What's your squad look like?

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

If you're referring to Russell, he looks a helluva lot beefier than Mitchell.

Mitchell is a SH who is taller and heavier. Shouldn't we compare Russell to smith and smith?

 

[General Melchett]

Russell can tackle and defend better than a lot of guys bigger than himself.

He chooses to spend less time in the gym and more time on his laptop studying the likes of Pollard and that worked out pretty well at the weekend.

 

[AlRums]

Mitchell is a SH who is taller and heavier. Shouldn't we compare Russell to smith and smith?

I was going by the pics on the squad page, relating to thin arms.

 

[AlRums]

Mitchell is a SH who is taller and heavier. Shouldn't we compare Russell to smith and smith?

According to saints and Scotland profile Finn is 2cm taller and 10+kg heavier

 

[AlRums]

British and Irish Lions: Squad in 'good shape' with injuries after Jamison Gibson-Park scare, says head coach Andy Farrell

British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell believes scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park will be "up and running" by the time the side reach Australia next week.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[retired9]

Russell can tackle and defend better than a lot of guys bigger than himself.

He chooses to spend less time in the gym and more time on his laptop studying the likes of Pollard and that worked out pretty well at the weekend.

I'm going to say his apparent comparative lack of bulk helps with his dexterity shifting the ball around the body. Certainly nothing wrong with his defensive ability either.

 

[TommiG88]

Shame the Scottish team can't defend as well as their fans

 

[retired9]

Shame the Scottish team can't defend as well as their fans

Fierce ones us Scots

We need a harder hitting pack, the second rows have been a bit lacking in heft and a bigger 8 would be better.

Hope Cummings has a good stint from the bench he's a great athlete

 

[AlRums]

Shame the Scottish team can't defend as well as their fans

We kept the Aussies out in our last game with them, oh no, England didn't the week before.

 

[AlRums]

Class of 2025

 

[Rugbyfan564]

Australia coach aims swipe at ‘southern-hemisphere’ Lions players

Joe Schmidt raises eyebrows at centre pairing of New Zealand-born Bundee Aki and Australia-born Sione Tuipulotu

www.telegraph.co.uk

'The selection of eight foreign-born players in Farrell's original squad sparked debate around the selection of those born in the southern hemisphere. Lions great Willie John McBride said their selection "bothered" him, and after the additional call-up of tighthead prop Finlay Bealham – who was born in Australia – former England scrum-half Danny Care said their presence did not sit well with him when those players never dreamt of playing for the Lions.
"Both your starting wingers are going to be lads that never, ever once in their childhood or even their mid-twenties dreamt of wearing a red Lions jersey," Care said on the BBC Rugby Union Weekly podcast in reference to New Zealand-born James Lowe and South Africa-born Duhan van der Merwe.
"It is what it is, it's the rules, and why not. If you're James Lowe or you're Duhan van der Merwe or you're [Jamison] Gibson-Park, you go, 'Oh, I'll play for the Lions, yeah.'
"We're not going to change it, but it just doesn't… I think there's a lot of people that feel the same but can't say it." '



The thing is we all know how really those players shouldn't be eligible for Ireland/Scotland in the first place.

 

[retired9]

Seriously change the F record… it's boring, these guys have multiple caps for their respective nations. What does it matter, they aren't going back to be Boks, or All Blacks, get over it.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

"Irish citizens shouldn't be eligible for Ireland" - Mike Tindall's burner.

Those opinions scream privilege and lack of awareness to me to be honest.

 

[big ginger 8]

For the millionth time I will also add Bealham and Hansen are not qualified on residency grounds and have been eligible for an Irish passport since the day they were born.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I think there's often a double standard with people from predominantly immigration heavy nations vs emigration heavy nations.

Danny Care is from a country that no one needs to leave due to lack of opportunity. Willie John McBride was from a community that was largely similar, certainly in comparison to the other half of the people. There's just a lack of understanding of life from them.

Obviously there's no issue with Maro Itoje. But let's say his dad is a world class boules player, the argument here is that a man who has lived for decades in England, gained citizenship and raised an English captain shouldn't be allowed to represent them. Starting to get into words ending with -ism here...

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Just cut off all switching via residency as soon as you become a pro player, would stop 99% of these think pieces in an instant.

Easy, done, make sure my WR consultancy fee cheque is in the post

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Just cut off all switching via residency as soon as you become a pro player, would stop 99% of these think pieces in an instant.

Easy, done, make sure my WR consultancy fee cheque is in the post

I mean even then, if you commit five years to one place I think you've earned it. That's not a project or whatever you want to call it, just life circumstances changing. Happens the world over in every industry.

Nation switching should be kicked. And I wouldn't be against being tied by 20s World Championship appearances but it's in a fine place as is.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

if you commit five years to one place I think you've earned it

I feel we've had this conversation before, and definitely have different POVs on it - I completely disagree, but different strokes for different folks

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I feel we've had this conversation before, and definitely have different POVs on it - I completely disagree, but different strokes for different folks

Fair fair. I just can't back a system where playing for a rugby team has a more restricted entry threshold than gaining citizenship for most countries.

That's pretty much where my logic begins and ends.

 

[Which Tyler]

The thing is we all know how really those players shouldn't be eligible for Ireland/Scotland in the first place.

Please don't think that you're speaking for everyone.
"A few loudmouths" =/= "Everyone"

I think there's often a double standard with people from predominantly immigration heavy nations vs emigration heavy nations.

Worth noting then, that Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are absolutely immigrant heavy nations - it's just that the mass of their immigration wave (from Europe) happened more than 2 generations ago

Just cut off all switching via residency as soon as you become a pro player, would stop 99% of these think pieces in an instant.

As always, it depends on whether rugby wants to be an olympic sport or not