Lions XXIII of those left behind

Well after the shattering disapointment, here is a wee thread to look at what a test side of those left behind might look like!

1. Rob Evans
2. Dylan Hartley
3. Samson Lee
4. J Gray
5. Launchberry
6. Robshaw
7. Watson
8. Heaslip

9. Laidlaw
10. Russel
11. Maitland
12. Dunbar
13. Taylor
14. Earls
15. Brown

16. Brown
17. Healy
18. Fagerson
19. R. Gray
20. Haskell
21. Care
22. Ford
23. Visser

The pack in particular looks vicious.

If you add in currently injured players, this would be my selection:

1.Healy 2.Hartley 3.Nel 4.Launchbury 5.J Gray 6.Robshaw 7.Haskell 8.Heaslip 9.Laidlaw 10.Ford 11.Solomona 12.Dunbar 13.Ringrose 14.Wade 15.Goode

16.Evans 17.Brown 18.Francis 19.Toner 20.Watson 21.Care 22.Russell 23.Taylor

funnyExiledScot wrote:If you add in currently injured players, this would be my selection:

1.Healy 2.Hartley 3.Nel 4.Launchbury 5.J Gray 6.Robshaw 7.Haskell 8.Heaslip 9.Laidlaw 10.Ford 11.Solomona 12.Dunbar 13.Ringrose 14.Wade 15.Goode

16.Evans 17.Brown 18.Francis 19.Toner 20.Watson 21.Care 22.Russell 23.Taylor

That team would give the Lions team a run for their money....

funnyExiledScot wrote:If you add in currently injured players, this would be my selection:

1.Healy 2.Hartley 3.Nel 4.Launchbury 5.J Gray 6.Robshaw 7.Haskell 8.Heaslip 9.Laidlaw 10.Ford 11.Solomona 12.Dunbar 13.Ringrose 14.Wade 15.Goode

16.Evans 17.Brown 18.Francis 19.Toner 20.Watson 21.Care 22.Russell 23.Taylor

Disappointingly low number of Welsh players in that 23. Just not balanced.

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:If you add in currently injured players, this would be my selection:

1.Healy 2.Hartley 3.Nel 4.Launchbury 5.J Gray 6.Robshaw 7.Haskell 8.Heaslip 9.Laidlaw 10.Ford 11.Solomona 12.Dunbar 13.Ringrose 14.Wade 15.Goode

16.Evans 17.Brown 18.Francis 19.Toner 20.Watson 21.Care 22.Russell 23.Taylor

Disappointingly low number of Welsh players in that 23. Just not balanced.

FFS, even the mods are at it now.

Why insult the players left behind by calling them Lions? I'd prefer call them.... em..... Stallions.

Just noticed Heaslip didn't make the cut, quite surprising as he was seen as a certainty for quite a few posters.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Just noticed Heaslip didn't make the cut, quite surprising as he was seen as a certainty for quite a few posters.

With Faletau and Moriarty to fit in? Don't make I larf.

More seriously, Heaslip's performance against Wales was probably enough to cost him the gig - repeatedly running up a blind alley with no sign that he had realised it wasn't working and looking for something else to try. Probably as much his teammates' fault as his own - there's only so much you can do with bad ball - but given the work that Moriarty had done in similarly unpromising circumstances, and what Billy and his cuz are known to be capable of when fit, it must have moved him down the pecking order.

And then in the England game, POM deservedly played himself into contention.

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:If you add in currently injured players, this would be my selection:

1.Healy 2.Hartley 3.Nel 4.Launchbury 5.J Gray 6.Robshaw 7.Haskell 8.Heaslip 9.Laidlaw 10.Ford 11.Solomona 12.Dunbar 13.Ringrose 14.Wade 15.Goode

16.Evans 17.Brown 18.Francis 19.Toner 20.Watson 21.Care 22.Russell 23.Taylor

Disappointingly low number of Welsh players in that 23. Just not balanced.

Thats because they're all away with Gatland!

