RugbyRebels

Right. Italy v France is boring as fuck. If there were an enforced equal quota of players for the Lions for whatever reason, who would you go with in a squad of 40?

I don't actually think this squad is too shabby, I'm not really sure how many front-rowers are required though. Using 6 guys every game and so many short turnarounds between games do we need 4 for each position?

Vunipola
McGrath
Marler
Healy

Brown
George
Owens

Nel
Furlong
Francis
Fagerson

Launchbury
Gray
Gray
Itoje
Jones

Warburton
SOB
Tipuric
Watson
Vunipola
Stander

Murray
Webb
Davies

Sexton
Ford
Russell

Henshaw
Williams
Dunbar
Joseph
Ringrose

North
Williams
Daly
Seymour
Hogg

So, not too many players in there that I wouldn't have wanted at all. Odd sort of log-jam in the back-five of the scrum that had to be balanced with the lack of quality in the back 3, though I'd happily have 11. Williams 14. Seymour 15. Hogg start.*

I'm pretty sure my maths has gone wrong somewhere in there but the game is kicking off so fuck it.

*England v Scotland hasn't kicked off yet. Might be a horror show for some of these guys.

LOL

Mikey Brown wrote: *England v Scotland hasn't kicked off yet. Might be a horror show for some of these guys.

What are next week's lottery numbers?

I'll let you know one minute before the draw. Watch this space.

This is a great idea for a thread. Once I've got a minute I'll post my selection.

Yes it may look a little different now to than when I posted it.

I warn you Eugene it may be more time consuming than you think.

Eng:
Mako, George, Cole, Itoje, Launch, Billy, Ford, JJ, Daly, Watson

Wales:
Owens, Lee, AWJ, Warbs, Tips, Faletau, Webb, Liam W, North, Scott W

Scotland:
Brown, Gray, Gray, Barclay, Price, Laidlaw, Russell, Seymour, Hogg, Jones

Ireland
Healy, McGrath, Best, Furlong, Stander, POM, Murray, Sexton/Jackson, Henshaw, Payne

Props:
Mako
Healy
McGrath
Cole
Furlong
Lee

Hookers
Brown
Owens
George,
Best


Locks,
AWJ,
Itoje
Launch
Gray
Gray

Back row
Warbs
Barclay
POM
Stander
Tips
Faletau
Billy

SH
Webb
Price
Murray
Laidlaw

OH
Russell
Ford
Sexton/Jackson

Centres
Scott W
JJ
Henshaw
Jones

back 3
North
Seymour
Hogg
Watson

utility
Payne
Daly

Mikey Brown wrote:Yes it may look a little different now to than when I posted it.

I warn you Eugene it may be more time consuming than you think.

It was exactly as time consuming as I thought! That's why I hadn't posted on it earlier despite being, as I said, an absolutely cracking idea for a thread.

From England it'd be

Cole, Hartley, Robshaw, Haskell, Youngs, Farrell, Nowell, Wood, Brown, and if I have to pick a 10th Hughes or Te'o as like a few others they're not of the British Isles

Digby wrote:From England it'd be

Cole, Hartley, Robshaw, Haskell, Youngs, Farrell, Nowell, Wood, Brown, and if I have to pick a 10th Hughes or Te'o as like a few others they're not of the British Isles

I'm slightly surprised Cole makes your "surplus to requirements" list. Is that on the basis that if he has one working leg he'll get selected for England and play most of the match?

Eugene Wrayburn wrote:

Digby wrote:From England it'd be

Cole, Hartley, Robshaw, Haskell, Youngs, Farrell, Nowell, Wood, Brown, and if I have to pick a 10th Hughes or Te'o as like a few others they're not of the British Isles

I'm slightly surprised Cole makes your "surplus to requirements" list. Is that on the basis that if he has one working leg he'll get selected for England and play most of the match?

Cole's going to stay in the England squad no question, but we really could use having a look at Hill, Sinckler, Brookes... partly to see what they're about, and partly to see what different balances can bring.

Agreed. Cole really pisses me off these days.

Mikey Brown wrote:Agreed. Cole really pisses me off these days.

