The first player on Gatlands team

Scottrf wrote:He was talking about Martin Johnson, Gavin Hastings, Brian O'Driscoll and Gareth Edwards ...
It's there in the nested quote.

Scottrf wrote:He was talking about Martin Johnson, Gavin Hastings, Brian O'Driscoll and Gareth Edwards ...
It's there in the nested quote.

wayne wrote:
Yeh that's why 4 Lion greats are selecting him. Why I'm conversing with you I don't know, you really are not worth the bother.

R!skysports wrote:

cascough wrote:

propdavid_london wrote:The remaining 6N fixtures will no doubt change opinion on possible lions selections.  
England have the perceptively weaker Italy up next at home, while Scotland play Wales and Ireland play France.

Any Stirling performances by Scots, Welsh and Irish will enhance their Lions prospects.
For England players and previously Irish - the match against Italy is a bit of a banana skin.  A bad performance against a perceived weak Italy could really knock close contenders out of the Lions running.

Italy aren't perceptively weak. Look at their results, they are demonstrably weak. It's a big difference.

I don't say that out of mere pedantry, I think it's pertinent to a Lions discussion.

Lots of people get excited about Scottish players even though they have lost so so many games over the last few years. Scotland, currently, as with Italy are a demonstrably poor team. The list of Scotland players that people are getting excited about is seemingly growing. Now to a degree I understand why this is happening, especially after their excellent result against Ireland. But given the championship is not over yet, that could still be a false dawn for Scotland and a mere bump in the road for Ireland.

I personally want to win against NZ. So I've very little time for romantic or nationalistic picks. I said before the tournament that given the autumns the teams had I would be entirely in favour of a lions XV made out of entirely Ireland players, or one made out of entirely England players. Both of those teams demonstrated that they have what it takes to win.

Obviously Ireland have had a little bump in the road and depending on which way the rest of the tournament goes I may have to reevaluate just how good I think those teams are. What I see a lot of on here though is people trying to champion who should play for the Lions, and very little of it is based on actual results or performance. Finn Russell is an example I've used before. People pick him because they like the notion of a running fly half, or he's eye catching and has a lovely pass. Forget the fact that in a test match he is flakey, has questionable temperament and game management and contributes to a teams failings. Odd

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHH

why do people keep bringing up Russel to tell us Scots that we are deluded that the player of last 6 nations, one of the form 15's in the world, the one playing in the Champion Cup knock out stages, who has already scored 3 tries and the one most impartial pundits are saying it is his to lose


WE HAVE ALREADY SAID RUSSEL IS UNLIKELY TO GO

Please stop going back to that one time and time again

Scottrf wrote:He was talking about Martin Johnson, Gavin Hastings, Brian O'Driscoll and Gareth Edwards ...
It's there in the nested quote.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Arguably one of the best centres of all time.

R!skysports wrote:

cascough wrote:

propdavid_london wrote:The remaining 6N fixtures will no doubt change opinion on possible lions selections.  
England have the perceptively weaker Italy up next at home, while Scotland play Wales and Ireland play France.

Any Stirling performances by Scots, Welsh and Irish will enhance their Lions prospects.
For England players and previously Irish - the match against Italy is a bit of a banana skin.  A bad performance against a perceived weak Italy could really knock close contenders out of the Lions running.

Italy aren't perceptively weak. Look at their results, they are demonstrably weak. It's a big difference.

I don't say that out of mere pedantry, I think it's pertinent to a Lions discussion.

Lots of people get excited about Scottish players even though they have lost so so many games over the last few years. Scotland, currently, as with Italy are a demonstrably poor team. The list of Scotland players that people are getting excited about is seemingly growing. Now to a degree I understand why this is happening, especially after their excellent result against Ireland. But given the championship is not over yet, that could still be a false dawn for Scotland and a mere bump in the road for Ireland.

I personally want to win against NZ. So I've very little time for romantic or nationalistic picks. I said before the tournament that given the autumns the teams had I would be entirely in favour of a lions XV made out of entirely Ireland players, or one made out of entirely England players. Both of those teams demonstrated that they have what it takes to win.

Obviously Ireland have had a little bump in the road and depending on which way the rest of the tournament goes I may have to reevaluate just how good I think those teams are. What I see a lot of on here though is people trying to champion who should play for the Lions, and very little of it is based on actual results or performance. Finn Russell is an example I've used before. People pick him because they like the notion of a running fly half, or he's eye catching and has a lovely pass. Forget the fact that in a test match he is flakey, has questionable temperament and game management and contributes to a teams failings. Odd

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHH

why do people keep bringing up Russel to tell us Scots that we are deluded that the player of last 6 nations, one of the form 15's in the world, the one playing in the Champion Cup knock out stages, who has already scored 3 tries and the one most impartial pundits are saying it is his to lose


WE HAVE ALREADY SAID RUSSEL IS UNLIKELY TO GO

Please stop going back to that one time and time again

TightHEAD wrote:By the mumblings coming from Gatland, Warburton is on the plane and in the starting lineup already.


"He's been outstanding in the first couple of games in the way he's competed (at the break-down) and brought physicality,"  

"New Zealand have got three or four open-sides that are very strong at the break-down and you've got to be able to have someone who can do that,"

Gwlad wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:By the mumblings coming from Gatland, Warburton is on the plane and in the starting lineup already.


"He's been outstanding in the first couple of games in the way he's competed (at the break-down) and brought physicality,"  

"New Zealand have got three or four open-sides that are very strong at the break-down and you've got to be able to have someone who can do that,"

Maybe we should bring Tom Wood, Robshaw or Haskell instead.

TightHEAD wrote:

Gwlad wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:By the mumblings coming from Gatland, Warburton is on the plane and in the starting lineup already.


"He's been outstanding in the first couple of games in the way he's competed (at the break-down) and brought physicality,"  

"New Zealand have got three or four open-sides that are very strong at the break-down and you've got to be able to have someone who can do that,"

Maybe we should bring Tom Wood, Robshaw or Haskell instead.

All three have beaten the All Blacks, so I'd go with Robshaw and Haskell.

majesticimperialman wrote:Did Warburton not injured on the Last Lions?

Surely we cannot afford to take some one who will  break easy?

We need some one made of sterner stuff.