Wed 19 Apr 2017 | 12:07

LIVE: British & Irish Lions 2017 Tour Squad Announcement

29 Comments

• dancarter

  7:43 PM 23/04/2017

  Yeah, that's true. Moriarty is probably more used to 6 and 7, so I don't know i Gatland would be comfortable to put him in at number 8 in one of the tests. If we had to call someone up, probably Nathan Hughes.
• 10stonenumber10

  2:43 PM 22/04/2017

  Basically, everything England lacked against Italy in the 6N
• drg

  8:42 AM 22/04/2017

  That's a fair point 10/10, plus down in NZ the Lions need all the prowess and alertness they can muster because NZ I'm sure will love a chance to show their dominance against 4 NH teams at once...
• 10stonenumber10

  8:01 PM 21/04/2017

  I didn't say Liam Williams was crap, I said he was like a crap Mike Brown. That is almost a compliment
  
  Hopefully I will be wrong, but picking the Lions based on existing combinations mainly from one team will wreck continuity. It is easier to build a game plan from scratch than to try and mould others into an existing one. It is the same reason teams often defend better with 14 men, or people playing out of position get MOTM. Collective pressure and heightened collective concentration due to lack of familiarity can do amazing things.
• drg

  2:39 PM 21/04/2017

  yeh...but a shiny nail stands out in a pile of poo....
• marquisd

  1:16 PM 21/04/2017

  Moriarty is also going and has been playing some good rugby, he is certainly more than capable of filling that role. I'm not a fan Faletau but we're a bit light in that area so needs must. Who would you call up as a replacement if you could?
• jimmy23

  10:31 AM 21/04/2017

  Not sure if I completely agree with Liam Williams being crap, he was one of the few bright spots in Wales's NZ tour last year. Even Chris Rattue (who has got to be one of the most colossal twats to exist in rugby punditry) praised him.
• 10stonenumber10

  7:27 PM 20/04/2017

  Warburton will get injured... as usual
  
  Liam Williams is basically a crap Mike Brown.
  
  Perhaps he picked the team based on those with a bland enough game to respect him and his ways, anybody who can play something more exciting than Gatball seems to have been ignored
• drg

  2:55 PM 20/04/2017

  LMAO, he picked Liam Williams too....
• drg

  2:54 PM 20/04/2017

  Whilst I see what you're saying regarding injuries and potential call ups I somewhat disagree....
  
  He has shown his hand at thinking the team he has picked is the best team going, so any of the omitted players which we as a collective seem to feel should have been included are deemed "lesser players" which is lunacy....unless of course Gatland is going to play a bit of French rugby and have a bunch of players step down with 'ahem' head injuries so as to bring in his secret big guns to shock and surprise the Kiwis.....but I sort of doubt that...
  
  I think Gatland has subconsciously picked Welsh players when he has felt himself in a 50-50 position... probably due to knowing how to work with those players and how to appeal to them...
  
  Warburton as captain is not a good choice imo.., "he is a good captain"...is he? He's got a 50% win rate with Wales overall, not sure how many of those wins or losses happened whilst he was captain (or how they compare to other captains), maybe he has a cool head which might be appealing, but I just can't say I'm convinced...
• im1

  1:08 PM 20/04/2017

  There is plenty to have a go at WG for in this squad, but I still think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt up to the point he picks his match day squad. Within the touring squad there is a 22/23 who could play some really nice stuff. And there are likely to be injuries to a number of players - usually 5-6 players get called up so I would expect that Launchbury and a few others will probably get out there anyway.
  
  I don't really mind Warburton as captain and think he is probably a wise choice. We know he is a good captain. He just needed a bit of a break from the job he had been doing from the age of 22-28. I think he will be ready for this. And there is not an outstanding 7 in the British Isles/Ireland so I would say 7 is up for grabs. Not a bad idea in covering off who to play at 7 and who captains in one go.
  
  I just hope few things don't happen mainly being AWJ, JD or Halfpenny starting or worse, Biggar getting anywhere near a test jersey. It may be that WG has just picked them for the mid-week side, which would be fine, but its slightly worring that they could be included in the test side as they are just not good enough.
  
  I think a good indication for this squad is that every position bar the back three can be covered by a Leinster, Munster or Saracens player and it is likely that 2 of those will contest the Champions cup final. So we know that we are picking winners, who are on form.
• 10stonenumber10

  12:32 PM 20/04/2017

  Launchbury has been a Lion since his first game for England. Even the Welsh have said it, so you know it must be true.
  
  Ben Te'o? Jack Nowell? Did he only look at England's consistent bench players?
  
  The effects of concussion aren't fully realised until later in life. I would ask someone to knock some sense into Gatland, but it seems he is too far gone for it to make any distance
• krip

  9:28 AM 20/04/2017

  Spot on comment! I agree on everything. I don't know who were the geniuses that thought Gatland would be a great choice for a Lions coach... Boring Gatlandball throwing big bodies all in is what await us...
  
  The shockers for me personally are: Halfpenny (offers nothing but a booth and aerial game), Jack Nowell (one dimensional winger not even top pick for England), Ben Te'o (not even test material, not established), Taulupe Faletau (totally out of form).
  
  The biggest omissions: Ringrose, Zebo, Russel, Jonny Gray, Launchbury.
  
  Well, I have nothing to say about Warburton. He won't be a POC or Johno type of captain though, which is a shame.
• twiggy78

  8:03 AM 20/04/2017

  Biggar is such a giant prick, I wouldn't have him on the pitch for so many reasons, not least that I would have to smash his face in with his constant moaning and appealing to the ref. Hopefully, and I really do hope, a ref one day will simply red card him for being such a whinging git.
  
