Topic: British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa 2021

[sinnermichael]

Squad announced tomorrow so may aswell start a separate thread. Cannot wait now. I suspect it'll be less England heavy now, given their poor Six Nations.

Pre-tour warm-up game:

Sat 26 June: vs Japan – Edinburgh

Tour warm-up games:

Sat 3 July: vs Stormers – Cape Town
Weds 7 July: vs South Africa Invitational – Port Elizabeth
Sat 10 July: vs Sharks – Durban
Weds 14 July: vs South Africa ‘A’ – Nelspruit
Sat 17 July: vs Bulls – Pretoria

Test matches:

Sat 24 July: vs Springboks – Johannesburg (FNB Stadium)
Sat 31 July: vs Springboks – Cape Town
Sat 7 August: vs Springboks – Johannesburg (Emirates Airline Park)


Bonkers how the Lions end up touring South Africa when they're World champions. Happened in 1997 and 2009.

[Crosby Nick]

Also toured Australia in 2001 when they were World Champions, and NZ in 2017.

Shame the fixture list is so short compared to the 1997 tour which seemed to go on forever (and the ones from the older days which were virtually seasons in themselves). Understandable though.

[sinnermichael]

Be interesting to see who the captain is. I don't think AWJ is a shoe in by any means.

[Ray K]

I reckon Gatland should shake things up by selecting 36 bolters. 

[Elmo!]

I suspect Sextons injury issues will solve a dilemna for Gatland and it will be Biggar, Farrell and Russell as the fly halves.

Be interesting to see which locks go - I'd love Johnny Gray to go but I suspect it will 2 of the Irish 3 (Henderson, Ryan & Beirne) to go with AWJ and Itoje.

[Ray K]

Sounds like AWJ is captain and Sam Simmonds gets a call up, per leaks.

[Crosby Nick]

Gatland sticking with his own? Surely not.

Simmonds has been getting rave reviews but I haven’t seen any club rugby in years. Will the Boks eat him up or can he do some damage with his pace?

[Elmo!]

Sounds like AWJ is captain and Sam Simmonds gets a call up, per leaks.

Billy V to miss out?

[Elmo!]

Redpath got a letter as well apparently.

[Ray K]

Billy V to miss out?

Sounds like it. I imagine there's not too many fitness gambles with a small squad.

[Welshred]

Sounds like AWJ is captain and Sam Simmonds gets a call up, per leaks.

Reported by the BBC now

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57004215

[MBL?]

Great, this dinosaur is back. Don’t care*.




*I do care enough to come into this thread to show my disdain for this monstrosity and if it pisses anyone off that’s just a bonus. Hope the saffas hammer the rag tag Welsh crew.

[Gerry Attrick]

Sir, Sir to captain them then. Interest is not really there this year but if he picks an exciting team I might watch a couple. It’s Gatland though so we’ll have second rowers at fly half and in the centres.

[Crosby Nick]

Great, this dinosaur is back. Don’t care*.




*I do care enough to come into this thread to show my disdain for this monstrosity and if it pisses anyone off that’s just a bonus. Hope the saffas hammer the rag tag Welsh crew.

Was it dropping O’Driscoll that really hurt you?

I always like the Lions tour. Even when they barely pick an Englishman like the last SA tour. And usually there’s an easy scapegoat like Colin Charvis or Ronan O’Gara so it’s all good.

[Elmo!]

I care until the squad announcement and Gatland inevitably picks Hogg as  the sole token Scot. 

[Welshred]

Nah there'll be at least one other in there

[Welshred]

https://twitter.com/WelshRugbyUnion/status/1390265656231223298?s=20

The great Alun Wyn Jones confirmed as captain

[Elmo!]

This announcement is hilarious. Graphics from the 90's, invisible chairs making them look like they are floating, AWJ getting beamed into the studio Star Trek style and doing a John "full kit wanker" Terry. 

[Elzar]

Interviews with people in sport are really boring arn't they.

[Ray K]

Interviews with people in sport are really boring arn't they.

You'd love to go back to the 70s with these.
'Well Alun, how did you get selected as captain?'
'Myself, Owen, Stuart and Johnny had a drinking contest, and when Sexton collapsed after the 4th yard of ale then Gats said it was me'

[Ray K]

Fucks sake, this is worse than the Champions League draws.

