Lions squad

Leigh Halfpenny, Hogg, Kearney

Bowe, Cuthbert, Maitland, North

Davies, BOD, Roberts, Tuilagi

Farrell, Sexton,

Murray, Phillips, Youngs

Croft, Faletau, Heaslip, Lydiate, O'Brien, Tipuric, Warburton

Evans, Gray, Wyn Jones, O'Connell, Parling

Cole, Healy, Jenkins, Jones, Stevens

Hartley, Hibbard, Youngs

No Rory Best...biggest surprise for me.

And that I believe is your lot.

Rory Best managed to play himself off the tour this year by throwing everything sideways. Question is are his replacements better?

murrray & youngs at 9 really surprises me. i wouldn't have picked either, certainly not Murray.
thought rory best would be in the squad too

I didn't see any expert not pick him....most had him as a Test starter.

I think he is a top player...who over time has been a very good thrower in, a few games in the 6 Nations apart..  very good leader.

I'm very surprised.

Murray is a disastrous selection btw

Vunipola in squad too. Think those saracens props are lucky to get in. They were taught a lesson on the weekend (and by Ulster too). Not sure how only 2 Fly-Halves will work. There's zero cover for injury there.

Wilkinson slightly unlucky not to get the nod ahead of Farrell , who was pretty dire under pressure and in direct opposition in the Heineken semi . Just hope Sexton stays sound .

i'm biased i know but i really thought ryan grant would get picked.

So some interesting picks in there. Cant say I'm too happy about Maitland deciding he is Scottish and instantly getting on a Lions tour. Good player, but is that all it takes?

No Robshaw, but Tom Croft gets in. I think the former has been very unlucky, but he has looked extremely tired in recent weeks, while Croft has been injured for ages and has come storming back with some top performances.

Murray a wierd one, Laidlaw not a more solid pick?

Laidlaw would provide cover at 10 also. I'm amazed there's only 2 players who've played 10 in this squad.

Yes, Vunipola wasn't written in when I copied it across. I thought Stevens and Vunipola were probably Sarries two best players last week and both will love a flat track, Vunipola in particular is a great carrier. Bit of a surprise though.

a few strange selections i think youngs and murray v lucky,also no rory best?bowe and maitland ?and not having a james hook type player to cover several back positions leaves questions at fly half,i think farrell has been exposed as not ready for this tour.plenty of props going

Makes sense to take a lot of props, but the lack of cover at 10 is odd. Not at all surprised it's just the 2, but you would think someone who could cover would be in there somewhere. Laidlaw an odd omission in that respect, Stuart Hogg or Ben Youngs look the most likely to fill in at 10 if a crisis did happen and how is that a good thing?

tommy bowe is a great player but has had very little rugby and his fitness must be a slight concern so there will be a few very disappointed wingers about who have had good seasons like brown, zebo & visser.
bound to be a couple of injuries yet. is their a back up list?

I'm sure Gatland has an idea of who is backing up, but there isn't a list that I'm aware of.

Really got to feel for Robshaw and Best as last November they might have been the first 2 names on a starting teamsheet. Form went south at exactly the wrong time for both.

Dan Lydiate sneaks in with very little rugby as well, but we know what effect he can have on a game and it may just be a masterstroke to pick him and Croft as both are fresh as can be hoped for.

Seriously looks weak
Hartley, Croft, Steven(???) where is the form ? I suppose they have to keep SKY happy

Gatland will have to go looking for Houdini (Heaslip)
With all the options he has picked a fairly weak back row

Best should be at least in the squad, minimum!

Who else is there that would improve that back-row?

On form the best 7 at the moment is Tommy O'Donnell

Luckily for Gatland I think he was in the position he could pick any 37 and have a favourites chance of beating Australia , unless everybody has been over rating our lot . Forwards look a healthy lot , the question marks may be in the back division where a starting line up for 1st test is not immediately apparent .

16 Welsh is possibly the outcome to one match in the Six Nations . Wales were excellent in that match , but overall in the Six Nations there were a lot of "mystery " performances in my book .  France , containing overall the best teams in the Heineken , were under performing most of the Six Nations tournament , Ireland were rubbish apart from beating Wales ( who were COMPLETE rubbish for the first half against Ireland , worst Welsh performance I have seen in 50 years plus ) .  So I still have a question mark about the Six Nations , were some as good as they looked , and some not as bad as they looked ?

Looks like injuries help you get selected. Bowe, PoC, Gray, Lydiate are all short of rugby.

However, now they are picked, I'm firmly behind them.

Robshaw desperately unlucky not to be picked ahead of Croft (and I'm a huge croft fan), how many MOMs did Robshaw get this 6N?
Also, Matt Stevens must be pinching himself. Chalk up a 6pts start for Oz if he plays as he's a penno machine, terrible at the weekend, gifted Jonny the difference between the sides.