  Launchbury not in is a disgrace, AWJ has been piss poor as a player and a captain this last year.
  
  Moriarty is a great call imo, all out in your face aggro.
  
  Although Gatland selecting so many Welsh players, who had at best an average 6 nations, it is not as bad as Woodward's England/ Lions team in 2005. 20 English players, including the amazing Iain Balshaw and the truly average international fly half, Charlie Hodgeson.
  
  Not surprised about any of this, except Launchbury...nonsense
• dancarter

  11:49 PM 19/04/2017

  Launchbury is a better player than both Henderson than AWJ though. I think Payne is just a utility player to be honest. Sinckler makes sense, I think. He won't start in the tests but he is a good impact sub to bring on. Faletau almost had to go as there were so few number 8s playing well and you need at least 2 players that are specialists in the number 8 position.
• 45678

  11:39 PM 19/04/2017

  I think the most baffling selection is warburton as captain. He's a good enough player to make the tour, but bar injury limits the other flank spot to one of o'mahony, o'brien, cj stander and tipuric - all of whom should be considered above warburton at both 6&7.
  
  I'd like to see a test back row of tipuric / stander or o'mahony/ billy v, but this clearly can't happen now without injury
  
  Take it a step further and assume warburton is a 6, then the 7 can only really be tipuric. This means the best back row players (o'mahony and cj stander) are left in the mid week side
• drg

  8:42 PM 19/04/2017

  Oh fuck me, I've just seen Warburton is captain....
• drg

  8:40 PM 19/04/2017

  Pretty shite selections imo.... England deserve to have healthy numbers in the ranks given their recent success, as do Ireland who seem to have some class players even if they don't seem to reap the rewards just yet... Wales on the other hand... Bloody hell, what a nightmare show. Biggar over Ford? Yeah, no... Ford's inclusion means that Farrell fills both 10 and 12 position, granted the inclusion of Ford instead of Biggar would have meant some big boots as team prick would have to have been filled by someone else, but I'm sure there are options...
  
  2 Scot inclusions? I guess every team needs a token Scotsman then right? But clearly no Scottish forwards good enough..*rolls eyes*
  
  AWJ?!? Um, wasn't that the guy that said "take the points" in an important match, but got talked out of it by the team prick? Or was it the scrum half who talked him out of it....Either way it ultimetely lead to a balls up of epic proportions and a lost match....
  
  I'd imagine NZ will be pretty chilled knowing Warren ball is on its way..
• drg

  8:33 PM 19/04/2017

  Hahahahaha, clearly I don't possess what it takes to be a Gatland with my predictions...
• oldflyhalf

  6:43 PM 19/04/2017

  ...or maybe the English players, particularly Eddie Jones, will to preserve the hope and the morale at the end of Six Nations? :)
• vladimir

  5:53 PM 19/04/2017

  Also, how did he not pick Cronin at 10?
• colombes

  5:26 PM 19/04/2017

  Contrarly to many, i can understand Launchbury omission, as Gatland as plenty of choice with Kruis, Lawes or AW Jones.
  
  The choices which astonished me: Biggar (wtf..), Halfpenny (poor form), Payne (...), Sinckler (sub prop), Faletau (poor form), Teo'o (not enough time)
  
  Josh Strauss, Finn russell and Jonny Gray, are also unlucky to miss it
• dancarter

  5:25 PM 19/04/2017

  Faletau is a reasonable pick imo. Stander mostly plays at 6 and will probably compete with SOB for the 6 jersey. Faletau and Vunipola are the options at 8, and I think they are both decent options.
• jimmy23

  4:10 PM 19/04/2017

  I, like many people, am a bit baffled by Launchbury's omission.
  
  But I imagine if there is an injury to a lock, his name will be the first on the list to be called up for cover.
• vladimir

  4:06 PM 19/04/2017

  Gatland is like Jake White or Cheika. He has a brilliant and powerful game-plan, but only one game-plan. And after a while, it is not enough anymore.
• pdg

  3:52 PM 19/04/2017

  Predictable homer Gatland picking second rate Welsh players so he can keep his job.So obvious. Launchbury omission is biggest mistake, but the inclusion of Tipuric, Faletau, Biggar and AWJones is reprehensible after their showing in the 6 nations. The NZ players will be laughing at the selections made.
• petersam

  3:44 PM 19/04/2017

  A proper kick in the teeth for Scotland despite their best season for 10 years and clearly having some better players than those obviously being taken for the midweek teams.
• craptanker

  2:19 PM 19/04/2017

  Because Warren Gatland coaches Wales?
• dancarter

  1:36 PM 19/04/2017

  Some awful decisions, imo. Leaving out Launchbury is probably the worst of them, and only taking 2 Scots is a joke. I think Te'o, JD, Biggar, Tipuric, AWJ and Moriarty are all fortunate to be there.
  I struggle to see what Biggar offers as the mid-week fly half that Ford or Russell don't. I had a look at the stats from the Scotland-Wales 6N game. Scotland won 100% of their own scrums and lineouts, and stole 1 each of Wales' scrums and lineouts. So how have 6 Welsh forwards made the squad but none from Scotland were picked?
  
  I would have taken Ringrose ahead of Te'o and/or JD, Launchbury ahead of AWJ, Jonny Gray ahead of Henderson, Hartley/Brown ahead of Owens and Watson ahead of Moriarty.