AWJ is still a possible captain. I thought I heard Gatland say the captain doesn’t necessarily need to be playing/in the first team (it may have been someone else however).
And Ringrose is a better player than both Irish centres already mentioned.
Defence works better with Ringrose at 13, and one of aki or Henshaw. Attack too.
SOB has had his time, bit too broken now.
Dan leavy is just starting to get gametime after a year out injured. Nearest equivalent of he gets back to where he was
And Ringrose is a better player than both Irish centres already mentioned.
Defence works better with Ringrose at 13, and one of aki or Henshaw. Attack too.
Thats a fair point, I just got excited by Henshaws try last week. Aki isnt great but 12 isnt an area of strength tbh
Ringrose is a damn fine player.
Ooh I forgot Ringrose....definitely on the plane!
@loum with regards to James Louwe....I did wonder myself, but I specifically remember Gatland not picking someone in one of his previous tours on the grounds of 'not understanding the history' enough....ie they'd only recently qualified through residency. EDIT was it in reference to W P Nel several years back?
@Kryton yeah I've seen the Itoje comments.....I mean if fit he's probably one of the clearest cut first choices for the test XV so that puts him in contention....I'm not even sure he's captained a pro game though has he? Was he U23 England Captain? His captaincy CV is fairly blank (the rest of his CV isn't half bad like)
If James Lowe plays for Ireland like he’s played for Leinster, he will be a test starter alongside Adams. He makes the game look so easy and fun. A lethal back 3 with Liam Williams, and one that should be able to target Kolbe with cross-field kicks.
JD2 will go, helped by his Lions experience and relatively weak midfield options. Needs to fix his gammy peg tho.
I would be surprised if Itoje is captain of the Lions as his first captaincy. My money is on AWJ as captain.
I’d love to see Russel start the tests, but I just don’t see Gatland going with him. He’d need to have a pretty error free 6N to displace Farrel. Bad timing with his injury. I think it will be Farrel 10, Biggar on the bench.
Back row is anybody’s guess. Haskell to come out of retirement? Both Curry brothers? Sam Warbuton???!
No captaincy experience does not rule Itoje out imo. He is imo growing as a player and as a person. His comments on swing low were spot on and I would be happy with him as captain. Plenty of experience around him.
tj you’ll like this - further evidence that I haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, as Squidge praises Ali Price 😀
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4c6spOSkrbQ
I did enjoy that even if Squidge ( as a welsh fan) spent most of it analysing wales faults rather than what the scots did well.
for me the most gratifying thing abut that game was the control in the last 10 minutes. something Scotland are not renowned for 🙂 Price was a big part of that and since he got Townsends and Rennies boots up his fundament a year or two has improved greatly and become a better player
On Price - who is a better 9 right now eligible for the lions?
Lions tour captain will be AWJ. He’s a favourite of Gatland and if he’s in an kind of form he’ll at least be on the bench come test time.
It’s a long way to the Lions but we could probably throw 15-20 names in the hat that will be on the plane. Not the best players this autumn but the tried and tested Lions tourists with big game experience and proven track records. Not all of them will be test match day players though.
On Price – who is a better 9 right now eligible for the lions?
Williams, Webb and Davies and thats just from Wales!
Bollox AA! 🙂 A well reasoned argument I think you will find 🙂
Davies was playing last weekend and did not look anywhere as good as Aldi Price
Youngs
Nominated for 6N's player of the year. Lost to Dupont ironically....bags of experience, world cup finalist, excellent relationship with Farrell whom is likely to be the starting 10.
Just fringe one other country...
Murray
Cooney
Blade
Marmion
Casey
Gibson park
McGrath
Youngs is nowhere near Prices class although regular playing with Farrell might be to his advantage
Murray if he regains the form of the last few years is a good shout especially if Sexton goes, Prices form is excellent right now
Sexton shouldn't go.
He's had enough injuries and needs gametime managed and more recovery than a lions tour affords.
For a one off game, still the best. But if you need someone to play 3 times in a month, no chance.
Would be best left at home. If it comes to the third test and everyone else is broken, then fly him over.
Murray would work well with anyone at 10, good enough in his own right.
Would improve a player like Russell.
Was listening.to three Scots 80s internationals yesterday discussing the lions. They reckoned AWJ probably wouldn't go.
He's still a force to be reckoned with but the schedule coming of the back of this season and heading to very hard pitches it might be better to take some of the up and coming second rows.
No one rates Price then!
Sexton shouldn’t go.
He’s had enough injuries and needs gametime managed and more recovery than a lions tour affords.
One of the main reasons Gatland made for his Wales World Cup team selection was the players needing to be robust enough and not carrying injuries. So, I think you’re likely correct about Sexton. That could be a big factor for a number of Wales’ potential selections too I’d have thought.
I rate Price TJ....just think that he's not overly experienced, has only been the first choice 9 for Scotland for what...12 months? Murray if back on form, Youngs and the two Welsh 9's are more experienced and all great players too. There's no real stand out 9 though imo.
Another question TJ....whom are the 10's at the Scottish domestic sides? Adam Hastings is one isn't he? Whom else? I was quite surprised that Ducan Weir is next in line after Russell and Hastings....