[Elmo!]

Aki? That's a shock.

and Harris in!

Bloody hell, Price too....

[Elmo!]

Bloody hell, Scots everywhere! 

[Ray K]

No Sexton

[Crosby Nick]

Aki? That's a shock.

and Harris in!

Bloody hell, Price too....

Bundee or Purple? Shocker either way.

Who are the other two?

[Elmo!]

NO RIngrose, Underhill, Sexton, Billy Vunipola.

Quite a few shocks in there.

[sinnermichael]

No Jonny May is mad.

[Elzar]

No Jonny May is mad.

He has an ankle problem.

Sam Underhill missing out though!

[sinnermichael]

[Elmo!]

Bundee or Purple? Shocker either way.

Who are the other two?

Backs named

Backs: Josh Adams, Bundee Aki, Dan Biggar, Elliot Daly, Gareth Davies, Owen Farrell, Chris Harris, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart Hogg, Conor Murray, Ali Price, Louis Rees-Zammit, Finn Russell, Duhan van der Merwe, Anthony Watson, Liam Williams.

Forwards named

Forwards: Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Luke Cowan Dickie, Tom Curry, Zander Fagerson, Taulupe Faletau, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie George, Iain Henderson, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones, Wyn Jones, Courtney Lawes, Ken Owens, Andrew Porter, Sam Simmonds, Rory Sutherland, Justin Tipuric, Mako Vunipola, Hamish Watson.

[Ray K]

8 Irish, 10 Welsh, 8 Scots, 11 English by my initial count (likely to be wrong)

[Welshred]

Seems a pretty even split in terms from players from each nation which is nice

[Samie]

Union! 30 fatso's massacring the pitch.

[Crosby Nick]

Union! 30 fatso's massacring the pitch.

Why weren’t you picked?

[Crosby Nick]

Who’s playing in the centres then? Options seem a bit uninspiring. Is Tuilagi injured (almost certainly). No May is a shame too if he is injured.

Squad always changes multiple times between now and the first Test anyway with inevitable injuries. Seems a slightly uninspiring back line in general and lacking a bit of physicality without North and Tuilagi. Are there any glaring omissions?

[sinnermichael]

Union! 30 fatso's massacring the pitch.

Don't worry. You can look forward to Australia or New Zealand winning the Rugby League World Cup soon.

[Ray K]

From an Irish POV, I'm not surprised by Sexton and James Ryan missing out. Sexton's recent injury (even if it's not a long term one) means that he wasn't likely to start, and if you want a bench option to change the game it makes more sense to have the wild card in Finn Russell.  But Sexton's tactical approach will be missed. I think it's Murray and Farrell as 9/10, and probably a lot of kicking from Murray at 9.  Two regularly midfielders at 12/13.
James Ryan has been some way off his peak this season, and a break for the summer will do him the world of good.

Astonished that Bundee Aki got selected, delighted to see Conan there, but Stander will feel hard done by.  Simmonds didn't do a lot in his one big game recently, the loss to Leinster.

[sinnermichael]

Who’s playing in the centres then? Options seem a bit uninspiring. Is Tuilagi injured (almost certainly). No May is a shame too if he is injured.

Squad always changes multiple times between now and the first Test anyway with inevitable injuries. Seems a slightly uninspiring back line in general and lacking a bit of physicality without North and Tuilagi. Are there any glaring omissions?

Farrell and Henshaw probably. Where's Jonathan Davies?

[Ray K]

Farrell and Henshaw probably. Where's Jonathan Davies?

Farrell 10, Henshaw 12, Daly 13 is my guess.  Astonished that he picked Aki over J Davies.

[Crosby Nick]

Saffers like their quotas. Perhaps by selecting that Scottish winger it meant we couldn’t pick Stander?

From an English point of view Daly is probably quite fortunate to get the nod, but he did quite well on the last tour and Gatland seems to pick what he knows and likes.

Not sure I’d have picked Jonny Hill (mainly for the hair) and pleasantly surprised Lawes is in there although he covers multiple positions and adds some much needed heft.