So what's the Lions XV for Saturday? Read the runes.....

[jonlin]

Should have been "some on hear" not "some one hear". Billy is not a love child of mine.

Or even maybe 'some on here'?

Thank you BJ for the correction, should my some one have been one word. It is a minefield for us less educated. Even spell check did not correct me and i have the Concise Oxford in front of me.
Enjoy the game on Saturday BJ, i will try harder in the future.

[BJ.]

Should have been "some on hear" not "some one hear". Billy is not a love child of mine.

Or even maybe 'some on here'?

Thank you BJ for the correction, should my some one have been one word. It is a minefield for us less educated. Even spell check did not correct me and i have the Concise Oxford in front of me.
Enjoy the game on Saturday BJ, i will try harder in the future.

No worries mate.

Enjoy the game - here's to a victory and a Dan Cole hat-trick.

[G.K]

Can't wait 'til Cole comes off the bench and shows the difference between a Tiger and a fat lad!

I'd like to see Cole coming on before Vunipola and Hibbard as I think a front row of Corbisiero, Youngs, and Cole is the best we've got.

I agree but can't see that happening as Gatland won't want to risk Cole looking a better starting option than Jones.

[Jay C]

British & Irish Lions starting XV: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), George North (Wales), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Tom Youngs (England), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Tom Croft (England), Sam Warburton (Wales, capt), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland).
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Ben Youngs (England), Owen Farrell (England), Sean Maitland (Scotland).

Cuthbert is very lucky that Bowe got injured (and Kearney was taken when injured, so Halfpenny at 14 not an option) and that no other back three talent was taken on tour - as proven by Maitland (token Scot) making the bench when clearly not good enough for this level (based on performances on tour so far). As already mentioned, the Wallabies will have some joy attacking down our right flank on Saturday.

Lydiate and Farrell are clearly part of the "chosen ones", as neither deserves a place on the bench for me. Farrell has to be there because there is no other 10 option, but O'Brien(in particular)/Tipuric/Falatau(sp) must be wondering what else they could have done to get into the test XXIII?

Davies has been one of the standout players on tour and Roberts has not, so injury has helped to get that selection right.

I hope Phillips is the right call - & if it isn't then I hope that Gatland has the balls to make the change to Ben Youngs early enough to affect the result.....similarly with Jones and Dan Cole

Rest of the team & bench is spot on, so bring it on - and CONGRATULATIONS to our Tiger Lions

[fleabane]

R4 reports Croft and Davies sit out today's training session.

What is that all about?

[Tigerbeat]

R4 reports Croft and Davies sit out today's training session.

What is that all about?

Centre Davies and open-side flanker Tom Croft both sat out training on Friday ahead of the first Test, but Lions assistant coach Andy Farrell insists both will be fit to play in Brisbane..

Farrell explained that the squad had a double training session on Thursday, meaning some players were not being pushed with only 24 hours to go until the Test series begins.

Croft has "a little inflammation in his toe" and Davies "stiffness" but Farrell says both will be "absolutely fine".

[fleabane]

Thanks TB.

This now available:

http://www.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/story ... a=chromium

[Chobbsy]

[quote="Jay C"][quote="drc_007"]British & Irish Lions starting XV: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), George North (Wales), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Tom Youngs (England), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Tom Croft (England), Sam Warburton (Wales, capt), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland).
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Ben Youngs (England), Owen Farrell (England), Sean Maitland (Scotland).
[/quote]Cuthbert is very lucky that Bowe got injured (and Kearney was taken when injured, so Halfpenny at 14 not an option) and that no other back three talent was taken on tour - as proven by Maitland (token Scot) making the bench when clearly not good enough for this level (based on performances on tour so far). As already mentioned, the Wallabies will have some joy attacking down our right flank on Saturday.

Lydiate and Farrell are clearly part of the "chosen ones", as neither deserves a place on the bench for me. Farrell has to be there because there is no other 10 option, but O'Brien(in particular)/Tipuric/Falatau(sp) must be wondering what else they could have done to get into the test XXIII?