Telegraph have picked their 37 man squad (?!) of players who didn't make the Lions. Some of them are obviously stretches, but here they are:

Healy, Evans, Jenkins
Hartley, Cronin, Brown
Lee, Francis, Fagerson
Launchbury, J Gray, R Gray, Ryan, Toner
Robshaw, Barclay, Wood, Watson, Haskell
Heaslip, Wilson
Care, Laidlaw, Marmion
Russell, Ford, Slade
Roberts, Dunbar, Ringrose, Earls
Zebo, Maitland, Visser, May
Kearney, Brown

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2017/04/20/nearly-lions-37-man-squad-players-could-should-have-plane/mike-brown/

Scottish - 12
English - 10
Irish - 10
Welsh - 5

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Well after the shattering disapointment, here is a wee thread to look at what a test side of those left behind might look like!

1. Rob Evans
2. Dylan Hartley
3. Samson Lee
4. J Gray
5. Launchberry
6. Robshaw
7. Watson
8. Heaslip

9. Laidlaw
10. Russel
11. Maitland
12. Dunbar
13. Taylor
14. Earls
15. Brown

16. Brown
17. Healy
18. Fagerson
19. R. Gray
20. Haskell
21. Care
22. Ford
23. Visser

The pack in particular looks vicious.

Nah - too many Scots in there to be competitive.

robbo277 wrote:Telegraph have picked their 37 man squad (?!) of players who didn't make the Lions.

How underemployed are they?

robbo277 wrote:Telegraph have picked their 37 man squad (?!) of players who didn't make the Lions. Some of them are obviously stretches, but here they are:

Healy, Evans, Jenkins
Hartley, Cronin, Brown
Lee, Francis, Fagerson
Launchbury, J Gray, R Gray, Ryan, Toner
Robshaw, Barclay, Wood, Watson, Haskell
Heaslip, Wilson
Care, Laidlaw, Marmion
Russell, Ford, Slade
Roberts, Dunbar, Ringrose, Earls
Zebo, Maitland, Visser, May
Kearney, Brown

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2017/04/20/nearly-lions-37-man-squad-players-could-should-have-plane/mike-brown/

Scottish - 12
English - 10
Irish - 10
Welsh - 5

Taking Billy V, Stander and POM out, I think that's a better backrow than the one that has been selected.

Evans, Hibbard, Francis, Ball, Charteris, Barclay, Watson, Wilson, Phillips, Davies, Cuthbert, Williams, Shanklin, Williams, Byrne

Scottrf wrote:

robbo277 wrote:Telegraph have picked their 37 man squad (?!) of players who didn't make the Lions.

How underemployed are they?

What I think we need now is a 35-40 man squad of players who didn't make the Lions squad or the Telegraph's nearly squad, just to see who is hardest done by in the Telegraph article.

Scottrf wrote:

robbo277 wrote:Telegraph have picked their 37 man squad (?!) of players who didn't make the Lions.

How underemployed are they?

Without an opposition Labour Party, I suspect there are quite a few Torygraph journalists kicking their heals.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

robbo277 wrote:Telegraph have picked their 37 man squad (?!) of players who didn't make the Lions.

How underemployed are they?

Without an opposition Labour Party, I suspect there are quite a few Torygraph journalists kicking their heals.

They have already started compiling a "15 Designer Looks for Theresa May's Election Campaign" article.

Poorfour wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Just noticed Heaslip didn't make the cut, quite surprising as he was seen as a certainty for quite a few posters.

With Faletau and Moriarty to fit in? Don't make I larf.

More seriously, Heaslip's performance against Wales was probably enough to cost him the gig - repeatedly running up a blind alley with no sign that he had realised it wasn't working and looking for something else to try. Probably as much his teammates' fault as his own - there's only so much you can do with bad ball - but given the work that Moriarty had done in similarly unpromising circumstances, and what Billy and his cuz are known to be capable of when fit, it must have moved him down the pecking order.

And then in the England game, POM deservedly played himself into contention.

well when you consider that Billy V and Faleteau have both been off with injuries while Heaslip has recently been nominated world player of the year for a second time he can consider himself a little unlucky. If he was Welsh he would have been picked based on the "credit in the bank" argument.