The Not-So British and Irish Lions

Quite simple really, could the Lions pick a competitive (in a general sense not compared to New Zealand) made up of players not born in Britain or Ireland?

I've had a stab at a side but it is quite Scottish centric (not sure if that's down to me or to SRU policy)

1. Vunipola
2. Hartley
3. Nel
4. Ball
5. Denton
6. Stander
7. Hardie
8. Vunipola
9. Hart
10. Anscombe
11. Seymour
12. Payne
13. Te'o
14. Visser
15. Maitland

16. Strauss
17. Dell
18. Struggling to find a tighthead other than Nel
19. Evans
20. Strauss
21. Carberry
22. Tuilagi
23. Rokoduguni

Thought I should add a disclaimer, this is not a UKIP esque, post Brexit analysis of how "indigenous" our rugby teams are rather it is meant to be a bit of fun, I do understand that a significant number of these moved at an early age and I understand nationality is far more complex than place of birth.

You need a replacement for Ball who was born in England. Struggling though...Botha?

No 7&1/2 wrote:You need a replacement for Ball who was born in England. Struggling though...Botha?

Mitch Lees of Exeter was born in Australia, team mate Don Armand was born in Zimbabwe.

Is Anscombe playing better than Nick Evans these days? Anscombe was flakey as heck when he played in NZ. Evans must be past it if Anscombe is selected over him.

Yes. Ta rugby fan. Evans has played for NZ so doesn't qualify for the Lions.

Decent front row
Shocking 2nd row
Goodish back row (Hardie is a bit meh)
The less said about the backs the better!

i'd have thought Denny Solomona might warrant a mention.

Cyril wrote:Decent front row
Shocking 2nd row
Goodish back row (Hardie is a bit meh)
The less said about the backs the better!

Probably more related to the decline of saffer rugby than anything, the NH has been poaching their forward since for about half a decade whereas the players from New Zealand tend to qualify through Grannies.

It's fantastic to know there are grannies out there doing their bit for British rugby

Well, one thing it does show is that the Lions will not be reliant on SH imports. I can only see one or possibly two of that lot getting into a starting Lions fifteen.

I think 5 of that team will tour. Vunipola x2, Stander, Nel and I guess Hartley.

Wouldn't be suprised to see 2,3,4 of them in the 1st test. Stander has to be the 1st name on the team sheet.

the-goon wrote:I think 5 of that team will tour. Vunipola x2, Stander, Nel and I guess Hartley.

Wouldn't be suprised to see 2,3,4 of them in the 1st test. Stander has to be the 1st name on the team sheet.

I bet Stander and Nel grew up dying to put on a Lions jersey

It was embarassing Flutey toured in 09 and it would be the same if they toured

ebop wrote:It's fantastic to know there are grannies out there doing their bit for British rugby

Pay these players a decent salary, ya tight b*stards, and they won't leave your shores! You think these players leave sunny South Africa or Australia because they fancy the grey and miserable British & Irish winters?! Come on!

True Raven wrote:

the-goon wrote:I think 5 of that team will tour. Vunipola x2, Stander, Nel and I guess Hartley.

Wouldn't be suprised to see 2,3,4 of them in the 1st test. Stander has to be the 1st name on the team sheet.

I bet Stander and Nel grew up dying to put on a Lions jersey

It was embarassing Flutey toured in 09 and it would be the same if they toured

Flutey played a lot better than some on that tour (O'Gara - the American - spring to mind).

Good old Cyril with his windup always there.

Mentioned OGara being born inUsa when loads of Welsh players were not born in Wales.

People in glass houses

A few off the top of my head -

Marland Yarde (St Lucia)
Jamie Heaslip (Israel - proving that nation of birth can be rather mis-leading)
Nathan Hughes
Faletau.

I reckon Heaslip and Faletau are likely to be Lions during the course of the tour (even if one misses out on the initial squad, there's a good chance they'll be called in as injury replacements at some point - indeed, Yarde may have a chance of that as well, especially if the attrition rate of outside backs is like the last tour).

