Lions

[hugh_woatmeigh]

I don't like Keith Earls but too old? Without checking he must be 27-29 years old at the most. Seymour may well be older!

[whatisthejava]

I had a quick look on 606

When this place swept out the dross even they didnt go to 606.

Honestly quotes so far

Itoje for captain
Farrel for 13 and Ringrose at 12
Ford ahead of Russel for 10 (never mind Ford cant tackle wont tackle)
haskell is leading contender for 7 because he is an out and out 7
Bigger threw AWJ and then 1/2p undr the bus FACT


Mental,

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I had a quick look on 606

When this place swept out the dross even they didnt go to 606.

Honestly quotes so far

Itoje for captain
Farrel for 13 and Ringrose at 12
Ford ahead of Russel for 10 (never mind Ford cant tackle wont tackle)
haskell is leading contender for 7 because he is an out and out 7
Bigger threw AWJ and then 1/2p undr the bus FACT


Mental,

Ford is a pretty decent tackler on the whole. I've certainly never seen him shirk. There is a perfectly good argument to be had about whether he goes rather than Russell, which certainly isn't as absurd as any of the other things on there.

[whatisthejava]

I had a quick look on 606

When this place swept out the dross even they didnt go to 606.

Honestly quotes so far

Itoje for captain
Farrel for 13 and Ringrose at 12
Ford ahead of Russel for 10 (never mind Ford cant tackle wont tackle)
haskell is leading contender for 7 because he is an out and out 7
Bigger threw AWJ and then 1/2p undr the bus FACT


Mental,

Ford is a pretty decent tackler on the whole. I've certainly never seen him shirk. There is a perfectly good argument to be had about whether he goes rather than Russell, which certainly isn't as absurd as any of the other things on there.

If by tackle you mean be brave enough to stand there as he gets flattened then yes, I actually quite Ford as a 10 but even with Farrel at 12 the English backs are not getting any decent ball

[whatisthejava]

Tucks 36 man squad

Three games down in a Six Nations which will go a long way towards affecting who Warren Gatland selects for the Lions tour of New Zealand this summer.

The RUCK team have named their 37-man squad for the trip.

It features 12 of Eddie Jones’ men and 11 from Ireland, along with seven from both Scotland and Wales.

RUCK QUIZZES:

How many of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad can you name?

Name every Aviva Premiership stadium

Can you name EVERY England captain since 2000?

Props: Jack McGrath (Ireland), Mako Vunipola (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Dan Cole (England), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Kyle Sinckler (England)

Hookers: Rory Best (Ireland), Dylan Hartley (England), Jamie George (England)

Second row: Alun Wyn-Jones (Wales), Maro Itoje (England), Jonny Gray (Scotland), Richie Gray (Scotland), Joe Launchbury (England)

Flankers: CJ Stander (Ireland), John Barclay (Scotland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Sean O’Brien (Ireland),

Number 8: Billy Vunipola (England), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Taulupe Faletau (Wales)

Scrum-halves: Conor Murray (Ireland), Rhys Webb (Wales), Ben Youngs (England)

Out-halves: Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Finn Russell (Scotland)

Centres: Owen Farrell (also named as out-half) (England), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Alex Dunbar (Scotland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Garry Ringrose (Ireland)

Wings: Jack Nowell (England), Liam Williams (Wales), Elliot Daly (England), Tommy Seymour (Scotland),

Fullbacks: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland)

[whatisthejava]

An interesting selection

Shame on f brown and hamish Watson

I'd prob drop JD and take jones
Hartley for F Brown


A bit to many English and welsh are in on rep but prob got 25 names right

Mainland, H Jones could probably push out

[whatisthejava]

Wilson also unlucky, think I'd drop a heaslip as Barclay stander could both play 8 for the dirt trackers

[whatisthejava]

Ring rose isn't near a lion , I'd have several players over him.

[switchskier]

I'd be pretty good with that but Young's out for Davies and Halfpenny for Watson. Possibly also AWJ for Kruis or Gray but less sure.

