One for the Egg Chasers - 2013 British and Irish Lions Chat

[monkey_roo]

There have been far too many egg chasing jokes around here for my liking so time to get a good rugby post going...

Lions Squad announced today:

Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Sean Maitland (Scotland), George North (Wales), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Manu Tuilagi (England), Owen Farrell (England), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales), Ben Youngs (England).

Forwards: Dan Cole (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Matt Stevens (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dylan Hartley (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Tom Youngs (England), Ian Evans (Wales), Richie Gray (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Geoff Parling (England), Tom Croft (England), Toby Faletau (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Sam Warburton (Wales).

Any surprise inclusions or omissions in your eyes? and let the countdown to some good old fashioned Aussie Bashing begin - Please note unlike other lesser sports that may not necessarily be a metaphor we have all see Mr Tuilagi's Right hook go a flying in the past and that was against a team mate!!! who i cant help but notice didn't make the cut here - it could be a brutal serise.

But back to today announcement:

For me Maitland is a lucky as is Conor Murray, Maybe Robshaw is a little hard done by but actually I don't think he had a real shot anyway. The Forwards mostly picked themselves on form but Vunipola was a bit of a surprise.

Wilkinson is unlucky, he bossed the game at the weekend and should he inspire Toulon to win the European Cup off the back of consecutive player of the league awards in France that might look like a daft omission, also think Laidlaw is unlucky.

That said with inevitable injuries this won't be the final touring party.

As for what the Lions will face, that is a bit of an unknown i guess, The Aussies didn't have the best showing in the Championship but at club level are going well in the Supers with the Brumbies and the Reds, no idea when the Wallabies Squad will be announced but i am guessing a long way off yet.

No chance on calling the series yet...

 

[itfciain]

I would have liked to have seen Wilkinson in the team - but he is a victim of his own success and Gatland has said all along that he wants the team together before they go away. An injury to either Farrell or Sexton would surely mean a call for him

Good to see Hogg in the squad - think he is a good player (even for a Jock) and agree that although slightly unlucky, Robshaw is nowhere near the calibre of past England captains (Carling, Johnson or Dallaglio from recent history)

Think the team reflects the finishing positions in the Six Nations, which is about fair and reckon that they will certainly give the Aussies a good game and have the depth to beat New Zealand on their day)

 

[Grant_C]

Lol.

Far to many English, Irish and Scottish in the team for my liking.

 

[PGowdy]

I didn't know what "The Lions" were until today. I always thought people were referring to the England national team when they said "Lions".
That's how much i'm into Rugby. :lol:

 

[monkey_roo]

So happy you learnt something new today

 

[weasel]

[youtube]aTpXymuwxNs[/youtube]

 

[monkey_roo]

well, whatever floats your boat, very funny though , i doubt it is but i one of those guys is a dead ringer for Shane Byrne...

personally i prefer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cym3Whor0MY

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUqAM9nrMg (Watch it 3 mins in... OUCH)

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUqAM9nrMg

maybe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB1GBPKKktk

 

[weasel]

Aye, i thought it actually was shane byrne, but i know very little about rugby.

PS, great punch by yer man!

 

[monkey_roo]

That it was (and as a life long Tigers fan and ex-player that brings a somewhat politically incorrect smile to my face)

I must say i am no Chris Ashton fan but fair do's taking that hit and not going down like a sack of spuds, got to respect that. Not sure there are many footballers that would do the same, mind you there aren't many footballets that can throw a punch like that either.

 

[weasel]

Sod footballers, i'm not sure many boxers would take a punch like that and still be standing.

 

[itfciain]

Aye, i thought it actually was shane byrne, but i know very little about rugby.

PS, great punch by yer man!

It is Shane Byrne :lol: Good on him for being a good sport

 

[monkey_roo]

Fantastic - that is a cracking sense of humour

 

[aussiejames]

Go the convicts

 

[monkey_roo]

Well tour underway now
59-8 was a bit of a walk in the park, albeit a very hot and humid park. I think this weeks match will be a lot tougher and can't wait to see O'Driscol and Tuilagi in the centers together

 

[itfciain]

Bit of a no-win game that one - if we hadn't have won by a cricket score everyone would have complained and when we did then apparently it is meaningless

Also not sure why Farrell got so much grief - I would have lamped the guy as well if he'd done that to me - especially as he is my club teammate - his kicking was spot on - and as for all this crap about getting wound up - that is something has always happened to the lions kickers - O'Gara having his face re-arranged in 2001

 

[monkey_roo]

Agreed Iain
The opposition will look to do that all day long, especially in the mid-week games, trying to soften up players ahead of the test match or even put them out of the test match... Been done before, remember how brutal the mid-week games were in 97 in SA and they took Howley out after half a game as a recall.

There was some nice play in the match, Cuthbert showed he can finish when asked having seen little or no ball all game, which will be like a test match. Some of the interplay was nice and they kept going for the full 80, but mostly it was still more of a training ground run, Wester Force on Wednesday will be a more cohesive team and more of a challenge but I am still going Lions by 20.

 

[itfciain]

Yeah, I think the Western Force will be up for it but I like the Lions line-up - your 20 might be a bit hard to get but there will be points

 

[monkey_roo]

Well got that wrong.....
69-17 what a thumping.

Quite an entertaining game to watch, a lot going on and the Lions didn't hold back, even against such soft opposition which was good to see, it would have been easy to lose all shape and game plan but the showed good discipline and stuck to it. I thought the back row went well all three looked in good nick any of them could grab a test spot and no one would grumble. O'Driscol showed he has no issues performing at this level and he and Tuilagi looked a good pair in midfield. Not much else to say really as nothing much shone through. Saturdays game against the Red's will be a much sterner test and from there I think we will start to see the Saturday/Wednesday split and get an idea of the first test team in a few weeks.

Oh great kicking by Halfpenny, that alone will land him a test spot.

 

[itfciain]

Yeah, I realised that it would be a bit like that when I saw the W Force team - what is the point of putting out a weakened team ?

O'Discol and Tuialgi would be my starters for the first test anyway so glad they had a good game

Still need to have a proper game before we go into the first match but am confident that this Lions team will do the business this year

 

[monkey_roo]

If i were a WF player i would be so pissed off about now. They are all but bottom of their league and have no chance of winning anything and along come the Lions for what is a once in a career game for most of these players and management denied them the chance to run out and enjoy themselves and instead sent out a second string team to get slaughtered... it makes no sense even in the professional era there was more to gain by putting out the best possible team and maybe scalping the Lions ahead of a test series than not. Back in 97 and 2001 i remember the mid-week teams busting their guts to beat the Lions and watching good club players and fringe international players taking their one and only shot at being part of sporting history. a real shame some dumb shmuck in a suit took that away from a group of player... Rant over...