3rd test selection...

As the poll says...
 
 
Personally I think it is the best selection available to him, yet I would have had Tips playing with SOB on the bench. Also Gray (or maybe Evans) starting with Parling as impact off the bench.
 
Apart from that, think he has picked a strong side which has the ability to win the series.
 
Dont agree with all the BOD comments on the site (and elsewhere - ie. Keith Wood's comments on the BBC). They are based on emotion, ie. BOD last Lions game, etc., and not on performance.
 
 
All in all, there is one thing I'm sure of. This selection is going to make this site unbearable for the remainder of this week, so I'm off to consider what a great selection has been made and not going to log on here again for a while...

 Parling's the only passenger IMO

Wait for the noise on BOD - insane decision to drop BOD for Davies. Not gonna really get into this debate as the decision has been made. After all this prep and Gatland taking time off to select a Lions team he should have just not bothered with that and stuck with coaching Wales in 6N and then flying them over to Australia.

For me this proves that you cannot select a home nation coach going forward as its too partisan...

Think it is a good point about a serving home nation coach. Gatland wouldn't be human if he didn't consider the impact of his decisions on the Welsh squad once he gets back to them for the AI's. The job is difficult enought and if you asked 10 different coaches for their starting XV you would probably get 10 different teams.

I think Gatland has done what most people would do in the situation, he has reverted to the players he is most comfortable with.

Find it funny when people are so critical of Parling, given one average performance last week, when they ignore how bad Phillips was in the first test.

 When someone pciked 11 England players for the Lions many years ago we had to reluctantly accept that they were the better players. It's just a shame that others can't accept this in spite of the overwhelming evidence from 2011-2013.

There are 50/50 calls at hooker 2nd row, 9 and Centre but not much aside of this. Gatland has even dropped Cuthbert from the squad but yet he is till accused of racist bias when the evidence suggests otherwise. I guess it's a simple matter of people being unable to accept that the chosen players for the 3rd test are equal to or better than the other options; apart from Parling IMO,  

RubyGuby wrote: When someone pciked 11 England players for the Lions many years ago we had to reluctantly accept that they were the better players. It's just a shame that others can't accept this in spite of the overwhelming evidence from 2011-2013.

There are 50/50 calls at hooker 2nd row, 9 and Centre but not much aside of this. Gatland has even dropped Cuthbert from the squad but yet he is till accused of racist bias when the evidence suggests otherwise. I guess it's a simple matter of people being unable to accept that the chosen players for the 3rd test are equal to or better than the other options; apart from Parling IMO,   

did that ever happen? for me hooker wasn't a 50/50 decision, Youngs should be starting ahead of hibbard who's not played well at all this series.

Turns out Gatland isn't interested in coaching the All Blacks after all.

Excellent decision by Gatland, one would expect the moaning from one nation especially and should the Lion's lose we will see more childishness. To say there are 'snubs' towards other nations is the most pathetic and racist tripe I have ever read.

nth wrote:Turns out Gatland isn't interested in coaching the All Blacks after all.

Seems like he wanted to make sure he wasn't invited back to take the Lions to NZ in 4 years time as well.

Provided it is nothing like the moronic sideshow & circus that went to NZ in 2005 most will be happy.

rainbow-warrior wrote:Provided it is nothing like the moronic sideshow & circus that went to NZ in 2005 most will be happy.

The sideshow and circus would be a blessing rather than having to watch this one-dimensional, limited gameplan.

Cyril wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:Provided it is nothing like the moronic sideshow & circus that went to NZ in 2005 most will be happy.

The sideshow and circus would be a blessing rather than having to watch this one-dimensional, limited gameplan.

Hahahaha 2005 to long ago for you to recall then Cyril, the laughing stock of the rugby world to say nothing of a pure disgrace and one eyed selections and zero game plan by a muppet.

At least the Lions are 1-1 so far unlike the farce of 2005.

After the Lions lose at the weekend it'll be interesting to see if Gatland approaches the AIs differently or rolls again.

rainbow-warrior wrote:

Cyril wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:Provided it is nothing like the moronic sideshow & circus that went to NZ in 2005 most will be happy.

The sideshow and circus would be a blessing rather than having to watch this one-dimensional, limited gameplan.

Hahahaha 2005 to long ago for you to recall then Cyril, the laughing stock of the rugby world to say nothing of a pure disgrace and one eyed selections and zero game plan by a muppet.

At least the Lions are 1-1 so far unlike the farce of 2005.

rainbow-warrior wrote:Excellent decision by Gatland, one would expect the moaning from one nation especially and should the Lion's lose we will see more childishness.  To say there are 'snubs' towards other nations is the most pathetic and racist tripe I have ever read.

Ha ha ha, you have to love the hypocricy of these two comments on the same thread.

rainbow-warrior wrote:the laughing stock of the rugby world to say nothing of a pure disgrace and one eyed selections and zero game plan by a muppet.

Are we talking about 2005 or 2013?

rainbow-warrior wrote:At least the Lions are 1-1 so far unlike the farce of 2005.

I don't think Gatlandball would fare any better against that 2005 NZ side.

Devalued test selection sirbigg.....