Big D wrote:Sandydragon wrote:
At his best, Warburton is superb. He is not at his best and has looked somewhat average in a few games of late. Once again, the Lions squad selection will come down to a choice of experienced old head and promising younger players.
But when we are talking matchday test 23 then I don't think experienced old heads are necessarily required. Mostly, all players on the tour will have decent international experience (say 15+ caps) and most will play at decent club level. As things stand, almost universally (bar 3 or 4 (?)of the likely English tourists) will have beaten New Zealand and none will have won in NZ.
I really hope the Lions coach picks a game plan to suit the players available. Despite the perception the 6N is dull there is lots of great attacking talent that could create a bit of excitement.
I disagree. Ultimately experience is important and there needs to be some in the team, a few players who have experienced lions wins can make a difference in a place like New Zealand, provided they are worthy of their place. I wouldn't suggest playing the last starting 15 just for the sake of it, but if a player is in reasonable form and isn't completely outshone by a less experienced Lions rookie then it makes sense to have some experienced players in the match squad.
Ultimately, this there is a long way to go. But more to the point, most Lions match day XVs picked before the tour don't materialize. The key effort is to pick the wider squad, and here experience is also important, especially if the dirt trackers are going to do their part and put pressure on the likely starting side.
From this years 6N, the squad is likely to be far more balanced than previous, which should stop some of the whining of previous years. Provided the best mix of players that season is selected then there should be no complaints.
The biggest issue at the moment is the prospective coach. Garland has to be a contender, but Im not sure I want my national team disrupted, again, for an entire season. Schmidt hasn't enjoyed a great season either. Jones (I understand) isn't allowed by contract to be involved, so perhaps Scotland can take the pain this time around and lose Cotter for a whole season. or we pick coach from outside of the national teams.
i dunno if Hardie is ahead of him but I think Warburton is a little overrated. Has the odd outstanding game but doesnt do enough it a lot of games for me to warrant his reputation. Still a good player but don't think there is a standout 7 at the momentDonny osmond wrote:Fair enough. In all honesty I can see your point about all if them, without necessarily agreeing, apart from Hardie. I think he's the best available to us, but he's still a long way behind Warburton.whatisthejava wrote:
