Squad Selections

[fordage]

1. Andrew Sheridan
2. Jerry Flannery
3. Matt Stevens
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. James Haskell
7. Tom Rees
8 Ryan Jones ©

9. Mike Phillips
10. James Hook
11. Mark Jones
12. Jamie Noon
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Paul Sackey
15. Rob Kearney

16. Lee Mears 17. John Yapp 18. George Skivington 19. Shane Jennings 20. Danny Care 21. Sean Lamont 22. Morgan Stoddart

 

[gingergenius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (fordage @ Sep 5 2008, 01:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

1. Andrew Sheridan
2. Jerry Flannery
3. Matt Stevens
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. James Haskell
7. Tom Rees
8 Ryan Jones ©

9. Mike Phillips
10. James Hook
11. Mark Jones
12. Jamie Noon
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Paul Sackey
15. Rob Kearney

16. Lee Mears 17. John Yapp 18. George Skivington 19. Shane Jennings 20. Danny Care 21. Sean Lamont 22. Morgan Stoddart[/b]

I think you have your forwards largely spot on, give or take a couple of close decisions.

Backs need a lot of work... but i'm out in a min so i'll do it another time..

 

[Sir Speedy]

1. Sheridan
2. Hartley
3. Stevens
4. AWJ
5. O'Connell
6. Ryan Jones
7. Martyn Williams/Tom Rees
8. James Haskell (or you could swap him with Jones - Haskell can play 6, right?)

9. Peel/Phillips/Blair/Reddan/Ellis/Care (All can get a place - all depends on form. At the moment it has to be Blair, but that can change in a season).
10. Jones/Cipriani/O'Gara (Hook is off form, Cipriani is injured - though class when on song - and Scotland have no-one worthy of the spot. I'd pick Jones out of those three, though Cipriani would be first if he were fit and were to retain his form from last season).
11. Ikkul
12. Henson
13. NOT Shanklin. NOT O'Driscoll. NOT Henderson. So who then? :c
14. Rory Lamont/Simpson Daniel
15. Lee Byrne/Rob Kearney

16. Richard Hibbard
17. Gethin Jenkins
18. Doncha O'Calaghan
19. Jamie Heaslip
20. Any of the scrum-halves mentioned above.
21. Any one of the three fly-halves above - or Hook, depending on form.
22. Jamie Roberts - utility back and very strong....

 

[Canuck-Backrow]

1)Sheridan
2)
3)Jenkins
4)o'Connel
5)A.W Jones
6)Haskell
7)Rees, Narraway, Lund(yes I am a dreamer)
8)R. Jones

9)Peel,Blair, etc, maybe even Cusiter if he comes into form with Carter at USAP
10)Stephen Jones? Cipriani if healthy? Maybe even Wilkinson if he earns it

12)Henson definitely IMO
13)BOD as much as I hate to say it no one else really stands out in my mind, not that he does at the moment either

11)Paul Sackey
14)Shane Williams
15)Lewsey, or Byrne if Josh is deemed too old

I hate doing a bench but Stevens as front row cover for sure, maybe with his hooking partner at bath Lee Mears...no offense but I have a bad feeling about irish hookers lol so none shoudl be included and for my the #2 jersey is the only one thats really up in the air

 

[ollybarkley]

So.. obviously some form/injury issues but I would say you could look for this matchday in SA this coming summer

1) A. Sheridan
2) J. Flannery
3) Stevens
4) O'Callaghan
5) Wynn-Jones
6) Haskell
7) M.Williams
8) R. Jones (Captain)
9) E. Redden
10) Jones/Cipriani
11) S. Williams
12) Henson
13) O'Driscoll
14) Sackey
15) Kearney

16) A. ***terall
17) G. Jenkins
18) P. O'Connell
19) J. White/J.Thomas
20) D.Peel/M.Phillips/Blair
21) O.Barkley/Cipriani/Jones
22) J. Simpson-Daniel/Byrne

 

[gingergenius]

so then, backline.

9. Blair/ Peel/ Phillips/ Care/ Ellis (whoever out of these who is on form)
10. Cipriani. I've never seen Hook play well unless his team's on top. ROG pah.
11. Williams. 1st name on the sheet.
12. Henson. 2nd name on the sheet.
13. eugh. BOD I fear may be past it. Shanklin works well with Henson. And Tait has the most talent.
14. Sackey. has to be. Horgan is the only other proven world class winger I can think of. JSD is thus far unproven but that may change...
15. (Byrne) this is in the hope that someone classy emerges from these Isles between now & the tour. Maybe even Tait, but then you have to find a 13.

 

[Sir Speedy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gingergenius @ Sep 6 2008, 01:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

15. (Byrne) this is in the hope that someone classy emerges from these Isles between now & the tour. Maybe even Tait, but then you have to find a 13.[/b]

I guess you missed Lee Byrne's 'classy emergence' last season where his enormous boot and solidness under the high ball ensured us a 6N Grand Slam, then?

 

[Cymro]

So far I can only deicde on a few positions, namely the pack!

1. A.Sheridan
2. D.Hartley
3. G.Jenkins
4. P.O'Connell
5. A.W-Jones
6. J.Haskell
7. M.Williams
8. R.Jones ©

Will decide m backs at a future date!

