Lion Team for first Test

[jorge]

I couldnt give a rats anymore Woodward dug his own grave and i hope The Lions get HAMMERED and Woodward gets all the abuse possible.

[Dodge]

Think O'Connell played alright actually 9apart from the line out obviously) They showed at least 5/6 clips of Lions' line outs where people were screaming looking for the call so it wasn't all down to Byrne (and Thompson is the worst thrower in the world)

Expect Henson and Murphy to be drafted in at the very least.

[jorge]

Im sure he was resting Henson thats why he had Will Greenwood on the bench surely?

[Plastic Paddy]

I couldnt give a rats anymore Woodward dug his own grave and i hope The Lions get HAMMERED and Woodward gets all the abuse possible.

I bet you'd have been cheering had the Lions won. A fair-weather "supporter" then, Jorge?

PP

[pete]

I don't believe its in Woodwards ego to make huge changes.

15. Lewsey
14. Horgan/Williiams
13. Horgan/Greenwood/D'Arcy
12. Henson
11. Thomas (c)
10. Wilkinson
9. Peel
8. Corry
7. Williams
6. Jones
5. O'Connell
4. O'Callaghan (has big chance)
3. White
2. Byrne (might stick with him for irish 2nd row combo)
1. Jenkins

[De Town]

14. Horgan/Williiams

Horgan will get in, Williams is way too small to be playing against the All Blacks, look what they did to Robinson

[jofyisgod]

I bet you'd have been cheering had the Lions won. A fair-weather "supporter" then, Jorge?

PP

My thoughts precisely PP. I hate this preying on easy targets that people take part in, propelled by the gutter press we have in this part of the world. Also note the cases of the English Football team and Tim Henman.

[Clifford]

13-2 for me also Pete. Good value, pure fluke it came in, but I wanted some avenue to vent frustration at SCW.

I think a valid point here regarding the shocking selection policy is that if he was intending such a strange selection then the last 2 Saturday games before the test should have seen that line up play together. Element of surprise is worthless if the actually team have never played together. So much for his over meticulous preparation.

Shambles, only hope the players can restore some pride for themselves by revolting against the idiot.

[jorge]

I bet you'd have been cheering had the Lions won. A fair-weather "supporter" then, Jorge?

PP

I wasnt bothered who would win although i would be cheering on the Lions had they picked a team on form not on what the manager knows.I knew this would happen from day one.Dont believe me if you dont want to.

[jofyisgod]

I wasnt bothered who would win although i would be cheering on the Lions had they picked a team on form not on what the manager knows.I knew this would happen from day one.Dont believe me if you dont want to.

And you are a better judge of the player's form than the man who's been travelling the UK and Ireland to watch them for the last 12 months, who's spent all day every day with them for the past month or so, and a man who won the Rugby World Cup with a not disimiliar group of players two years ago.

[jorge]

Ask anyone if Wilkinson,Back,Hill,Greenwood and a couple of others if they deserved to be on the test team.Do you even like rugby?
Theres are theese things called television and Sky where you can see Lions matches.You dont have to be there you know.

[Plastic Paddy]

I wasnt bothered who would win although i would be cheering on the Lions had they picked a team on form not on what the manager knows.I knew this would happen from day one.Dont believe me if you dont want to.

C'mon Jorge, you can't choose like that. I've had to put up with Brian Kerr despite the fact that I'm a better qualified coach (well, given me UEFA preliminary badge I think so anyway ) and that I think he's inept. It doesn't stop me following Ireland though. In honesty, and given what you've said above, what reaction do you expect?

PP

[jorge]

Tbh i've never had that thing for the Lions every one else seems to have,i've always thought it was dominated by the english team too much and rightly so as they are the bigger country therefor produce better players.

It must be hard to be Scottish when the Lions are playing

[pete]

Tbh i've never had that thing for the Lions every one else seems to have,i've always thought it was dominated by the english team too much and rightly so as they are the bigger country therefor produce better players.

I don't know how any irish person could wear a Lions jersey. As you say team is always dominated by english players.

[Superhoops]

I don't know how any irish person could wear a Lions jersey. As you say team is always dominated by english players.

After seeing the team that SCW picked for the first test, you have to wonder what role, if any, BOD as captain, Eddie O'Sullivan and the other coaches have in team selection.

I am assuming they have no say as I find it hard to believe that if they had a voice in picking the team they would not have come up with the team that took the field. If they did then they are as mad as Woodward.

[lopez]

I don't know how any irish person could wear a Lions jersey. As you say team is always dominated by english players.

I don't know how any irish (lowercase very appropriate here even if probably unintentional) person could follow the Lions unless they consider themselves British.

[Macy]

I don't know how any irish (lowercase very appropriate here even if probably unintentional) person could follow the Lions unless they consider themselves British.

Yeah, it's not like Irelands hasn't produced some great Lions players in the past, infact some of the defining moments of the Lions...

I do, however, think that the romance of the Lions has been reduced in the professional era.

Woodwards fooked up not by picking too many English players, but by picking the wrong English players. Too many has beens from the World Cup winning team and not enough on current form...

[lopez]

Yeah, it's not like Irelands hasn't produced some great Lions players in the past, infact some of the defining moments of the Lions...

You can say that again! Brendan Mullin - son of an Irish diplomat no less - singing God Save The German before a test in Australia in 1989 is just one of them. A favourite fanzine of mine at that time (Kilkenny's Every Man's a Football Artist) noted: 'Brendan, we never expected you to sit down in protest. But you didn't have to sing the bloody thing either.'

People can believe the hype, the (recent) name change to the British & IRISH Lions, but this is little more than one of those queer leftovers of British rule. If this was truly international, there'd be French players included. Stand a better chance of beating the opposition aswell.

[Macy]

The 70's tours will always be legendary, especially South Africa lead by Willie John McBride.

It is a left over of British Rule, however, it's an all ireland international team so it has to be expected to some extent. Just as an all ireland football team would no doubt be included in any resurrected "home" international tournament.

[pete]

Looks like Woodward going to change at least 1/3 of the team for next week now.

Fromm irish perspective looks like Byrne will miss out but Easterby & Horgan could start.