[Mellsblue]

Why take 3 no8 when Stander and SOB can play there. Having said that, I'd not take SOB based on this 6N and I'd not take Stander as he's neither British nor Irish.
Hartley shouldn't go. Don't care who replaces him.
J Davies shouldn't go. I'd have all of the other home nations' OC's ahead of him.

If we're picking as if Gatland then Russell stands no chance of being ahead of Biggar. He'd also see Farrell as nothing else other than a FH. Jamie Roberts it is. I'm sure he'd also have Warburton over Tipuric.

Oh for VC to be head coach. Oh for the SRU to have made their decision earlier. Now that he's off to the Bank of Montpellier he'd be perfect.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

I had a quick look on 606

When this place swept out the dross even they didnt go to 606.

Honestly quotes so far

Itoje for captain
Farrel for 13 and Ringrose at 12
Ford ahead of Russel for 10 (never mind Ford cant tackle wont tackle)
haskell is leading contender for 7 because he is an out and out 7
Bigger threw AWJ and then 1/2p undr the bus FACT


Mental,

Ford is a pretty decent tackler on the whole. I've certainly never seen him shirk. There is a perfectly good argument to be had about whether he goes rather than Russell, which certainly isn't as absurd as any of the other things on there.

If by tackle you mean be brave enough to stand there as he gets flattened then yes, I actually quite Ford as a 10 but even with Farrel at 12 the English backs are not getting any decent ball

Owen Farrell that well known provider of brilliant ball to those outside him?

Finn Russell is hardly a dynamic tackler. Ford isn't a great tackler but nor is he a liability and to pretend otherwise is misguided.

[Mikey Brown]

Russell's defence is weirdly overlooked. He's been great in the 3 games so far. He is comfortably better than Ford in defence and more consistent than Farrell. Not that this is me stating he will go on tour.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Why take 3 no8 when Stander and SOB can play there. Having said that, I'd not take SOB based on this 6N and I'd not take Stander as he's neither British nor Irish.
Hartley shouldn't go. Don't care who replaces him.
J Davies shouldn't go. I'd have all of the other home nations' OC's ahead of him.

If we're picking as if Gatland then Russell stands no chance of being ahead of Biggar. He'd also see Farrell as nothing else other than a FH. Jamie Roberts it is. I'm sure he'd also have Warburton over Tipuric.

Oh for VC to be head coach. Oh for the SRU to have made their decision earlier. Now that he's off to the Bank of Montpellier he'd be perfect.

Absolutely no point in taking 3 8s as I said earlier in this thread.

I'd not take Billy V based on this 6N either.

Stander's one of ours now. He's eligible and never been less than whole hearted in everything he's done for Munster or Ireland. There are Irish imports I'm squeamish about. He's not one of them.

[whatisthejava]

Ford is a pretty decent tackler on the whole. I've certainly never seen him shirk. There is a perfectly good argument to be had about whether he goes rather than Russell, which certainly isn't as absurd as any of the other things on there.

If by tackle you mean be brave enough to stand there as he gets flattened then yes, I actually quite Ford as a 10 but even with Farrel at 12 the English backs are not getting any decent ball

Owen Farrell that well known provider of brilliant ball to those outside him?

Finn Russell is hardly a dynamic tackler. Ford isn't a great tackler but nor is he a liability and to pretend otherwise is misguided.

I don't think Finn will go unless Gatland wants to use the lions to try something completely different. He can clearly see that gatball doesn't work but I don't think he knows another way.

Ford is costing England a lot of yards when he gets ran straight at and against Ireland and Scotland hiding out on the wings isn't the answer as both teams are happy to attack out wide.

Russel is better in defense then Ford arguing otherwise is nonsense. I like Ford and think he is a good solid 10 but he isn't a tackler and I'm not sure why Farrel isn't given the 10 shirt.

[Spiffy]

If by tackle you mean be brave enough to stand there as he gets flattened then yes, I actually quite Ford as a 10 but even with Farrel at 12 the English backs are not getting any decent ball

Owen Farrell that well known provider of brilliant ball to those outside him?

Finn Russell is hardly a dynamic tackler. Ford isn't a great tackler but nor is he a liability and to pretend otherwise is misguided.

I don't think Finn will go unless Gatland wants to use the lions to try something completely different. He can clearly see that gatball doesn't work but I don't think he knows another way.

Ford is costing England a lot of yards when he gets ran straight at and against Ireland and Scotland hiding out on the wings isn't the answer as both teams are happy to attack out wide.

Russel is better in defense then Ford arguing otherwise is nonsense. I like Ford and think he is a good solid 10 but he isn't a tackler and I'm not sure why Farrel isn't given the 10 shirt.

I think Ford has the reputation of being a weak defender because he's on the small side. If you watch his games carefully, he is not bad at all. He generally manages to pull down his man, though his tackles are not showy or pile drivers. He will miss one now and again, just like anyone else. On the other hand, if you watch Farrell carefully, he is not nearly as good a defender as many make out. He makes the odd big hit but misses a lot through relatively poor technique. I don't think he is worth a starting spot on the Lions test team either at 10 or 12. When it comes to real midfield skills and gas, Farrell is quite overrated. His goalkicking has kept him in the public eye, but even that let him down last week, when he had an overall howler against Italy.
Re. Russell - his tackling this 6N has been good and he has been bossing the game better than Ford, Farrell or Biggar (the latter has few attacking attributes at all).
At the moment I'd have the Lions fly halves as Sexton, Jackson and Russell. But Gatland is as fooled as anyone by the Farrell myth and will probably take him as a FH, along with the ponderous Biggar and the excellent Sexton.

[ARM]

Yup, I don't expect Russell to tour unless we get a shock result at Twix and Russell plays like a Boss.

[Big D]

I've seen suggestions the squad will be 37. If that's the case then I think it will be Sexton, Farrell as a 10/12, +1.

[switchskier]

Owen Farrell that well known provider of brilliant ball to those outside him?

Finn Russell is hardly a dynamic tackler. Ford isn't a great tackler but nor is he a liability and to pretend otherwise is misguided.

I don't think Finn will go unless Gatland wants to use the lions to try something completely different. He can clearly see that gatball doesn't work but I don't think he knows another way.

Ford is costing England a lot of yards when he gets ran straight at and against Ireland and Scotland hiding out on the wings isn't the answer as both teams are happy to attack out wide.

Russel is better in defense then Ford arguing otherwise is nonsense. I like Ford and think he is a good solid 10 but he isn't a tackler and I'm not sure why Farrel isn't given the 10 shirt.

I think Ford has the reputation of being a weak defender because he's on the small side. If you watch his games carefully, he is not bad at all. He generally manages to pull down his man, though his tackles are not showy or pile drivers. He will miss one now and again, just like anyone else. On the other hand, if you watch Farrell carefully, he is not nearly as good a defender as many make out. He makes the odd big hit but misses a lot through relatively poor technique. I don't think he is worth a starting spot on the Lions test team either at 10 or 12. When it comes to real midfield skills and gas, Farrell is quite overrated. His goalkicking has kept him in the public eye, but even that let him down last week, when he had an overall howler against Italy.
Re. Russell - his tackling this 6N has been good and he has been bossing the game better than Ford, Farrell or Biggar (the latter has few attacking attributes at all).
At the moment I'd have the Lions fly halves as Sexton, Jackson and Russell. But Gatland is as fooled as anyone by the Farrell myth and will probably take him as a FH, along with the ponderous Biggar and the excellent Sexton.

Yeah I pretty much agree with this bit would add that Ford misses the odd one because he's targeted so much. I think that Ford is a fabulous player. My issue with him is that I feel he hasn't fulfilled his potential yet, I want to see him dominate games but rarely do. He could do with a little of Russell's cockiness.

[whatisthejava]

I'd agree with that Switch but I think even having a 10 that people will target means your backrow has 1 eye on protecting the 10 and not looking to be in the right place.

Either way Ford is either going to have his rep in place next Sunday or not. I expect the scots to throw everything down his channel

[whatisthejava]

Especially since we like attacking out wide and that's where he hides.

[Spiffy]

I don't think Finn will go unless Gatland wants to use the lions to try something completely different. He can clearly see that gatball doesn't work but I don't think he knows another way.