 

[Vossy]

1. Andrew Sheridan
2. Jerry Flannery
2. Matt Stevens
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Alan Wyn-Jones
6. James Haskell
7. Tom Rees
8. Ryan Jones (Capt)

9. Mike Blair
10. Danny Cipriani

11. Shane Williams
12. Gavin Henson
13. Tom Shanklin
14. Paul Sackey
15. Rob Kearney

16. Dylan Hartley
17. Gethin Jenkins
18. Donncha O'Callaghan
19. Jamie Heaslip
20. Danny Care
21. Stephen Jones
22. Mathew Tait

9 English, 7 Welsh, 5 Irish, 1 Scot.

 

[SmokeyMonkey]

Subject to change.

1. Sheridan
2. Hibbard
3. Stevens
4. O'Connell
5. Wyn Jones
6. Haskell
7. Williams
8. Jones

9. Phillips
10. Cipriani
11. Williams
12. Henson
13. Tait
14. Strettle
15. Byrne

 

[gingergenius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sir. Speedy @ Sep 6 2008, 02:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gingergenius @ Sep 6 2008, 01:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

15. (Byrne) this is in the hope that someone classy emerges from these Isles between now & the tour. Maybe even Tait, but then you have to find a 13.[/b]

I guess you missed Lee Byrne's 'classy emergence' last season where his enormous boot and solidness under the high ball ensured us a 6N Grand Slam, then?
[/b][/quote]

ah but forgive my misgivings about run-of-the-mill welsh players playing well as the juggernaut starts rolling. Hook embodies this. There's a difference than an average player playing well because his team is on a roll (ie. Byrne) and someone with obvious permanent class (ie. Williams, Henson).

I may be completely wrong about him, but I suspect that if you put Byrne in a Lions shirt with a horrible scoreline against the Boks then I don't see him standing up to be counted.

Now, there is of course Kearney or Fitzgerald, but I'm yet to be convinced they'll cause a team like SA any problems. Now, if only they were still around and in form, Robinson, Lewsey and Gareth Thomas are the only recent British fullbacks I'd put in this category...

 

[bates]

As I'm not really following the UK scene ( in which I mean Englands, Wales, Ireland and Scotland) and most of the players whoes name does ring a bell.
Are James Hook ( Wales) he(s a very good preformer, I would lik to see him in.

The rest , hmm, I'll follow the suggestion of people who have more background knowledge of it.

 

[Prestwick]

Adding to Sir - Speedy's contribution.

1. Sheridan
2. Hartley
3. Stevens
4. Nick Kennedy/AWJ
5. O'Connell
6. Ryan Jones
7. Tom Rees (Williams comes close, but can he hack it in 2009 after a tough season and European campaign?)
8. James Haskell (can swap at 6 if need be)

9. Peel/Blair/Care
10. Jones/Cipriani/O'Gara - Can't really think of anyone else to be honest. Cips as primary fly-half with Jones and O'Gara on standby?
11. Keith Earls/David Strettle
12. Henson/Geraghty/Ashton
13. Erm...haven't a scooby either. Could we just agree with South Africa to play 14 a side and not bother with an outside center? Tom Cheeseman? Is he even from the UK & Ireland? Jon Clarke then? Nobody immediately springs to mind, James Simpson Daniel used to play at 13 right?
14. Rory Lamont/Simpson Daniel
15. Lee Byrne/Rob Kearney/Richard Haughton

 

[Cymro]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Sep 11 2008, 03:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

13. Erm...haven't a scooby either. Could we just agree with South Africa to play 14 a side and not bother with an outside center? Tom Cheeseman? Is he even from the UK & Ireland?[/b]

Tom Cheeseman is Welsh! Should and I mean should have toured in the winter with Wales! Apparently Gatland has been taking a look at him so who knows!

 

[fordage]

right, seeing as how my previous selection has been roundly criticised i've had another crack at it. This team has absolutely nothing to do with form or reputation, just basically a team that I like the look of and that I think can do the business in South Africa, particualry if Mc Geechan gives them a good going over.

1. Andrew Sheridan
2. Dylan Harley
3. Matt Stevens
4. Nick Kennedy
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. Ryan Jones ©
7. Tom Rees
8 Jamie Heaslip

9. Eoin Reddan
10. Danny Cipriani
11. Matt Banahan
12. Keith Earls
13. Brian O' Driscoll
14. Rob Kearney
15. Lee Byrne

 

[feicarsinn]

here whats with keith earls getting into 2 teams he hasnt got anywhere near the irish 22 yet

 

[Canuck-Backrow]

Cips Flood Wilko and Jones should be the number 10's that go on tour in my honest opinion

O'Gara and Hook are over rated

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (feicarsinn @ Sep 13 2008, 10:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

here whats with keith earls getting into 2 teams he hasnt got anywhere near the irish 22 yet[/b]

hartley is uncapped but has made almost every squad.....

 

[feicarsinn]

i know i wouldnt put him either but thats just due to a lack of hookers atm earls has a hell of alot of work to do not only does he have to get past the established backs in the ireland squad fitzgerald(got a hattrick on the weekend woo) and kearney are coming along much more quickly

 

[fordage]

my selection had nothing to do with anyone's established reputation. it was purely based on 15 players that I'd love to see playing together and coached by someone with the talent of mc geechan, i think a team like that could run rings around the springboks given the chance.

luke fitzgerald is a cracking player but he has said before that his preferred position is full back and that he doesn't like playing at 12. also keith earls was on fire yesterday and should definitely be involved with ireland by the six nations.

 

[SmokeyMonkey]

How can anyone not pick Williams at 11? He made the Saffas look like fools in the summer!

Oh and can <strike>everybody</strike> anybody stop picking Gethin at 3! He is a loosehead only!