Youngs
Nominated for 6N’s player of the year. Lost to Dupont ironically….bags of experience, world cup finalist, excellent relationship with Farrell whom is likely to be the starting 10.
Just a shame he's shit.
Tomos Williams is better than Price, shame he's broken
Whom is first choice 9 for Wales if all are fit? I always think that Gareth Davies looks the best.
Another question TJ….whom are the 10’s at the Scottish domestic sides?
Hastings at Glasgow with Peter Horne as Backup
A chap called Jaco Van Der Walt at Edinburgh who qualifies for Scotland mid November but is in quarantine right now having gone to SA to get married - no backup 10
Ally Price has 27 caps for scotland - hardly inexperienced He was first capped 4 years ago. He was first choice for a while then his form dipped then he came back to top form to cement his place as number 1
Whom is first choice 9 for Wales if all are fit? I always think that Gareth Davies looks the best.
Its all a bit up in the air whichever of the three is available. Tomos is the younger improving player, Webb most reliable, Davies is limited in a number of areas but is an attacking threat.
Hayward out https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/breaking-wales-coach-hayward-leaves-19243620
Not exactly great timing but the defence has been shit!
Another question TJ….whom are the 10’s at the Scottish domestic sides?
I forgot Nathan Chamberlain at Edinburgh. He is the backup 10. In his forst pro year having come out of the under 20 setup
Ireland to play Wales on friday
Ireland: Stockdale; Keenan, Farrell, Henshaw, Lowe; Sexton, Gibson-Park; Healy, Kelleher, Porter; Henderson, Ryan; O'Mahony, van der Flier, Doris.
Replacements: Heffernan, E Byrne, Bealham, Roux, Connors, Murray, Burns, Earls.
I might be busy that evening. 😟😟😟😟
I'm waiting for the England announcement, Eddie rumoured to be trying out the 9 forwards approach.
I’m waiting for the England announcement, Eddie rumoured to be trying out the 9 forwards approach.
What, like the Italian experiment of playing Bergamasco at 9?
What, like the Italian experiment of playing Bergamasco at 9?
Sounds awesome!!
Oh god!!! Didn't he say one of the Curry twins could be a 9? (They can't, as a Sale fan I've seen them both play countless times!)
An Ireland team without CJ or Murray.
And Stockdale still at 15, Wales might just try a few kicks...
Kelleher is interesting pick, if he sorts his throwing he could be hooker for next ten years. Was better form last year though.
Stockdale at 15 is the obvious target, dont think Wales are currently good enough to exploit it
That Ireland team has 11 Leinster starters, and that's without injured
J Larmour
G Ringrose
T Furlong
D Leavy
J Conan
And the kids coming through like Penny, Frawley, and Byrne are doing alright too. Away wins at ospreys and Glasgow
What, like the Italian experiment of playing Bergamasco at 9?
Current Rumours are Ben Earl coming in off the bench at Centre and Ollie Thorley deputising at Flanker if for some strange reason the Kamikaze Kids are needed on the wing in attack.
I'm sure its just a distraction with Jones's Running Back philosophy being de-restrcted from No 8. I think this strategy is of a pop up from 8 in an attacking scrum/maul with Thorley / Nowell standing at 9 to crash it up.
But who knows.
WALES TEAM TO PLAY IRELAND
1. Rhys Carre (Cardiff Blues (10 Caps)
2. Ryan Elias (Scarlets) (15 Caps)
3. Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs) (49 Caps)
4. Will Rowlands (Wasps) (2 Caps)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (140 Caps) (CAPT)
6. Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff Blues) (1 Cap)
7. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) (77 Caps)
8. Taulupe Faletau (Bath) (78 Caps)
9. Gareth Davies (Scarlets) (55 Caps)
10. Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints) (85 Caps)
11. Josh Adams (Cardiff Blues) (26 Caps)
12. Owen Watkin (Ospreys) (23 Caps)
13. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) (83 Caps)
14. Liam Williams (Scarlets) (64 Caps)
15. Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets) (91 Caps)
REPLACEMENTS:
16. Elliot Dee (Dragons) (29 Caps)
17. Wyn Jones (Scarlets) (26 Caps)
18. Samson Lee (Scarlets) (42 Caps)
19. Jake Ball (Scarlets) (46 Caps)
20. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) (23 Caps)
21. Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues) (28 Caps)
22. Callum Sheedy (Bristol) (*Uncapped)
23. George North (Ospreys) (96 Caps)
5,7,8,9,10,11,13,14
Probable Lions next summer
And that's without Cory Hill
Loum - probable with Gatland coaching but on merit? Hardly any of them 🙂
AWJ is too old and too slow - he shouldn't even have gone last time. The only probable on merit would be loopy liam and maybe Biggar
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/liam-williams-only-wales-player-19233142
Edit - mind you that article has Youngs at 9 so obviously talking out of his hat 🙂
he shouldn’t even have gone last time
If you picked your targets a bit better more people might listen
Shall we call Friday night the start of the 2020-2021 LIONS season thread
AA - he was carrying an injury and out of form. I'm not denying he is a good player but taking players carrying injuries was a high risk strategy
Just accept it
Johnny Gray wasn't good enough
