RugbyRebels

whatisthejava wrote:

Big D wrote:There is 0.001% chance that Price is on all 5 coaches list

Good shout for Murray but still think Price made all lists after a relative ok 6N bar one box kick

stevedog1980 wrote:Mako

Not convinced he is on most lists as he really didnt do anything in the 6N

Mako wouldn’t be in my list either but I seem to remember Gatland calling him the perfect tourist before. I think he has a lot of credit with WG and wouldn’t be surprised to see him picked by him on that basis

stevedog1980 wrote: Mako wouldn’t be in my list either but I seem to remember Gatland calling him the perfect tourist before. I think he has a lot of credit with WG and wouldn’t be surprised to see him picked by him on that basis

I don't subscribe to the "we need to be as physical as them upfront" agreement as I don't think the Lions can win that way but the props must be able to hold their own in the scrum, especially in SA. Gatland was on the staff the year Vickery good torn a new one and must have watched the world cup final where Vunipola was badly exposed to the point he should have been hooked in the first half. The Lions can't afford to lose easy penalties there.

Big D wrote:

stevedog1980 wrote: Mako wouldn’t be in my list either but I seem to remember Gatland calling him the perfect tourist before. I think he has a lot of credit with WG and wouldn’t be surprised to see him picked by him on that basis

I don't subscribe to the "we need to be as physical as them upfront" agreement as I don't think the Lions can win that way but the props must be able to hold their own in the scrum, especially in SA. Gatland was on the staff the year Vickery good torn a new one and must have watched the world cup final where Vunipola was badly exposed to the point he should have been hooked in the first half. The Lions can't afford to lose easy penalties there.

Agree with everything you've written here, I'm not advocating for Mako but I could see 1 of the coaches still putting him in their lists

Right, cocks on the block time. How many Scots in the initial party?

I am going for 7. Would have been 6 but with Youngs dropping (he seemed a likely pick according to reports) out Price probably makes it.

Edit: Actually having thought about it, I am going with 5. A prop, Watson, Finn, Hogg and AN other.

8-9

England really won’t get the numbers they hope for.

4 - Watson, Russell, Hogg and one other (Price/Ritchie/Redpath/Faegerson/Sutherland/Gray) And Gatland will expect us to be pleased with the increased representation.

Yeah pretty much that I think.

Anyone know Sutherland's injury position? There was talk of a major shoulder injury but nothing I have seen confirmed.

If he's fit, I would think/hope he's nailed on.

switchskier wrote:4 - Watson, Russell, Hogg and one other (Price/Ritchie/Redpath/Faegerson/Sutherland/Gray) And Gatland will expect us to be pleased with the increased representation.

That's my feeling as well.
4 years ago having beaten Wales and Ireland we were told that the away loss to England and no-one on the coaching team arguing our case was the reason for losing the 50/50 calls and low overall representation.

This time we've won both our away games (Twickers and Paris not just any old away games), competitive to a couple of points against Ireland and Wales and have two coaches on the selection panel.

And yet...It is a measure of our low expectations, Scottish cringe, past disappointment or reading too much southern media that 4 is a likely or satisfying outcome?

switchskier wrote:4 - Watson, Russell, Hogg and one other (Price/Ritchie/Redpath/Faegerson/Sutherland/Gray) And Gatland will expect us to be pleased with the increased representation.

That isn't quite how Gatland has stated he works. It has also been acknowledged by others that he rarely takes unilateral decisions. If there are only 4 Scots then Townsend and Tandy would have had a fair level of input into it.

af73 wrote:

switchskier wrote:4 - Watson, Russell, Hogg and one other (Price/Ritchie/Redpath/Faegerson/Sutherland/Gray) And Gatland will expect us to be pleased with the increased representation.

That's my feeling as well.
4 years ago having beaten Wales and Ireland we were told that the away loss to England and no-one on the coaching team arguing our case was the reason for losing the 50/50 calls and low overall representation.

This time we've won both our away games (Twickers and Paris not just any old away games), competitive to a couple of points against Ireland and Wales and have two coaches on the selection panel.

And yet...It is a measure of our low expectations, Scottish cringe, past disappointment or reading too much southern media that 4 is a likely or satisfying outcome?

It is great the team are making progress and it is both satisfying and yet frustrating that we lost the Wales and Ireland games by close margins but at the end of the day we still lost those games mainly through daft errors.

The job of the coaches is to unwind the form and qualities of the players likely to be selected. The English players don't become bad overnight just because they had a poor 6N. A 36 man squad is going to see some good players miss out.

For the "other" option I'd hope to see Harris involved. Offered much more threat recently and his defensive skills really are top shelf. Add into that the coaching duo of Townsend and Tandy both being involved and the recent injury to George North, you'd think that Harris should make the touring party

For me it comes down to this.

Does Gatland believe that in a few short weeks he can get those English boys playing at the top without the stupid penalties or does he believe that 2 of his coaches that he picked back their players and were a tap tackle and a duff box kick away from the title.

The welsh can go on and on about the title, but in that was a very shonky looking welsh team for quite a bit of it and then one of the biggest bed shitting since us in 2010. That could well cost a few players a spot.

The Irish for all their huff and puff couldn’t score.

The Scottish shat the bed against the Irish