Lions

[skidger]

Apparently it's only Scots and Welsh that are getting picked and this was the plan all along. Toonie and McBryde were told weeks ago. A journalist on twitter reckons there will be a twitter meltdown when the names are announced. I'm assuming he means disgruntled English and Irish fans. If this has been the plan all along then I reckon it's unlikely any of our players will tell fat heed to shove it.

Not from any sane English or Irish fans. I would be disgruntled if anymore English got called up. Any England players not in the original squad need to be in Argentina and then resting till pre season. I don't see how this is any different to SCW and his mad tour.

Get what you're saying but some will be cheesed off if Gray and Russell get picked up over Launchbury and Ford for example. It has indeed become as farcical as SCW and his circus. Being picked on location rather than talent is a slap in the face to the players and fans.

I don't think so myself. For the original tour party then yes but that is long ago now. This is a piss take and meaningless selection. Launchbury for instance could do without this game and being told that he is Gatland's 7th choice lock so please have a game that we could really do without. Because that is what this game is. Personally I would hope Launchbury would tell Gatland where to go but he is far too polite.

[Spiffy]

Just watched NZ demolish Samoa with a display of speed, skill and rugby brains. I don't think there is a Lions player on tour better than his NZ counterpart (possibly Furlong ahead of Franks.)

[skidger]

Just watched NZ demolish Samoa with a display of speed, skill and rugby brains. I don't think there is a Lions player on tour better than his NZ counterpart (possibly Furlong ahead of Franks.)

Indeed. This is where the far superior coaching comes in.......

[Big D]

Meh if Toonie really is experimenting with his squad then Finn may not be playing against Fiji anyway. Training with Sexton etc may benefit him even if it is just realising they are not that much better than him and not at all in some cases.

[OptimisticJock]

Anyone know if Edinburgh Airport has sky sports in a bar?

[Adder]

Anyone know if Edinburgh Airport has sky sports in a bar?

I think they have a wetherspoons


Edit: they have 2 http://www.edinburghairport.com/shoppin ... estaurants
Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Apparently it's only Scots and Welsh that are getting picked and this was the plan all along. Toonie and McBryde were told weeks ago. A journalist on twitter reckons there will be a twitter meltdown when the names are announced. I'm assuming he means disgruntled English and Irish fans. If this has been the plan all along then I reckon it's unlikely any of our players will tell fat heed to shove it.

Not from any sane English or Irish fans. I would be disgruntled if anymore English got called up. Any England players not in the original squad need to be in Argentina and then resting till pre season. I don't see how this is any different to SCW and his mad tour.

It's slightly more guaranteed to have people go "off tour". Importing a whole load of people with nothing at all to gain or lose on the tour is a surefire way of disturbing the careful ecosystem that you should have created over the past few weeks of mutual trust and respect and feeling of a single community with a single purpose. The Irish and English players will be thinking "Why isn't my mate X being brought over?" whilst they see yet more welshmen slapping each other on the back with no merit whatsoever. And then when the inevitable injuries come it will be "Oh well since my welsh players are here already and know the calls they better step up even though they are vastly inferior.

FFS. I'm even more fucking livid. I'm not sure I even care about the result any more. I'm just looking forward to seeing the ABs play the rugby that only they can. I don't know if I even care if our inevitably dull game manages to nullify it.

[skidger]

Meh if Toonie really is experimenting with his squad then Finn may not be playing against Fiji anyway. Training with Sexton etc may benefit him even if it is just realising they are not that much better than him and not at all in some cases.

That is the positive but what if some of the whining chav stuff rubs off on him from Biggar. You wont be so happy then.

[Sandydragon]

At risk of causing a meltdown, I see why gatland is doing this. He has three tests to focus on, the test team has pretty much picked itself and losing key players in the remaining midweek games would cause problems. Is a benched test starter in a midweek game who gets called on early then expected top operate at full potential the following Saturday?

If thisnhighlights anythings, it's the crazy schedule.

[Sandydragon]

Apparently it's only Scots and Welsh that are getting picked and this was the plan all along. Toonie and McBryde were told weeks ago. A journalist on twitter reckons there will be a twitter meltdown when the names are announced. I'm assuming he means disgruntled English and Irish fans. If this has been the plan all along then I reckon it's unlikely any of our players will tell fat heed to shove it.

Not from any sane English or Irish fans. I would be disgruntled if anymore English got called up. Any England players not in the original squad need to be in Argentina and then resting till pre season. I don't see how this is any different to SCW and his mad tour.

It's slightly more guaranteed to have people go "off tour". Importing a whole load of people with nothing at all to gain or lose on the tour is a surefire way of disturbing the careful ecosystem that you should have created over the past few weeks of mutual trust and respect and feeling of a single community with a single purpose. The Irish and English players will be thinking "Why isn't my mate X being brought over?" whilst they see yet more welshmen slapping each other on the back with no merit whatsoever. And then when the inevitable injuries come it will be "Oh well since my welsh players are here already and know the calls they better step up even though they are vastly inferior.

FFS. I'm even more fucking livid. I'm not sure I even care about the result any more. I'm just looking forward to seeing the ABs play the rugby that only they can. I don't know if I even care if our inevitably dull game manages to nullify it.

Why Welshmen? The Scottish team isn't that far away either. Are you seriously throwing your teddies out of the cot because some other players are getting drafted in to warm the dirt tracker bench.

[OptimisticJock]

Anyone know if Edinburgh Airport has sky sports in a bar?

I think they have a wetherspoons


Edit: they have 2 http://www.edinburghairport.com/shoppin ... estaurants
Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

Cheers but they don't say anything about sky although I've been told elsewhere they don't.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Not from any sane English or Irish fans. I would be disgruntled if anymore English got called up. Any England players not in the original squad need to be in Argentina and then resting till pre season. I don't see how this is any different to SCW and his mad tour.

It's slightly more guaranteed to have people go "off tour". Importing a whole load of people with nothing at all to gain or lose on the tour is a surefire way of disturbing the careful ecosystem that you should have created over the past few weeks of mutual trust and respect and feeling of a single community with a single purpose. The Irish and English players will be thinking "Why isn't my mate X being brought over?" whilst they see yet more welshmen slapping each other on the back with no merit whatsoever. And then when the inevitable injuries come it will be "Oh well since my welsh players are here already and know the calls they better step up even though they are vastly inferior.

FFS. I'm even more fucking livid. I'm not sure I even care about the result any more. I'm just looking forward to seeing the ABs play the rugby that only they can. I don't know if I even care if our inevitably dull game manages to nullify it.

Why Welshmen? The Scottish team isn't that far away either. Are you seriously throwing your teddies out of the cot because some other players are getting drafted in to warm the dirt tracker bench.

Throwing my teddies out of the cot? I'm pointing out that this is fucking stupid. Because it's fucking stupid. I couldn't give a monkeys whether it were Irishmen, if they are explicitly being chosen on proximity as part of a pre-plan then they aren't being chosen on merit. So much for the speeches they will no doubt have had about the privilege of wearing the shirt. If you're going to cheapen the whole exercise like that why bother? This could not be more calculated to fuck the tour. Then the fuckwit will turn round and blame the schedule. Or the lack of co-operation from the SRU. Or some other such shit.

[whatisthejava]

He did this in oz with shame Williams.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

He did this in oz with shame Williams.

That's not really the same thing at all. It's one thing to have an emergency crop up last minute and find anyone knocking about or sensible enough to book there holiday inthe right place. That's always happened. It's another thing to decide to bring in a substantial group of people who can only ever be outsiders.

[whatisthejava]

Telergraph reporting Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies are all set to become Lions

And two unnamed Scots

What a fecking joke.

I don't think one of those would make the Glasgow bench.

[Chunks Baws]

Telergraph reporting Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies are all set to become Lions

And two unnamed Scots

What a fecking joke.

I don't think one of those would make the Glasgow bench.

