Glad to see Twelvetrees in, he could make the test team (2nd or 3rd) I think he's been unlucky not to feature more for England and a good Lions tour should make Lancaster take note.
Even if warbs was fully fit he probebly only missed out on one game anyway - the tour opener in hong kong. Meanwhile we have an England captain who with loss of form wanted to go on a lions tour but is actually so shagged he is skipping an England tour to rest even though he only has a handful of caps and needs the experience.
Hey people lets keep this thread calm and away from getting personal.
I agree scamper; robshaw is ****ed. It's right that he's rested. I still question the selection of an out of form, unfit player short of games as a lion, let alone lions capt. Actually I don't question it, I think it's bollocks.
Didn't have you down as someone who'd forget a midget hookers name a-a
😀
Its thoughts like yours that caused a piss weak front row being handed their arseholes in the first test last time round.
is it that hard to understand? Looking good against shite opposition is of very little relevance to who will step up come a big test. Mears and Vickery looked great against poor opposition and then were cruelly exposed in the first test. Obviously these concepts are beyond you so you just keep throwing insults and slandering me.
Spite. It's always easier to just attack a person rather than discuss. He also has a hatred of the English, which is worrying considering he chooses to live here and is allowed to teach English children.
er.. that's beyond funny!
Iirc, that pack performed well against some OK SA club sides. What would you have done had they not? Played them in the tests anyway?
I don't know you in real life, but you come across on here as spiteful and anti English. It's quite evident that I'm not the only one to notice this......
and you come across as such a lovely person 😆 and haven't been banging the same drum about Warburton for months. You'll have to point out my anti English spite because I thought we were discussing two welsh players. It would appear you cant handle some friendly banter and start throwing your toys out of the pram with insults aimed at my job. I hope your world is a happy place for you because it seems very different from mine.
that pack performed well against some OK SA club sides. What would you have done had they not? Played them in the tests anyway?
no, I'd have played the best players available, which were not Mears and Vickery, despite them having dominated poor teams the coaches mended the error at half time but it was too late.
It's not quite that simple wrecker - there are a fair few other players who would fail your form/fitness test leading up to the Tour who have been picked, and for a few Other welsh players that England match was a big barometer of form available before the lions. It's not as if warbs earned a 4 out of 10 in his first appearance either. Its not the first and won't be the last time a lions captains form is put under the microscope - look at Paul O'Connell last time.
Turns out I was right about warbutton months ago! I should go into coaching. We were discussing welsh players, until you bought up 3 English players. So the accusation is very valid by your own standards. My world is pretty bloody good at present thanks. If one of us has the shitty end of the stick then I can confirm that my end is clean 😀
The definition of "Best" changes though doesn't it? Tipuric, at present is the best open side available. By a considerable distance. That reds team were not in any way comparable to the aus national side and neither were the country side. Tips did very well, warbs certainly did not. Unless he gets a few games in before the tests, he's going to fare even worse vs aus. What would you do?
For a_a and wrecker, I'll make you wear this 😮
[IMG] 
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Worked for me and Piggie. In fact whenever we see one another we stick it back on for a few hours.
until you bought up 3 English players
at which point you spat the dummy
Anyhow a 'secret' package has arrived addressed to my wife, but I think a present for me. It has a Gloucester post mark on it from a sports shop. Is it a lions top or glaws new strip to replace my 7 yr old stained top?!
In fact whenever we see one another we stick it back in for a few hours
😯
Oh darcy I hope to have a good email for you friday 🙂
Kula. 😀
<mod>
Gentle warning to keep it civil, you two.
If there's one thing guaranteed to make me more vexed than having to pick the bones out of a he-said-she-said playground argument to work out who's at fault and whether warnings / bans are in order, it's having to read through a bloody sports thread in order to do it. If I have to start wading back through twelve pages of team selection arguing and post-match post-mortems in order to do so I'll have sense of humour failure in short order. So knock it off.
</mod>
Big sports fan then, cougar? 😛
Let me count the ways.
With the greatest respect could anyone point out where i havent been civil?
With the greatest respect could anyone point out where i havent been civil?
I'd just advise you to work on your tone a_a. You might be laughing as you write it, but bit doesn't always come across that way. I'm not having a dig.
Fair point but it is a light hearted rugby bullshitting thread not somewhere to make comments questining someones professional abilities ( Owen Farrel excepted of course).
**** off then.
EDIT: Oops, 🙂
Anyway back to the Tips v Warbs point as any stdent of welsh rugby will tell you when not sure Gatland always just picks the biggest player so if Warbs doesnt start SOB will.
Lions team: Leigh Halfpenny; Sean Maitland, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Simon Zebo; Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Paul O'Connell , Tom Croft, Sam Warburton (capt), Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Alex Corbisiero, Dan Cole, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Rob Kearney.
mut be close to the test team minus North and BOD.
Hope it's not too early a run-out for Zebo.
Or sexton. We really don't want him broken.
Or sexton. We really don't want him broken.
Agreed.
I meant career-wise for Zebo really though. Last thing he needs is a nightmare in an early Lions appearance having been called up as a replacement.
Exciting player though - fast, unpredictable and any excuse to show this:
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Great bit of skill that 😀 if his defence is better than Cuthberts he could be in.
Interesting mod comments. I like discussing rugby, but the attitude on these threads keeps me away. Doesn't come across as light-hearted, but more know-it-all-my-opinion-is-right-disagree-and-you-know-nothing.
Ho-hum. Enjoy.
I agree DezB. I used to contribute as much as I could to these threads but lately they've become more juvenile, angry and extremely repetitive.