Davies has been one of the standout players on tour and Roberts has not, so injury has helped to get that selection right.

I hope Phillips is the right call - & if it isn't then I hope that Gatland has the balls to make the change to Ben Youngs early enough to affect the result.....similarly with Jones and Dan Cole

Rest of the team & bench is spot on, so bring it on - and CONGRATULATIONS to our Tiger Lions [/quote]
Guys can't we just get behind the Lions for once, and just accept the fact that not all Tigers are starting, we get this with England all the time, I am a Tigers fan as much as anyone else, but we hare not allways the best in every position.

[Will S]

Great video message from the England cricket team for the Lions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2BSA4I6 ... e=youtu.be

[Skin_and_Muscle]

We need to fly Jimmy out to Australia to give the team talk ahead of the first test!

[fleabane]

genius!

[MrPartridge]

Can't wait until the game. If you can't get excited about the Lions 1st Test every 4 years your not a rugby fan IMHO!

Well done to the Tigers boys and Croft and TY in particular. And well done to the coaches. A few here were suggesting they'd be lots of Welsh bias, etc. 'It will be an all Welsh front row' went round a few times and in actuality 4 of the 6 front 3 are English.

I agree that Cuthbert is the defensive concern and I'm a little concerned where the attacking flair is on the bench.... sure Manu, Roberts, Bowe unfit but is Maitland going to come on and offer Plan B in the last 10 minutes if we are behind. I'd have preferred Zebo.

Not entirely convinced we will win... some warm-up matches have been pants, but the Aussies haven't played a Test since November so they must be under-cooked...

[bluntiger]

Lots of people across other forums are saying that Faletau, O'Brien and Tipuric are unlucky to miss out on test selection and that is probably a fair point. But when you think of the competition for places in the back row, the players picked have got there on merit.

And then when you think that Robshaw, Wood, Morgan, Brown, Denton, Vunipola, Waldrom etc didn't even make the touring party, you see the competition.

Then ponder the fact that Farrell Jnr made the touring party when Flood, Biggar, Jones, O'Gara and Hook are all left behind, and you start to question Gatland's selections.

[Cardiff Tig]

Then ponder the fact that Farrell Jnr made the touring party when Flood, Biggar, Jones, O'Gara and Hook are all left behind, and you start to question Gatland's selections.

You say that but Biggar was pretty poor in Japan - it may have been a weak Wales team but Japan are pretty weak opposition themselves, O'Gara plays the same way as Farrell and if anything has a weaker defence and Jones is old!

I thought Hook would have been called up rather than 12Ts (and probably would have been a better call in hindsight) but personally I have never really rated him at 10. So really its only Flood, and even then if they want a player that is just going to close the game out and not be the one starting the game and showing any flair then Farrell is the one I would choose, over Flood, due to his kicking from hand.

[fleabane]

Then ponder the fact that Farrell Jnr made the touring party when Flood, Biggar, Jones, O'Gara and Hook are all left behind, and you start to question Gatland's selections.

You say that but Biggar was pretty poor in Japan - it may have been a weak Wales team but Japan are pretty weak opposition themselves, O'Gara plays the same way as Farrell and if anything has a weaker defence and Jones is old!

I thought Hook would have been called up rather than 12Ts (and probably would have been a better call in hindsight) but personally I have never really rated him at 10. So really its only Flood, and even then if they want a player that is just going to close the game out and not be the one starting the game and showing any flair then Farrell is the one I would choose, over Flood, due to his kicking from hand.

Farrell will be starting games at some stage, unless Gatland blindly pursues the idea of Hogg, or even 36 at 10. I do not think that Toby's kicking from hand is inferior to Fazlets, and "The Leicester way" of closing out games is in large part down to the 10 - Toby!

I agree over Jones and ROG, but would have included Hook somewhere as cover at 10, 12, 13 and 15, even if he was only thought of as a dirt-tracker (which I don't believe he is!).