I can't imagine Gatland spent a lot of time considering O'Donnell. Two good games in the Heineken cup, but no caps at 25 and a whole host of other back-row options clearly ahead of him. I can't see that back-row as any sort of weakness with those picked, a lot of quality in there.

matt stevens must be in as a good character in the squad i would imagine he would be good off the field

Heaslip and Croft in the back row ....omg

great funny comment here from another site - just had to post it
"If Tom Croft was in a wheelchair- he'd be going. If Tom Croft was in actual fact Jimmy Savile- he'd be going.
Sky...Lions...Tom Croft. They all go together hand in glove"

16 welsh players from an ex welsh coach does look a bit dodgy.

especially as they have lost their last 8 matches v australia & have not beaten them since nov 2008

yeah but they are the best available northanlite a grand slam and a six nations in last 2 years the other nations will supplement what wales miss against the southern hemisphere teams

a few picks i dont get - Matt Stevens, Hartley, Heaslip, Maitland, The Samoan & even Tommy Bowe whose desperately short of match practice.

A few ommissions - Zebo & Mike Brown are very unlucky & could easily have replaced kearney & Bowe - I think names & experience have won the day there?

Rory Best ? Has tbh slowly imploded as the seasons gone on so not surpirsed he's misesd out BUT hartley??? Youngs is a good pick thou as he's gorwn as the seasons gone on & Hibbard too.

Phillips & Murray i get - both similar styles & i guess thats how the Lions will be going

Farrell - very lucky to be picked & it's a shame for Duncan Weir as i think maybe he'd have made the squad as a 9/10 style player to cover both slots if not bust his leg t'other week. Sexton was also rocky on his comeback last week for periods so we'll see?

The samoan - jus not good enough consistently at the next level, one trick pony for sure.


Still thats it's time to pull on the shirt & support the British & irish lions for the next few months - 2/1 Lions

To say that O'Donnell is a form player and that Croft is a bad pick means that someone has been cherry-picking the games they have been watching recently. Croft has been superb since his return, and I'm not exactly his biggest fan in general.

You're probably right about O'Donnell , but he did have the great David Wallace in front of him and he has bulked up and is the future, even at 25 for me is young!

Gatland is not interested in the future though, he's interested in the here and now. Otherwise Wade (surely the 'form' winger?), Madigan and a few others would be thrown in. Keith Earls was that sort of pick last time round and he was rubbish. Had he got in this time I imagine he would have been far better, but no such luck.

I have watched Croft a lot and I don't rate him , simple as .......

A substantial "Welsh " flavour to the Lions , front and back of house .  Just hope it all works out , my own relationship with the Welsh has always been brilliant , fellow Celts and all that .  Not sure that comment  applies to all the Welsh "neighbours" .  Touring parties sometimes dont add up to the sum of all the parts .

Scotland with only 3 might feel a little left out , particularly as one of those 3 is not native , parachute job .

Try watching the heineken QF or Northampton v Leicester. Those two games are why he got in. That and previous Lions form I guess. I don't think it's coincidence that every head coach picks Croft when given the chance.

plus Croft can cover 2nd row at a push

which allows gatland to pick more back-rowers

Oh ok Mr SKY bosses

True, although it doesn't look like a squad where cover has been a major consideration.

Launchbury a little unlucky to be left out, especially as Richie Gray has done very little all season, but I guess O'Connell's barnstorming return put paid to his chances. Still plenty of time for a few fringe players to find themselves on the plane though, there must be a few injuries still to come.

Yes, a Lions pick is all about SKY TV somehow. Also, the moon landing was faked, the US government was responsible for 9/11 etc etc.. It's all a conspiracy don't you know.

Apparently Stevens can sing, every squad needs a good singer

Matt Stevens

they could have the welsh and Scotland team and beat the aussies there ****,

no irish or English in the squad and beat these diddlys

Appearing soon on SKY TV, the magic double act of Houdini (Heaslip)and his lovely assistant Croft.
I hear they do a lovely dissappearing act

I'm with North. Ryan Grant can count himself desperately unlucky not to be picked.
Better in the loose than all the fatties bar Vunipola but a way better prop than him.
Thought his brace of try's against the Spreys would have sealed it. The debacle at
the scrum for Scotland against the Taffs wasn't his fault imo but poor perceived weekness on the refs part.

Who will cover outhalf from the bench in the midweek games?
Two outhalves with 10 games in 5 weeks

the lack of a utility back or a third fly is truly baffling.  I'd wager a large sum one will appear in the squad in the next 3 weeks.  Hook the likeliest.  Murray is probably the 6th best scrum half in the home nations.

Will Johnny Wilkinson not be joining the tour ?  Think I would have a bet on him appearing sometime in OZ this summer . The Aussies will target Farrell , dont think he would sustain their pressure based on observation to date .  There is a bit of Aussie Rules thinking still inherent in Aussie sport .

