British and Irish Lions squad based on this year's six nations.

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I liked the fullback to wing ratio myself...

You with your lemon eyes are far more observent than I sir - missed that one. A startingly high ratio considering we usually get 2 specialist full backs at the most!

Also, not sure how the OP has escaped Crucifixion for not selecting Sexton at all for his squad. Maybe that comes later following the public enquiry.

 

[Raggs]

Props - Healy,Corbisero,Jenkins,Lee,Cole
Hookers - Best,Baldwin,Owens
Locks - AWJ, Charteris, POC, Parling, Ball
Back Row - Warbs, Tiperic, Falatau, Lydiate, SOB, POM, Heaslip

9,s - Murray, Webb, Youngs
10's - Biggar, Sexton, Russell
Centres - Henshaw, Scott Williams, Jamie R, Johnathen Davies
Back 3 - Halfpenny, Liam Williams, Brown, Hogg, North

I'd take McGrath over Corbs, Tomas Francis (once he's played for Wales) over Cole. Bradley Davies over Parling. Redding over Youngs. Kearney over Brown.

Then the England boys can have a summer off, a decent rest, and not pick up a ton of injuries .

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I'd take McGrath over Corbs

That's actually a good call, though not the point you were making
We can talk till the cows come home about Corbisieros best form but on form alone, McGrath would deservedly make the squad. Along with Jenkins and Marler I imagine.

 

[Peat]

That's actually a good call, though not the point you were making
We can talk till the cows come home about Corbisieros best form but on form alone, McGrath would deservedly make the squad. Along with Jenkins and Marler I imagine.

Maybe my memory is betraying me, but I can't recall Jenkins making a positive case for Lions inclusion. Healy, McGrath and Marler would be my three based solely on the 6N, and tbh there's only one of them I'd want starting...

Also, the idea of either Cowan or Harley as Lions tourists is deeply upsetting.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Maybe my memory is betraying me, but I can't recall Jenkins making a positive case for Lions inclusion. Healy, McGrath and Marler would be my three based solely on the 6N, and tbh there's only one of them I'd want starting...

Also, the idea of either Cowan or Harley as Lions tourists is deeply upsetting.

Well yeah, maybe I'm being kind to Jenkins - he was poor against England but from memory very good against Scotland. (or was their second game France/).
Same thing with Healy - didn't impress me off the bench in his first game back..

Agree about those two...on paper I don't particularly rate them although the stats say Cowan made then most turnovers in the six nations - maybe it was the reverse and he actually got turned over the most!

 

[psychic duck]

Well yeah, maybe I'm being kind to Jenkins - he was poor against England but from memory very good against Scotland. (or was their second game France/).
Same thing with Healy - didn't impress me off the bench in his first game back..

Agree about those two...on paper I don't particularly rate them although the stats say Cowan made then most turnovers in the six nations - maybe it was the reverse and he actually got turned over the most!

Jenkins is still effective in the loose tackling and jackling, he won 3 crucial points to build that early lead against Ireland and was excellent against France. He's not going to be worry too many top level tightheads though and his hamstrings are absolutely ruined these days. He will still go down as one of the best looseheads of the pro era based on the overall body of work in his career, but his peak was the 2008-11 quad.

As for the Scots. God knows what Cotter/Johnson's selection policy is when they are playing the likes of Cowan, Harley, Ashe, Fife, Watson, Pyrgos whilst leaving out all of Kelly Brown, Barclay, Visser, Maitland, Cusiter. Is there anyone else who rates Fife ahead of Visser/Maitland? Or Pyrgos ahead of Cusiter? Or thinks Brown/Barclay aren't even good enough for the 32 man squad? Scotland's selection is baffling to say the least.

 

[Peat]

I did miss the first half of Wales-Ireland, so fair enough. As I said - my memory might be betraying me.

I have to admit, I'm not too fussed about scrummaging vs New Zealand. It's very rare to see them punished there and even rarer to see them punish others. I suspect we'll get no more than parity and would consider any prop that can offer that. Jenkins' peak loose form is exactly what you need in NZ, not massive scrummaging. Based on what I saw, I thought I was too far off, but will happily accept being wrong.

 

[big ginger 8]

roff!

No Bennett? No Joseph? no Ford or Farrell (both better than Russell)?

Ball over Lawes, Launchbury and Toner?

Heaslip and POM?

This is a WUM, no?

