In Gatland We Trust....?

First topic message reminder :

I think we've all had a chance to clam down and take in the squad announcement from yesterday (30th April)

Everyone happy, If not why not?

Those of us that is happy let’s start looking forward to the tour.

Sat 1 June v Barbarians, Hong Kong
Wed 5 June v Western Force, Perth
Sat 8 June v Queensland Reds, Brisbane
Tue 11 June v Combined NSW-Queensland, Newcastle
Sat 15 June v NSW Waratahs, Sydney
Tue 18 June v ACT Brumbies, Canberra
Sat 22 June v Australia, Brisbane
Tue 25 June v Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne
Sat 29 June v Australia, Melbourne
Sat 6 July v Australia, Sydney

Wales (15) - Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, George North, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips, Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, Ian Evans, Alun-Wyn Jones, Toby Faletau, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, Sam Warburton

England (10) - Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Matt Stevens, Mako Vunipola, Dylan Hartley, Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft

Ireland (9) - Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Cian Healy, Paul O'Connell, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien

Scotland (3) - Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland, Richie Gray

Pick you're TEST XV.

VictorU3 wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

VictorU3 wrote:Lions coach Warren Gatland says his team for the first tour game against the Barbarians in Hong Kong is likely to be dominated by Welshmen.

Source BBC.

Thoughts?

That you're trying to cause trouble.

Luckless as a Lions fan I'm allowed an opinion. I only used a headline that is on another website, this isn't a witch hunt!

Okay then, you're helping the BBC to cause trouble.

Sin é wrote:

VictorU3 wrote:Lions coach Warren Gatland says his team for the first tour game against the Barbarians in Hong Kong is likely to be dominated by Welshmen.

Source BBC.

Thoughts?

He is writing off any chance of a Welsh team being in the Rabo final! Great confidence builder

Sin e, well only Scarlets have a realistic chance of getting into the playoffs (unless the ospreys do the impossible and knock them out of 4th). Only 2 players have been picked for the Lions from the Scarlets, so that leaves 13 Welsh Lions available at the end of the season!

Luckless it could be a very long summer everytime a non-Welsh Lions fan has an opinion or thought!

This is not a witch hunt.

Please don't try to portray me as the kind of Welsh poster who interprets the tiniest criticism of a Welsh player, even if justified, as a personal attack.

In this particular instance, I'm disappointed that the BBC has spun Gatland's rational explanation as to why the XV for the Baa-Baas match might be Welsh-heavy to make it seem he's favouring them, when in actual fact he's just pointing out they're more likely to be available for all the training sessions. It's also disappointing that you've chosen to pass on that spin without questioning it.

Correction - It could be a very long hot summer.

Then please don't assume that every comment from a non-welsh Lions fans is there to cause trouble.

We are all in this together.

I don't assume that. I love the fact that we're all in this together - I wrote an article explaining why, perhaps you've read it.

No, well I'm glad thats all sorted out.

VictorU3 wrote:Correction - It could be a very long hot summer.

Then please don't assume that every comment from a non-welsh Lions fans is there to cause trouble.

We are all in this together.

Victor - most of your posts are usually rational and well thought out; however on this occcasion I think you are bordering on insanity mate and I completely take issue with some of your comments and totally disagree with what can only be seen as a complete fallacy

I'm just tired of people saying I'm causing trouble when clearly I'm not just because I post something from another website or have an opinion that they don't agree with.

The comments I'm referring to are outlined below Victor and I will maintain that they are bordering on the insane and have no foundation whatsoever and hence it is an absolute fallacy to even suggest such a thing.

"It could be a very long hot summer."

Chill out Vic - I know you're on board and I like your posts - Looking forward to some decent discussions with you over the next few months - Have a pint its nearly Friday

I apologies Ruby.

I think I might be a little highly strung today. Mind you probably not as much as Rory Best sat in a traffic jam on a hot day without aircon.

VictorU3 wrote:I apologies Ruby.

I think I might be a little highly strung today. Mind you probably not as much as Rory Best sat in a traffic jam on a hot day without aircon.

Mind you probably not as much as Rory Best sat in a traffic jam on a hot day without aircon.......contemplating his summer tour to Canada.

Hibbard is injury prone of late - Best or Owens will tour IMO -

Is Gatland really losing the plot already? If he's genuinely not considering the players involved in league finals he could end up with only 17 players to pick from for the Barbarians game! A realistic scenario would be Leicester/Saracens and Leinster/Glasgow finals, but that would mean he has no flyhalf as neither Sexton nor Farrell would be available (nor Hogg!).

Given that the Lions will be playing six games in 18 days before Test selection, and therefore little time for player recovery Gatland will have to start with the majority of his Test (Saturday) team against the Barbarians and stick with it. He doesn't have the luxury of resting any league finalists he wants to be in Test contention.

Gatland comes out with some nonsense but in this case the only logical conclusion is that he already knows his Test team and is just spouting media flannel.


Potential available:
Backs (8):
Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, George North, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips,
Conor Murray, Tommy Bowe
Forwards (12):
Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, Ian Evans, Alun-Wyn Jones, Toby Faletau, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, Sam Warburton
Dylan Hartley
Paul O'Connell,
Richie Gray

Potential Missing:
Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Matt Stevens, Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft
Rob Kearney, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien
Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland,

VictorU3 wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

VictorU3 wrote:Lions coach Warren Gatland says his team for the first tour game against the Barbarians in Hong Kong is likely to be dominated by Welshmen.

Source BBC.

Thoughts?

That you're trying to cause trouble.

Luckless as a Lions fan I'm allowed an opinion. I only used a headline that is on another website, this isn't a witch hunt!

Hey Hershy baby, why don't you try reading whole stories instead of headlines?

?

What are you on about.

I'm not sure we have the armory to really trouble the Aussie defence. Unless we completely dominate the breakdown and are able to stop them having any influence there in terms of slowing ball down I think they'll defend our strike runners quite comfortably. On the other hand, the variety they can bring in attack means Farrell has to really get our defence gelled to a very high standard very quickly.

I'm not massively optimistic that we have the squad to assert dominance in any one area and expect it to be a nip and tuck test series.

Hogg & North will create the space for the bruisers to exploit

Ospreylia again....worked in 08 so see no reason it won't work now and if not he can always ask Hook to play a half for each side.