Wilkinson ruled himself out according to 5Live. Gatland called him and he said he didn't think his body could cope. I'd imagine Flood, Hook or Biggar is the next cab off the rank (although it should be Laidlaw imo).

Watching the TV now , Wilkinson apparently opted out , which explains his omission .  But he is definitley First Sub !

I don't think they'll be targeting farrell with water bottles while he's on ze bench, now they might just target Sexton on the field

Wilkinson would be a fairly miserable bugger to have on tour anyway.

I am not happy with the prospect of Dylan Hartley wearing my British and Irish Lions shirt. He is just not a very pleasant man.

I think on balance it is a fairly ordinary Lions squad.  Australia will be licking their lips imo.

Great to see gingCat back btw...I had assumed that a poor diet had done for him.

Funny , Ozy , I always liked Wilkinson although he was aften a thorn in our side .  I always felt that with Johnny , what you saw was what you got . Possibly too honest , maybe not very interested in a physical tour to Australia at this stage in his career . Has a stellar record though over the years on the best England team ever  , changed kicking perception  forever especially for the younger generation .

Farrell lucky his dad is on the coaching team.

A few surprise selections for me and by definition a few surprise omissions also.

Certainly thought Zebo would have been picked in front of Maitland. Mike Brown is not and will probably never be an international class winger

Expected to see 3 fly halves included or at the very least a utility player such as Hook or  Laidlaw selected.  Serious workload on sexton and Farrell who apart from injuries will tog out for and quite possibly appear in every match of the tour.

Hartley?  No Best?

Not many have mentioned him on this thread but I thought Jim Hamilton deserved a call up possibly in front of his Scottish teammate Gray

Robshaw had a decent 6 nations playing a certain intense style of play that has certainly caused his effectiveness to decrease as the season goes on. I thought he would have been picked and indeed only 5 weeks ago certain experts (OZY) had him starting. Having said that I would not have picked him.

English style of back play has been rewarded with only one outside back been picked along with 2 halfbacks.


Vis a vis O'Donnell , I could argue for POM but Tommy will do fine in the USA

I for one will be lumping on the LIONS to win the series and to win the series 3-0

When will Wilkinson join the tour?

A very conservative squad overall I think. 63 comments and not one mention of Tom Youngs? If Best doesn't get in for his throwing...

I'm disgusted with the selection of Maitland who only decided he was Scottish a few months ago while selecting Gray and Lydiate makes a mockery of his mantra to be picking on form. I'm not Hamilton's biggest fan (a penalty machine), but he was superb in the 6N. Think he might be injured?

There's not one broken field runner in the entire backline who would fancy to do something exceptional from 80 metres (maybe Youngs or Hogg), which I think is very sad to see given the history of the Lions.

Heaven forbid anything happens to Ben Youngs or Jonny Sexton.

Spread on the number of injury replacements called out?

7-9 I reckon.

So a lot of the disappointees will get to go IMO.

Big dunc , is Maitland not playing for Scotland because he was unlikely to ever get picked for his country of birth ?  Unless of course he is a Petersen type character ( which I doubt ) .

Dont mind him myself , has played well in last year we have seen him , but dont see him terrifying the Aussies if he gets a pick for the big ones .

Maitland being a part of the Lions squad when he was probably roaring NZ on to beat them 8 years ago leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. He's more Maori than he is Scottish and has been capped by NZ Maori as well as winning Underage World Cups with NZ. I've no problem with Scotland exploiting the rule, but to parachute him into the squad is just plain wrong, especially when there are far more deserving players missing out.

I agree with Dunc...it is a fairly uninspiring squad...I think Australia have an outstanding chance and wouldn't be backing the Lions to win the Test series.  Not necessarily laying them either mind.  Too tight to call for me, Australia the value.

Reasonably happy with the squad, Best omission for me is inexplicable, when hatelys picture came up on screen my wife thought I was having a stroke. An off form Best is better than a good hately,Best beasted him in Ravinhill in every dept.

I personally would have brought Care instead of Murray as he can change a game (both ways a it happens), Hamilton unlucky not to travel as is Forshaw.

Suprised that no 3rd 10/utility player picked and we could see either Jonny joining after hes finished with Toulon or a Hook/Madigan type travelling even after the Baa Baas game.

Still Best is a huge error and smacks of a personality clash more than anything else.

I see that ticket only packages have now been released to the NH public.

Melbourne bronze tickets face value $95 = £65 and a lions jersey £50  total face value cost £115.

Lions package cost €429. seriously trying to feck over the NH supporter big time.

Sorry that should be £429 not €429. difference of £314.

