no it wont be 10 englishman starting - its got ta be kinda fair. The only plus i can see about the lions these days is for us to come together and share players knowledge and stuff..

mystiroakey wrote:I do think its kinda odd that gatland gets the job in aus against aus yet cant get a NH side(that is probally good enough for at least a couple of wins) to beat aus!!

anyway no it wont be 10 englishman starting - its got ta be kinda fair. The only plus i can see about the lions these days is for us to come together and share players knowledge and stuff..

What like previous really successful head coaches like McGeechan, Graham Henry, Jim Telfer. Hardly world beaters when they got the head coach job!

Well Gatland is/was succesful- the 6 nations and the semifinal in the rwc was good work- however he cant seem to beat the aussies can he!!

How can an Australian be neutral over Lion's selection? Any self respecting Aussie will do anything and everything to ensure Gold beats Red.

Aukster

Hence the team, Parling, Wood, Barritt, and the Youngs, he cleary wants to win big

Ignore me fellas.... I'm just adding a pinch of salt to the broth.

Keep talkin'!

Cleary picked that team based on one display by England against an All Blacks side suffering from noro virus!

No doubt that England are building well, but a number of those players will not make the plane to Australia, some may not even feature in the 6Ns.

Still he got everyone talking!

A Lions team based on the final weekend of the Autumn Internationals and nothing else?

Seagultaf wrote:Cleary picked that team based on one display by England against an All Blacks side suffering from noro virus!

No doubt that England are building well, but a number of those players will not make the plane to Australia, some may not even feature in the 6Ns.

Still he got everyone talking!

Who do you think will not make the team for the 6ns?

Do you think Flood will come straight back in? Or do you do you think that Burns will keep him out?

GunsGerms wrote:To be honest the Australian and NZ medias are so Anglo-centric they know very little of Europe outside of the lens of the English media. Their NH rugby knowledge reflects this.

The backs are all ok, Gilroy being a surprising bolter even if he was outstanding in the AIs. However, there are too many Englishmen in the forwards though their selection is probably very much based on the AIs and victory over NZ.

The British media is very powerful and a great propaganda weapon, and its true that it is very anglocentric. So it stands to reason that ex-colonies have a distorted view. In all honesty though the English have had and do have currently the strongest team of the four as results bear out. It's only natural there should be a skew and to do otherwise for political reasons weakens both the team and the concept.

majesticimperialman wrote:

Seagultaf wrote:Cleary picked that team based on one display by England against an All Blacks side suffering from noro virus!

No doubt that England are building well, but a number of those players will not make the plane to Australia, some may not even feature in the 6Ns.

Still he got everyone talking!

Who do you think will not make the team for the 6ns?

Do you think Flood will come straight back in? Or do you do you think that Burns will keep him out?

I would like to see Burns keep him out. Flood has no right to walk back into the side. Farrell was impressive against the ABs and so to was Burns for the last 15.