Heaslip is a two time tourist (starting 5/6 tests), captain of Leinster and vice captain of Leinster and the most experienced 8 of all the options, hardly one of the choices to guffaw at.

PO'M's also world class....

Really don't think anyone has made a squad in this thread that fits the criteria, a number of players have been picked by different people who had limited or no gametime this 6N.

 

[chippieolamus]

Not really based on 6N form, but if everyone was fit I'd go for:

LH: Healy, Corbisiero, Marler
HKR: Best, Owens, Ford (Ho
TH: Cole, Lee, Wilson
LK: AWJ, POC, Launchbury, Lawes, J Gray
FLK: SOB, Warburton, POM, Robshaw
N8: Vunipola, Morgan

SH. Murray, Webb, Youngs
FH. Sexton, Ford, Biggar
CE. Henshaw, Roberts, Tuilagi, Joseph, Bennett
WG. North, Trimble, Bowe, Strettle (yup)
FB. Halfpenny, Hogg

 

[j'nuh]

roff!

No Bennett? No Joseph? no Ford or Farrell (both better than Russell)?

Ball over Lawes, Launchbury and Toner?

Heaslip and POM?

This is a WUM, no?

19 Welsh players, lol.

Not sure if a WUM, or just Gatland.

Not really based on 6N form, but if everyone was fit I'd go for:

LH: Healy, Corbisiero, Marler
HKR: Best, Owens, Ford (Ho
TH: Cole, Lee, Wilson
LK: AWJ, POC, Launchbury, Lawes, J Gray
FLK: SOB, Warburton, POM, Robshaw
N8: Vunipola, Morgan

SH. Murray, Webb, Youngs
FH. Sexton, Ford, Biggar
CE. Henshaw, Roberts, Tuilagi, Joseph, Bennett
WG. North, Trimble, Bowe, Strettle (yup)
FB. Halfpenny, Hogg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0KfiLXX0Dk&t=14s

 

[Peat]

PO'M's also world class....

*takes deep breath and derails the thread*

Nope.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

POM does everything well but is not world class.

No better than wood or lydiate or kelly brown.

 

[Peat]

Actually, does that also denote Heaslip being marked as World Class? Because that's another big no.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

*takes deep breath and derails the thread*

Nope.

I think the old sarcasm detector needs some fine tuning buddy!

Neither are world class but both would be on my Lions XV, PO'M because he's the best 6 of the four nations and Heaslip because of his experience and the fact he seems to thrive in a Lions set up.

 

[big ginger 8]

*takes deep breath and derails the thread*

Nope.

Joke.

- - - Updated - - -

POM does everything well but is not world class.

No better than wood or lydiate or kelly brown.

Although not world class, he's still probably better than those three. Although it's close enough that gameplan has to come under serious consideration.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

The thing is none of the 6s have really impressed me this year.

The home nations are really missing a big monster 6, with a good work rate and who's good in the line out, with a good carrying game as well

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

The thing is none of the 6s have really impressed me this year.

The home nations are really missing a big monster 6, with a good work rate and who's good in the line out, with a good carrying game as well

I heard there is this guy called Dave... He doesn't get mentioned here much.

 

[big ginger 8]

I heard there is this guy called Dave... He doesn't get mentioned here much.

Good in the lineout is he?

Sounds like he'd probably be called Iain or Rhys...

EDIT: There's actually a lot of guys who could reach that description or something close to it by 2017

 

[Groundhog]

C.J Stander, PO'M and Jack O'Donoughue backrow for the Lions. Everything you could ever want in a backrow. Power, skill, sex appeal, no Welsh people. And as Scotland's team is basically South Africans and Kiwis anyway, we can just put Stander down as the token Scot.
I'm going to put O'Donoghue down as my wildly speculative outside bolter for the squad though. Naturally this is wild overhype of a guy whose played a handful of games, but still.

 

[munstermuffin]

C.J Stander, PO'M and Jack O'Donoughue backrow for the Lions. Everything you could ever want in a backrow. Power, skill, sex appeal, no Welsh people. And as Scotland's team is basically South Africans and Kiwis anyway, we can just put Stander down as the token Scot.
I'm going to put O'Donoghue down as my wildly speculative outside bolter for the squad though. Naturally this is wild overhype of a guy whose played a handful of games, but still.

100% agree on Jack. He can potentially be a bolter but very unlikely. I hope CJ isn't selected as I'm not a fan of SH guys on Lions so fast. Like take a Riki Flutey and how that was.