He's a handy player for sure. What I think will interest Jones more about Devoto and Mallinder (some canny young backs on tour this summer) is they're both over 6'4'' and 100kg
Egg chasers of the SMB
- Thread starter Cockney Mackem
- Start date
He's a handy player for sure. What I think will interest Jones more about Devoto and Mallinder (some canny young backs on tour this summer) is they're both over 6'4'' and 100kg
jacko100
Striker
Charmless Man
Striker
I'd agree Sam James needs to put some weight on. As for new players on this tour... Denny Solomona is a lethal finisher.
Tough start
mcq10
Striker
Error fest.
Dan Biggar is a supposed international 10 and hes done for encroaching the lineout.
Schoolboy
He's a massive cheb end
Pepe
Striker
That is a canny bet at the best of times. We are currently looking a tad disheveled. Not entirely sure what our game plan is.
JL1985
Striker
It's like watching Wales or Ireland. No attacking instinct, hope the opposition make a mistake and hope for some penalties.
Pepe
Striker
The job just got harder.
Walter Ego
Striker
Oh I liked that a lot.
The Lions aren't the best measure of the northern skillset imho, as they haven't played together enough. Skills in rugby need to be underpinned by cohesion and system that only come with ages and ages together. I would suggest that while the very best Super Rugby teams would still win, the likes of Exeter and Saracens would give them quite a game and English club rugby is slowly closing the gap
JL1985
Striker
There should be more English players. If anyone can come close to matching NZ it is England. I know that it has to be a fair mix of the home nations to keep the Celts happy but they won't win this series with Welsh players in the side.
mcq10
Striker
Scots should feel aggrieved. I honestly don't know why Biggar is there in all honesty as well.
I love the Lions me. It's the only time me and the wife support the same team
Depends which Welsh players you mean - their back row is better than England's, their scrum half is better and North provides something that England is missing in their attack. Generally Wales under Rob Howley (and to an extent under Gatland) are less than the sum of their parts and they have some very very good players.
In terms of England players that have missed out, Launchbury can consider himself unlucky but lock is an incredibly competitive area, Robshaw is unlucky but back row is quite competitive as well. I was baffled at Haskell being called up as a replacement instead of Robshaw when Billy was injured, but I suspect that it's because any replacement is just cannon fodder for the midweek team. One might have considered Care as a call up instead of Laidlaw when Youngs pulled out, but that's still not to make the test squad, and Ford just doesn't fit Gatland's plan. As it stands though very few of the last England squad have missed out on Lions selection, and the ones not there would add nothing - Tom Wood for example.
I have to concede though that there are some selections where close calls have gone to Wales because Gatland is more familiar with those players.
Scots should feel aggrieved. I honestly don't know why Biggar is there in all honesty as well.
I love the Lions me. It's the only time me and the wife support the same team
Of the players who are not injured from Scotland, I'm not sure who should feel that aggrieved at not being picked. Hamish Watson would have been a better standby pick than Haskell tbf, and the Gray brothers might be disappointed but they would be behind other players who haven't gone imho such as Launch
