B&I Lions 2017

[Chris B.]

The Guardian's live video coverage appears to have crashed!

[Chris B.]

@Crucial Looks like Payne, Joseph and Te'o are all in.

[Bovidae]

I watched it live on YouTube

[KiwiMurph]

Backs: Dan Biggar, Elliot Daly, Jonathan Davies, Owen Farrell, Lee Halfpenny, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart Hogg, Jonathan Joseph, Conor Murray, George North, Jack Nowell, Jared Payne, Jonathan Sexton, Tommy Seymour, Ben T’eo, Anthony Watson, Rhys Webb, Liam Williams, Ben Youngs

And the forwards.

Rory Best, Dan Cole, Taulupe Faletau, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie George, Iain Henderson, Maro Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler, Jack McGrath, Ross Moriarty, Sean O’Brien, Peter O’Mahony, Ken Owens, Kyle Sinckler, CJ Stander, Justin Tipuric, Mako Vunipola, Billy Vunipola, Sam Warburton (captain).

[antipodean]

Predictable squad.

A mercenary and only one Scot.

[Bovidae]

@antipodean 2 Jocks.

[MN5]

@antipodean said in B&I Lions 2017:

Predictable squad.

A mercenary and only one Scot.

Two

[Catogrande]

@KiwiMurph said in B&I Lions 2017:

Backs: Dan Biggar, Elliot Daly, Jonathan Davies, Owen Farrell, Lee Halfpenny, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart Hogg, Jonathan Joseph, Conor Murray, George North, Jack Nowell, Jared Payne, Jonathan Sexton, Tommy Seymour, Ben T’eo, Anthony Watson, Rhys Webb, Liam Williams, Ben Youngs

And the forwards.

Rory Best, Dan Cole, Taulupe Faletau, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie George, Iain Henderson, Maro Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler, Jack McGrath, Ross Moriarty, Sean O’Brien, Peter O’Mahony, Ken Owens, Kyle Sinckler, CJ Stander, Justin Tipuric, Mako Vunipola, Billy Vunipola, Sam Warburton (captain).

Lucky: Biggar, Halfpenny, Nowell, Payne, Warburton (only because he's injured)..
Unlucky: Launchbury, Van der Flier, Russell

Otherwise, difficult to argue with, although that is not likely to stop me or anyone else.

[Kruse]

So once again - more NZ-born representatives than Scot.

[Bovidae]

Moriarty would be the 41st player chosen I assume.

The fun starts when the team to play the Crusaders is named.

[RVader]

@Catogrande Zebo should also be on the unlucky list

[raznomore]

Is Hartley hard done by or actually too shit for selection?

[KiwiMurph]

@raznomore copped another huge suspension this year for foul play. Deemed too risky I guess.

[Kirwan]

@KiwiMurph said in B&I Lions 2017:

@raznomore copped another huge suspension this year for foul play. Deemed too risky I guess.

A quota on the number of NZ born players?

[Bovidae]

The official breakdown is:

England 16
Ireland 11
Scotland 2
Wales 12

[raznomore]

@KiwiMurph see hes a guy you pick just because of that. Its a huge fucken squad so they can risk it. You want a guy that is a loose cannon, a grub, but also somehow manages to get the team together. I hate Hartley but a record run and a 6N under his belt and watch warrants selection.

[mariner4life]

No Launchbury astounds me

[KiwiMurph]

@raznomore I agree. To win this series Lions I feel have to take some chances. He just captained a test series sweep in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Catogrande]

@RVader Good call. I'd forgotten about him. But of course, Gatland has not shown any fondness for X Factor type players.

[gollum]

I think the issue with Hartley is they see him as a good player if he's starting, but not a good tourist as 3rd choice. IE Owens or Best are ahead of him to start & George far better off the bench, so then its "would Hartley be a good 3rd string tourist?" and the feeling is no, no he wouldn't. Whereas Owens would take it OK & turn up for the dirt trackers.

A lot of Lions tours have turned to custard mid-week because the 3rd string guys are used to being the big cheese & toss their toys.

Launchbury is unlucky, but you could point to the fact that but for injuries to Kruis & Robshaw he wouldn't have started a single 6 Nations game so it sort of reverts. And in terms of the game to disrupt the AB's Lawes probably showed more for England in the 6 Nations.