Scots are Finn Russell and Allan Dell. Ex pros and journalists are unimpressed and turning on fat heed. He's killed the Lions with this pish.

[Cameo]

Surely not the Allan Dell?

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Telergraph reporting Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies are all set to become Lions

And two unnamed Scots

What a fecking joke.

I don't think one of those would make the Glasgow bench.

Scots are Finn Russell and Allan Dell. Ex pros and journalists are unimpressed and turning on fat heed. He's killed the Lions with this pish.

Allan Dell? Are you winding me up?

The Lions was killed the second Gatland was named. The welsh don't even want him anymore. He is shocking and toxic.

[Chunks Baws]

Telergraph reporting Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies are all set to become Lions

And two unnamed Scots

What a fecking joke.

I don't think one of those would make the Glasgow bench.

Scots are Finn Russell and Allan Dell. Ex pros and journalists are unimpressed and turning on fat heed. He's killed the Lions with this pish.

Allan Dell? Are you winding me up?

The Lions was killed the second Gatland was named. The welsh don't even want him anymore. He is shocking and toxic.

That's the chat on twitter. I believe the journalist that's breaking the story got 3 or 4 of the original squad wrong the day before the announcement, so he could be wrong again.

[ARM]

The Lions may well have jumped the shark.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

The Lions may well have jumped the shark.

Nah. Just needs an improved vision from the coach. Someone like Mallett or Vern or Toonie would turn it around.

[Spiffy]

The Lions may well have jumped the shark.

Nah. Just needs an improved vision from the coach. Someone like Mallett or Vern or Toonie would turn it around.

I don't think the Lions have the players to turn it around, whoever the coach might be. The forwards look reasonably competitive, but not the backs.

[switchskier]

The Lions may well have jumped the shark.

Nah. Just needs an improved vision from the coach. Someone like Mallett or Vern or Toonie would turn it around.

I don't think the Lions have the players to turn it around, whoever the coach might be. The forwards look reasonably competitive, but not the backs.

They don't look good at the minute but there are lots of players in there that really play. England are number 2 in the world. Ireland have beaten the ABs recently and some of those Welsh players actually have really good skills, let's stop underestimating them. Put together the best of the four nation and it should still be possible to create a really strong team. What they don't seem to have done is developed any combinations that have clicked or be playing with any sort of fluidity.

Don't understand calling people up on geography rather than merit. Can't see how it would help with team spirit and it would feel pretty horrible to not know whether the coaches really thought that there was someone else better out there just further away. Seeing Jones' comments this morning also suggests that Gatland didn't run it past him five/six weeks ago.

[Donny osmond]

The lions twitter account has announced the four welsh lads, at least one of whom I've never even heard of.

Cant make up my mind about this. Lions tours arent supposed to do this and I absolutely hate it on one level... but then the lions tours from yesteryear that made the brand what it is, well they took place yesteryear when rugby was a very different game.

Maybe the lions concept really is dead?

This is causing me some angst, I cant straighten out my thoughts.

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

[Eugene Wrayburn]

The lions twitter account has announced the four welsh lads, at least one of whom I've never even heard of.

Cant make up my mind about this. Lions tours arent supposed to do this and I absolutely hate it on one level... but then the lions tours from yesteryear that made the brand what it is, well they took place yesteryear when rugby was a very different game.

Maybe the lions concept really is dead?

This is causing me some angst, I cant straighten out my thoughts.

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

I'm sure the decision to call up lots of welshmen is entirely unrelated to the large payments the WRU get for every welshman selected. We will see it for the unmitigated success that it is bound to be. There's no chance that any non-Welsh player not selected for the starting 15 might see the whole enterprise as jobs for the boys.

Calling up Welshmen does have one benefit I suppose. They are a little less likely to go "off tour" because they could jeopardise their Welsh rugby futures as long as Gatland remains coach.

As for the Lions concept being dead, I dont think players or fans will accept players being selected other than on merit. If they don't then the merchandise won't sell and the tickets won't sell and the thing will die a death.