B&I Lions 2017
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@Catogrande I agree. Itoje could be a good 6, but so could Brodie Rettalick if you wanted him to be one as long as he had a fair bit of practice in the role.
Of those selections I think DillydallyO's is the best although I also think a great case could be made for keeping Itoje on the bench as impact.
There is some good depth at lock, why not use it to advantage and have your most athletic player coming on for the last 30? -
@Catogrande said in B&I Lions 2017:
There's some odd selections in amongst all that. Sort of "I like this bloke and he has to be in the team but there's someone else I can't leave out, so I'll put him in somewhere". How many are picking Itoje as a 6 based primarily on his zero appearances there at international level and few at club level? It's not as if we don't have some bloody good 6s as it is.
Wasn't Itoje at 6 a fair bit in the Aussie tour?
Edit, spent 50 mins there in the 3rd test when Harrison got yanked & a bit there in the earlier 2 -
@Crucial I agree, I reckon Itoje could be a decent option anywhere in the back 5 but in a Lions context perhaps a bench spot would be the better option. It's not as if we're short of locks, AWJ, either of the Gray boys, any of the English locks. Not overly impressed with Toner though. Always good in the line-out but not so consistent elsewhere.
You can certainly tell which one of the pundits has played international rugby in the pack!
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@Stargazer said in B&I Lions 2017:
Confirmed: Steve Borthwick (England), Andy Farrell (Ireland) and Rob Howley (Wales) announced by Head Coach Warren Gatland as the 2017 Lions Coaching Team
http://www.lionsrugby.com/news/warren-gatland-announces-coaching-team-15159#.WEgEurJ96Ul
Heard on the radio this morning that Jason O'Halloran is a shot at being involved given his involvement with Scotland.
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@Crucial said in B&I Lions 2017:
Two hacks, one world cup winner and one ex international that insists on proving time and time again what a terrible analyst he is.
Those RWC 2011 panel interviews with Barnes are still comedy gold.An oldie but a goodie.
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@TeWaio I haven't clicked on it yet. I am already squirming with the potential embarrassment factor, given what occurred.
#stillinshock -
@Catogrande Nothing to be embarrased about Cato. Selective quoting followed by selective clips which show the selective quotes as being wrong!
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@MajorRage said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Catogrande Nothing to be embarrased about Cato. Selective quoting followed by selective clips which show the selective quotes as being wrong!
You convinced me. Glad you did. I'd assumed it was from the 2015 RWC, hence the embarrassment factor. Funny to watch though. I have to say, even without hindsight Martin and Barnes were talking absolute bollocks with no justification whatsoever.
Gold
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Tew confirmed some details yesterday:
- There will be no warm-up test for the ABs prior to the 1st test vs Lions (no time in Super rugby schedule)
- The Blues and Crusaders will have their ABs available.
- Highlanders, Chiefs and Hurricanes will be AB-free unless players are released for game-time.
Also, a fourth match will be added to the 2017 EOYT but it won't be England - it could even be a game against a club side.
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@Catogrande said in B&I Lions 2017:
@Crucial said in B&I Lions 2017:
There were also some pundit selections in the Sunday Times (firewalled I think) which included one from Stephen Jones who demonstrated his complete lack of selection ability having players out of position and a large contingent of Welsh.
Edit: found a post on another website with a photo of the selections
There's some odd selections in amongst all that. Sort of "I like this bloke and he has to be in the team but there's someone else I can't leave out, so I'll put him in somewhere". How many are picking Itoje as a 6 based primarily on his zero appearances there at international level and few at club level? It's not as if we don't have some bloody good 6s as it is.
Is that the same Luke Charteris who couldn't make the Welsh starring line up that lost 3-0 to NZ this year?
Maybe he was playing within himself to give AB fans a false sense of superiority.
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It's not an issue of the players being rusty, it is usually that the coaches have changed the playbooks and tweaked the structures so the players have a lot to absorb and get used to in a short period of time.
Shag & Co are well aware of this and it is probably one of the reasons behind the camp earlier in the year. Get some homework in place as much as possible then try and make it gel in the time they have pre-game.
From the schedule it looks like the ABs will have a 2 week camp pre the first test.
Another note of interest is the MAB game in the middle of this. With ABs & MABs taken out of circulation the Chiefs and Highlanders could be well weakened.
Chiefs could be without DMac, Cruden, Hames, Lowe, Weber, BBBR, Cane, ALB, Laulala, TKB, Ngatai, Messam, Harris, Elliot -
@Bovidae said in B&I Lions 2017:
Also, a fourth match will be added to the 2017 EOYT but it won't be England - it could even be a game against a club side.
I know Racing tried to get the ABs to play a club game to open their new stadium & were told "yup, no worries, that'll be €2m"
And that was the end of the discussion.
