The squad:
Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Sean Maitland (Scotland), George North (Wales), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Manu Tuilagi (England), Owen Farrell (England), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales), Ben Youngs (England).
Forwards: Dan Cole (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Matt Stevens (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dylan Hartley (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Tom Youngs (England), Ian Evans (Wales), Richie Gray (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Geoff Parling (England), Tom Croft (England), Toby Faletau (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Sam Warburton (Wales, captain)
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Comments
Best is probably not considered mobile enough, in contrast to converted centre Tom Youngs, and Robshaw's strength for England is as a leader as much as a player. Those selected as wing forwards are decent players.
I agree with you re Matt Stevens. He was an excellent player but has had very little international exposure for a good few years now.
All in all a good squad. You can't pick 'em all.
I'd have taken Rory Best as starting hooker - Hartley concedes too many pens and Youngs is too inexperienced.
Robshaw - this is the selection that has me wondering...at open-side you have to run with the ball out of scrums/mauls and rucks and he made more yards and got more tackles in than any other player in the 6N (in that position). Australia are weak at the set pieces and they cope by recycling the ball quickly and attacking in the loose. Ideal for Robshaw's game.
The centres - all worthy names, good at ball carrying etc, but not a lot of pace or passing ability there, perhaps Twelvetrees should have gone, the danger is that when the bal hits the centres it'll go no further leaving the wings isolated and operating on scraps. More so as great player though he is I've never seen Leigh Halfpenny really stepping up into the line and overlapping in the way that Ben Foden used to do for England.
Farrel over Wilko is nothing more than a father's pick,and how Andy has even got the job is beyond me. Sexton offers things that the english fly halves don't but in a like for like battle,Wilko pisses all over Farrell this season and I suspect he will be flown out mid tour.
We have a predominantly Welsh back row that got abused down under in their last series by a young Aussie team,hopefully they've learnt some lessons.
What strikes me more than anything is how many average players are in this squad,not like the past Lions tours were its been pure class on every teamsheet
England 10
Ireland 6
Scotland 2
Are Wales really as good as that ?
Never thought Robshaw should go, he just isn't better than any of the back rows in the squad.
Matt Stevens is rather left field, but he has had a very good season.
EDIT: As ISawLeaburnScore says the involvement of Welsh coach Warren Gatland is a factor too!
Wales have a good squad and are back-back 6N champs so you should expect them to make up the bulk of the squad and Gatland's day job is coaching them so he should know their game, hence the choice of Sam Warburton as captain as well. They also have some good players in the key positions - such as Tipuric and Lydiate, Phillips at scrum-half and Leigh Halfpenny at FB. However Welsh teams have a poor track record against Southern Hemisphere teams.
I expect the game to be played in the loose as Australia don't have much of a srum - will Phillips be good enough to stop Genia at the scrum for example?
•Wed 5 June v Western Force, Perth
•Sat 8 June, Queensland Reds, Brisbane
•Tue 11 June, Combined NSW-Queensland, Newcastle
•Sat 15 June, NSW Waratahs, Sydney
•Tue 18 June, ACT Brumbies, Canberra
•Sat 22 June v Australia, Brisbane
•Tue 25 June, v Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne
•Sat 29 June, v Australia, Melbourne
•Sat 6 July, v Australia, Sydney
My test centres would be O'Driscoll and Davies with Sexton and Phillips at 1/2 back, Kearney at full back (though he has not been 'himself' recently thru injury), with Halfpenny and Cuthbert on the wings. But really any combination of centres and backs could do a job so long as O'Driscoll is out there.
It is a sign of the poverty of British back play that our most creative centre is well into his 30s.
The pack has been picked for pace and ball playing potential as much as for bulk and power, that will suit against Australia who like to play an expansive and somewhat risky game.
I have a feeling that Hooker Youngs will prove to be a real find on this tour,( although Hibbard is probably perceived as the starter right now), as will Tuperic, Vunipola and Gray, all comparative novices.
I am looking forward to watching (alas only on TV) some good, fast games on those hard and fast southern grounds between what are on paper, two evenly matched test sides.
Leigh Halfpenny will start at FB - Kearney is another who's lucky to be on the tour, he had a very poor 6N but was playing behind a very poor Irish side.
15. Halfpenny
14. Cuthbert or Maitland
13. BO'D
12. Roberts
11. North
10. Sexton
9. Phillips
1. Healy
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. AWJ
5. PO'C
6. Lydiate
7. Warburton
8. Falatau
15 Kearney
14 Halfpenny
13 O'Driscoll
12 Davies
11 Cuthbert
10 Sexton
9 Phillips
3 Jones A
2 Hibbard
1 Jenkins
4 Parling
5 Wyn Jones
6 Warburton
8 Falatau
7 Tipuric
Like O'Connell, who has been immense since his return from injury.
Based on 6 Nations form, I have to say that Jamie Heaslip is lucky to be there.
As for Heaslip, captaincy took its toll on him. He is obviously not captain material and this cost Ireland and ultimately Kidney heavily during the six nations. On form and on his day, Heaslip is the best number 8 in Europe bar none, French and Italian candidates included
With Heaslip, we know well enough how good he is and can be, which made his performances in the 6 Nations so frustrating. Agree fully that captaincy didn't suit him. On form no argument...hopefully he finds it again soon.