I replied to loum's point yesterday and then couldn't be bothered to add more because I'd have to trawl through pages of a_a vs the world. (So apologies to loum, I'm not ignoring you specifically!)
Anyway, sort it out children. These threads used to be fun. These days they are a chore to keep up with.
DezB + IdleJon = nail on head
sputnik - MemberDezB + IdleJon = nail on head
Yep + 1 here too, I enjoy a bit of banter and hearing from people with more rugby knowledge than me but the squabbling here can be a bit much at times, so I don't bother contributing, although that said, there are plenty of great opinions and good knowledge on here.
Much like the rest of STW, then? You can simply pick and choose what you need/want to pay attention to!
🙂
Time for the thread to be closed then.
*Thread reported*
That close to test team contained more weak links than North and BOD would replace. I don't think AWJ or Parling will play before Gray and I think Mr Amazing hair will start at 2. And Zebo? Does he have pictures of Gatland in a paddling pool with a ladyboy hooker and a 30 gallon drum of baby oil?
Aaaaaannnnyway....interesting to see the Croft Warburton Heaslips trio in the back row. Very exciting going forwards, Croft and Warbs are good lineout options...will there be enough in defence from them though?
I agree with Duckman i think AWJ and O’Connell are pretty similar and would have Grey in place of AWJ. Always like watching Croft play think he offers something a bit different to the other back rowers on tour. Zebo I imagine is in for a game since he is out there and North is out as a precaution. I rate Zebo above Cuthbert certainly defensively but think Maitland may start the Test with North. Hogg to get a run at 10 in the following match for a chance to secure a test bench place instead of Farrell and allow more options off the bench.
Re arguments: I blame the smiley, winky face icons. I hate them but they appear necessary to convey “light hearted” etc. take Flashy’s post a few above for example completely different without the pesky little thing at the end.
If you enjoy rugby contribute your thoughts/opinions and as Flashy said respond to what you want, it would be pretty dull if everyone agreed.
😀
I agree with Duckman i think AWJ and O’Connell are pretty similar and would have Grey in place of AWJ. Always like watching Croft play think he offers something a bit different to the other back rowers on tour. Zebo I imagine is in for a game since he is out there and North is out as a precaution. I rate Zebo above Cuthbert certainly defensively but think Maitland may start the Test with North. Hogg to get a run at 10 in the following match for a chance to secure a test bench place instead of Farrell and allow more options off the bench.
would agree with all that, but Farrell must be on the bench as 10 cover. But in the pack, if Heaslip and Croft are in the backrow, both of whom like to attack wide areas having Grey do the same might unbalance the pack, AWJ and POC, with Vunipola and Youngs/Hibbard to bang it up close.
Struggle to see who would be the dog in that back row as well,I have always felt Warburton is not as good a fetcher as the Aussies have. Even allowing for how quick he is. Our back row may be a wee bit too tall. It was suggested in the Times that the fact Gray was taken off early last Sat was becuase he was being placed in cotton wool.
Few pundits have also suggested the lineouts are poor as they are keeping the Test calls under warps until the event. Two sets would certainly explain some of the foul ups.
If Croft and Heaslip play Tips cant as he again likes to play wider. If Croft plays I think Faletau might be more suitable as he is a workaholic, played poorly last time though. Shame Lydiate is still not at his best as him, Heaslip and either Warbs and Tips would look balanced.
Hmm interesting, maybe awj and poc would work if croft warbs heaslip are the back 3. Youngs for all his scrumming frailties is a tackling machine so could be a good player in that pack....having Adam next to him should help him in the scrums I'd imagine.
Farrell has to be on the bench if Sexton is the 10.... Hogg as cover at 10 is asking for trouble, Farrell would do a good job coming on at 12 too.
Hope it's not too early a run-out for Zebo.
Think he's fit again, and played against the US.
I like this decision by Gatland. It gives him a fair crack at putting his case for inclusion.
Tuesday would be too late - if he went all out then and did something to really earn a test start then he might be too knackered to make it worthwhile 4 days later. Like this, it means he can give it his best and still have the week to recover, like most of the other starters, if it proves good enough. Think it makes more difference when it's your only real shot at it. Fair play to Gatland, he did say everyone would get a chance.
For the same reason, would have liked 36 to get a run but guess the jet-lag's still too close.
No apologies needed Idlejohn, the pages move on and the discussion get's lost. I like your comments, even if I [s]don't always agree[/s] usually argue a bit too much.
Idle John I always though it was me who offended you somehow. 😆
Big challenge for a young Scotland team 😯
South Africa : W Le Roux; B Habana, JJ Engelbrecht, J De Villiers (capt), B Basson; M Steyn, R Pienaar; T Mtawarira, A Strauss, J Du Plessis, E Estebeth, J Kruger, M Coetzee, A Botha, P Spies. Replacements : B Du Plessis, T Nyakane, C Oosthuizen, F van der Merwe, S Kolisi, P van Zyl, P Lambie, J Serfontein.
Scotland : Peter Murchie, Tommy Seymour, Alex Dunbar, Matt Scott, Sean Lamont, Ruaridh Jackson, Greig Laidlaw (capt), Alasdair Dickinson, Scott Lawson, Euan Murray, Tim Swinson, Jim Hamilton, Alasdair Strokosch, Ryan Wilson, Johnnie Beattie. Replacements : Stevie Lawrie, Jon Welsh, Moray Low, Alastair Kellock, David Denton, Henry Pyrgos, Peter Horne, Duncan Taylor.