Actually, other than Heaslip, there's a disappointing lack of obscure birthplaces in the current players - I still lilke the fact that John McEnroe is German and England footballer Terry Butcher was from Singapore.

I wouldn't take Nel and Would not start with either Hartley or Mako.

Furlong and Cole are nailed on astravelling THs
Only Billy and Stander as starters for me.

geoff999rugby wrote:Good old Cyril with his windup always there.

Mentioned OGara being born inUsa when loads of Welsh players were not born in Wales.

People in glass houses

Cyril is English. Don't bring Wales into this!

Griff wrote:

geoff999rugby wrote:Good old Cyril with his windup always there.

Mentioned OGara being born inUsa when loads of Welsh players were not born in Wales.

People in glass houses

Cyril is English. Don't bring Wales into this!

Alex Corbisiero (past) and Sam Underhill (future) can join ROG as Yankee Lions maybe

Griff I stand corrected.

Glass houses point stands though

geoff999rugby wrote:Griff I stand corrected.

Glass houses point stands though

Yes, but let's be clear that he's throwing his stones at an English glass window, not a Welsh one!

This thread is about foreign-born players eligible for the Lions.

Are we not all in our respective greenhouses (it's probably quite a squeeze for geoff with his soapbox and high horse in there with him)?

I spent a lot of time in Wales but definitely English - with some Irish ancestry

It's about identifying foreigners yes. It is not about someone, like OGara who is Irish through and through.
To use someone like him as a example is moronic.

geoff999rugby wrote:It's about identifying foreigners yes. It is not about someone, like OGara who is Irish through and through.
To use someone like him as a example is moronic.

You better tell other posters that they're moronic for mentioning the likes of Heaslip. Are you always so relentlessly po-faced?

123s disclaimer did say it's purely birthplace.

Cyril wrote:

I spent a lot of time in Wales but definitely English - with some Irish ancestry

  Dear Jesus, Cyril!

After all his years of posting he now admits two crimes against humanity without blinking!  I think you should be excomcircumcised by the Queen for such treachery!

Cyril wrote:This thread is about foreign-born players eligible for the Lions.

Are we not all in our respective greenhouses (it's probably quite a squeeze for geoff with his soapbox and high horse in there with him)?

I spent a lot of time in Wales but definitely English - with some Irish ancestry

God help us.

geoff999rugby wrote:It's about identifying foreigners yes. It is not about someone, like OGara who is Irish through and through.
To use someone like him as a example is moronic.

To be fair its about players not born in the British Isles and ROG wasn't even though hes as Irish as Guinness

123456789 wrote:
18. Struggling to find a tighthead other than Nel

Bealham was born in Oz

You can add in Jordi Murphy(Spain) and Dillane(France),

marty2086 wrote:

geoff999rugby wrote:It's about identifying foreigners yes. It is not about someone, like OGara who is Irish through and through.
To use someone like him as a example is moronic.

To be fair its about players not born in the British Isles and ROG wasn't even though hes as Irish as Guinness

Officially, they are now The Europhile Brexit Isles. Thus too, The Europhile and Brexit Lions.

Just get bored with cowpat Cyril.
At my age no time for nonsense.

Have no problem enjoying myself I can assure you

Crikey, I think geoff almost smiled then.

Probably wind.

Pretty sure Hart was born in Ireland. He qualifies for France through his Mother.

Golden wrote:Pretty sure Hart was born in Ireland. He qualifies for France through his Mother.

McGrath on the other hand was born in Canada

marty2086 wrote:

Golden wrote:Pretty sure Hart was born in Ireland. He qualifies for France through his Mother.

McGrath on the other hand was born in Canada

Or Samuel Hidalgo Clyne (born in Spain) if you need another 9.

Michael Bent for reserve tighthead, a granny qualifier who I don't think had ever been to Ireland before 2012. Apparently was sent straight from the plane to an Ireland training camp.

Scrum half Joe Simpson was born in Australia (English dad, Kiwi mum)

aucklandlaurie wrote:i'd have thought Denny Solomona might warrant a mention.

He's a two-faced contract breaking twot.

There, he's mentioned.