Ford is costing England a lot of yards when he gets ran straight at and against Ireland and Scotland hiding out on the wings isn't the answer as both teams are happy to attack out wide.

Russel is better in defense then Ford arguing otherwise is nonsense. I like Ford and think he is a good solid 10 but he isn't a tackler and I'm not sure why Farrel isn't given the 10 shirt.

I think Ford has the reputation of being a weak defender because he's on the small side. If you watch his games carefully, he is not bad at all. He generally manages to pull down his man, though his tackles are not showy or pile drivers. He will miss one now and again, just like anyone else. On the other hand, if you watch Farrell carefully, he is not nearly as good a defender as many make out. He makes the odd big hit but misses a lot through relatively poor technique. I don't think he is worth a starting spot on the Lions test team either at 10 or 12. When it comes to real midfield skills and gas, Farrell is quite overrated. His goalkicking has kept him in the public eye, but even that let him down last week, when he had an overall howler against Italy.
Re. Russell - his tackling this 6N has been good and he has been bossing the game better than Ford, Farrell or Biggar (the latter has few attacking attributes at all).
At the moment I'd have the Lions fly halves as Sexton, Jackson and Russell. But Gatland is as fooled as anyone by the Farrell myth and will probably take him as a FH, along with the ponderous Biggar and the excellent Sexton.

Yeah I pretty much agree with this bit would add that Ford misses the odd one because he's targeted so much. I think that Ford is a fabulous player. My issue with him is that I feel he hasn't fulfilled his potential yet, I want to see him dominate games but rarely do. He could do with a little of Russell's cockiness.

One of the reasons he does not dominate is that Eddie Jones has obviously designated him the junior partner and does not quite trust him. So Farrell does a lot of the stuff that a fly half normally does (goal kicking, restarts, line licking etc), even though Farrell does not do some of this (e.g. line licking) particularly well. This has to affect Ford's self confidence/authority to some extent, even if subconsciously. I'd like to see him play a few games in the absence of Farrell to get a chance to show how he can run the game. He is by far the better footballer.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

If by tackle you mean be brave enough to stand there as he gets flattened then yes, I actually quite Ford as a 10 but even with Farrel at 12 the English backs are not getting any decent ball

Owen Farrell that well known provider of brilliant ball to those outside him?

Finn Russell is hardly a dynamic tackler. Ford isn't a great tackler but nor is he a liability and to pretend otherwise is misguided.

I don't think Finn will go unless Gatland wants to use the lions to try something completely different. He can clearly see that gatball doesn't work but I don't think he knows another way.

Ford is costing England a lot of yards when he gets ran straight at and against Ireland and Scotland hiding out on the wings isn't the answer as both teams are happy to attack out wide.

Russel is better in defense then Ford arguing otherwise is nonsense. I like Ford and think he is a good solid 10 but he isn't a tackler and I'm not sure why Farrel isn't given the 10 shirt.

I've no issue with saing that Russell's defence is better than Ford's. I don't have an issue with saying that Russell is playing better than Ford. Right now if i were selecting it would be Russell that I would take of the 2. The issue I have is the suggestion that it's laughable to suggest otherwise, on the basis of Ford's defence or otherwise.

[whatisthejava]

Euge I never said, I started this slagging off people who thought Ford was a better defender than russel. I have even said Ford is a good solid englishesque fly half.

[Which Tyler]

Euge I never said, I started this slagging off people who thought Ford was a better defender than russel. I have even said Ford is a good solid englishesque fly half.

Have you found any yet?

And that's without mentioning that it's not even slightly what you actually said

Ford cant tackle wont tackle

Which is demonstrably untrue; and what you got called out for.

[whatisthejava]

Euge I never said, I started this slagging off people who thought Ford was a better defender than russel. I have even said Ford is a good solid englishesque fly half.

Have you found any yet?

Nobody, it started on 606

And that's without mentioning that it's not even slightly what you actually said

Ford cant tackle wont tackle

Which is demonstrably untrue; and what you got called out for.

Im not sure its demonstrably untrue, maybe a wee bit untrue, but Fords tackling is the worst bit of his game, but he is

hiding out on the wings
misisng tackles
when making tackles giving up quite a few metres