I still like him, and it's not like one should be in a rush to get rid of a decent scrumming THP who'll work hard for the team around the park even if he doesn't look to get his hands on the ball. The problem with Cole comes when the other selections in the front row don't much look to get on the ball in Marler and Hartley, and the midfeld can't/don't carry hard and straight, then the balance starts to go across the side.

Marler is perhaps the interesting one there as he can carry, and has decent hands actually, but somehow like Sheridan it's just often not on his to do list

Mikey Brown wrote:Agreed. Cole really pisses me off these days.

He's back to something approaching his best again, this 6N, imo. A big improvement from last year, where he really seemed to coast through games.

Scrum seemed slightly more solid but seems to bumble around so aimlessly in the loose a lot of the time.

Goddamn, that was tough. Mainly because I had no idea how to fill some slots... I left the order in the countries as I picked them...

ENG:

Mako
BillyV
Launch
George
Joseph
Cole
Daly
Watson
Itoje
Ford


IRE:

McGrath
Best
POM
Murray
Sexton
Henshaw
Furlong
Earls
Healy
Marmion


SCO:

Gray
Gray
Hogg
Seymour
Hardie
Fagerson
Russell
Jones
Price
Reid


WAL:

Owens
AWJ
Warburton
Tipuric
Faletau
LWilliams
Halfpenny
ScWilliams
North
Moriarty

Mako, McGrath, Healy
Best, Owens, George
Cole, Furlong, Fagerson
AWJ, Launch, Gray
Gray, Itoje
Warburton, POM, Moriarty
Hardie, Tipuric
Billy, Faletau
Murray, Price, Marmion
Sexton, Russell, Ford
Henshaw, ScWilliams
Joseph, Daly, Jones
Earls, North, Seymour, Watson
Hogg, Halfpenny, LWilliams

Mikey Brown wrote:Scrum seemed slightly more solid but seems to bumble around so aimlessly in the loose a lot of the time.

That's just his body shape. He's key to England ATM.

Digby wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Agreed. Cole really pisses me off these days.

I still like him, and it's not like one should be in a rush to get rid of a decent scrumming THP who'll work hard for the team around the park even if he doesn't look to get his hands on the ball. The problem with Cole comes when the other selections in the front row don't much look to get on the ball in Marler and Hartley, and the midfeld can't/don't carry hard and straight, then the balance starts to go across the side.

Marler is perhaps the interesting one there as he can carry, and has decent hands actually, but somehow like Sheridan it's just often not on his to do list

So Cole is still first choice.

kk67 wrote:

Digby wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Agreed. Cole really pisses me off these days.

I still like him, and it's not like one should be in a rush to get rid of a decent scrumming THP who'll work hard for the team around the park even if he doesn't look to get his hands on the ball. The problem with Cole comes when the other selections in the front row don't much look to get on the ball in Marler and Hartley, and the midfeld can't/don't carry hard and straight, then the balance starts to go across the side.

Marler is perhaps the interesting one there as he can carry, and has decent hands actually, but somehow like Sheridan it's just often not on his to do list

So Cole is still first choice.

Depends who the rest of the pack is. I think all things being equal Cole is the best 3, but there could easily be packs where Sinckler as a for instance would be a better balance for the team. But that's England and not the Lions. For the Lions if I don't take the piss out of the pointless jamboree for a moment then it's hard to look past Furlong

Digby wrote:

kk67 wrote:

Digby wrote:
I still like him, and it's not like one should be in a rush to get rid of a decent scrumming THP who'll work hard for the team around the park even if he doesn't look to get his hands on the ball. The problem with Cole comes when the other selections in the front row don't much look to get on the ball in Marler and Hartley, and the midfeld can't/don't carry hard and straight, then the balance starts to go across the side.

Marler is perhaps the interesting one there as he can carry, and has decent hands actually, but somehow like Sheridan it's just often not on his to do list

So Cole is still first choice.

Depends who the rest of the pack is. I think all things being equal Cole is the best 3, but there could easily be packs where Sinckler as a for instance would be a better balance for the team. But that's England and not the Lions. For the Lions if I don't take the piss out of the pointless jamboree for a moment then it's hard to look past Furlong

So you don't give a toss. Good to know.