Ballaman, I was told first hand by a former Lion that very few of the official packages from the NH have sold. Still hard to get your hands on them given the way they're sold, but he seemed to think you'd have no trouble picking them up over there. A friend of mine living in Aus got an email off the ARU to say that a number of tickets for all matches were going on sale again yesterday morning to Aus residents, so I suspect they've sold only a fraction of what they're letting on.

They were looking for the guts of a grand for that package that you listed above earlier in the year.

Cheers Dunc, I have two for brisbane and a friend got me two for sydney which Im hoping to swap for Melbourne as im not going to stay for the 3rd test.

Things are looking up on that front, its just a pity that they are totally creaming the supporters, i wouldnt mind paying a few € over the odds but €700 over the odds for two tickets from an official source is outrageous.

They seem to have overestimated the spending power of the NH supporter,even the Lions arent recession proof.

There's not one broken field runner in the entire backline who would fancy to do something exceptional from 80 metres (maybe Youngs or Hogg), which I think is very sad to see given the history of the Lions.

Reckon 1/2p may fit the bill too dunc. You could possibly look outside the backline at Croft and Tipuric too.

Actually think the call with the 10s is a good one looking at the situation. They obviously want Johnny to go and they are going to call on him at some point with the lack of cover in the position. This way, the selected squad can get on with things without having to worry about a late-comer, it suits Wilkinson's commitments in the French league and offers the touring party a big boost when he turns up. It's the sort of boost you can see Robshaw giving the squad when he invariably gets on a plane too.

Stevens is a poor choice. I'm assuming he's being taken on the basis that he can play both sides.

Cuthbert always looks decent to me in broken play situations, strong runner and hard to stop when he gets up a head of steam.

Yeah, I've maybe done 1/2p a disservice there. Cuthbert is quick, but he's a giant and isn't as nimble in those tight spots. When I made that comment, I was thinking along the lines of a player who can step out of a tackle and show that blistering acceleration to spark a move, something that gets people off their seats. A Shane Williams or a Jason Robinson. I think Christian Wade could've filled that role and it would have cost nothing to include him, but that's irrelevant now.

It must be the biggest Lions squad in history in terms of size and more resembles the type of squad SA would send over. It looks like they plan on brutalising their way to victory, there are so many direct runners with very little guile or craft.

The more i look at the squad the more it's been picked on reputation & experience in areas imo with around 8 names on there that can count themselves very lucky but are maybe of the type of players that on their day could be an impact/play above rookies/younger potential. more a class is permanent, form is temporary ethos about the squad when I look again although I still can't put Matt Stevens nor Dylan Hartley into that equation anywhichwayup.

The 8 i look at our

Stevens
hartley
Gray
Croft
heaslip
The Samoan
Bowe
Kearney

As for the scrumhalfs..... by far & away the Lions weakest spot BUT I can see why Murray has been selected as he's of a similar style (Big n slow that is) to phillips whose really the best of an average bunch.

It looks like the Lions are jus gonna "try" & batter the Aussies into submission going on the frwds picked as well, maybe a good thing? not so sure as the Aussies look to be gearing up for the test series & have the game when their backs are against the wall, expecting it to be closer than many pundits seem to think

You can add Lydiate to the list too furrelli, long, long lay off and he's not done much for club since coming back

gatland's comment about current form being key was clearly bollox

Yes, good spot, I missed him MB & we could add Farrell (as his dads pickign the team.....)

Apparently the back-row is the Lions strength, is it really? A lot of smash mouth players selected there without any real guile which imo is needed at the highest level, heart alone wont win you the games

I am not impressed as some by the Lions squad.

As pointed out it appears not to have been necessarily picked on form, and with some bizarre selections.

imo Australia match up well with the Lions in key areas. Loads of teams think they can batter the Aussies and they are now used to dealing with these tactics.

my main concerns are the selections at 9 (Lions look weak) and 10 (only 2!!). I think someone somewhere in the warm up matches will have a serious pop at Farrell and Sexton. The Lions back row is being lauded in certain areas but imo they will do well to match the Aussies (George Smith returning?).

Not sure why Best has been left out.

I hope i'm completely wrong but I think that Australia could well win 3-0

"There are only two or three players in the world that referees would allow to (talk to them).

"It's the ability Sam has to communicate with referees and when I saw that against England it really stuck in my mind that this guy could do a job for us and potentially have a positive influence on the game with his relationship with referees.

"I think Craig has got a really good relationship with Sam. Having spoken to Craig I know that he regards Sam as one of the best sevens in the world.

"He regards him on a par with (Richie) McCaw and (David) Pocock in terms of the way he is at the breakdown, his physicality and the way he carries.

"So when a referee makes these comments to you in terms of enjoying his leadership and saying that he's got a good rapport with him, it makes it a kind of easy decision for me to make in terms of appointing him as captain."

WALOFS

RW

most refs cant/wont stop any of the pro players talking to them

Big Dunc they only had tickets for the lesser matches the tests were sold out.

Hi ,


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