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2021 British & Irish Lions Tour
The Lions squad for 2021 prediction
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<blockquote data-quote="RedruthRFC" data-source="post: 1032211" data-attributes="member: 58362"><p>I don't really factor in the Lions' trouble building a team out of a bunch of players as it's a constant across all tours (or at least since coaching became a thing in rugby). As I say, I can't make my mind up what effect the hiatus will have on South Africa. On the one hand, they could be unfit and undercooked, on the other, they could have been doing everything that they feel necessary to beat a Lions side since November last year at the latest. To be fair, I have no sort of handle on exactly how much rugby the SA squad will have played by the start of the series. After the 6N, I would be confident in saying that the Sarries players' amount isn't enough!</p><p></p><p>If it was a normal tour, I'd agree wholeheartedly. Given the number of people who usually follow the Lions on tour though, it could even be to SA's advantage IMO.</p><p></p><p>The back row selection will be really interesting. I have a sneaking suspicion that Gatland will disappoint a lot of south Walians re: Tipuric. I think he sees him as a luxury player. He certainly didn't rate him highly enough to accommodate him when Warburton was around like he did with SOB 4 years ago, so it will be a case of whether he thinks Tipuric is the best man to do what he wants from his seven, which I doubt personally.</p><p></p><p>The other thing that came to mind in the Lions' favour since my previous post is that unless Rassie pulls a real stroke and reinvents his team, SA are a known quantity and Gatland is able to pick his side and players to beat that side. This is a contrast to the World Cup final where I feel that Jones had based his campaign on needing to beat the All Blacks to win and forgot that he'd also need to win the final and won't be encumbered with the emotional baggage that comes with that. I know you could say this about any Lions tour, but given how clearly defined SA's style and tactics are, I think it's a bigger advantage this time around.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RedruthRFC, post: 1032211, member: 58362"] I don't really factor in the Lions' trouble building a team out of a bunch of players as it's a constant across all tours (or at least since coaching became a thing in rugby). As I say, I can't make my mind up what effect the hiatus will have on South Africa. On the one hand, they could be unfit and undercooked, on the other, they could have been doing everything that they feel necessary to beat a Lions side since November last year at the latest. To be fair, I have no sort of handle on exactly how much rugby the SA squad will have played by the start of the series. After the 6N, I would be confident in saying that the Sarries players' amount isn't enough! If it was a normal tour, I'd agree wholeheartedly. Given the number of people who usually follow the Lions on tour though, it could even be to SA's advantage IMO. The back row selection will be really interesting. I have a sneaking suspicion that Gatland will disappoint a lot of south Walians re: Tipuric. I think he sees him as a luxury player. He certainly didn't rate him highly enough to accommodate him when Warburton was around like he did with SOB 4 years ago, so it will be a case of whether he thinks Tipuric is the best man to do what he wants from his seven, which I doubt personally. The other thing that came to mind in the Lions' favour since my previous post is that unless Rassie pulls a real stroke and reinvents his team, SA are a known quantity and Gatland is able to pick his side and players to beat that side. This is a contrast to the World Cup final where I feel that Jones had based his campaign on needing to beat the All Blacks to win and forgot that he'd also need to win the final and won't be encumbered with the emotional baggage that comes with that. I know you could say this about any Lions tour, but given how clearly defined SA's style and tactics are, I think it's a bigger advantage this time around. [/QUOTE]
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