Lions : Gatland's yer man! (most likely, according to him)

Good luck everyone!

Personally I'd be selecting a non-current B&I coach - just to avoid the inevitable bickering down the track.

http://www.espnscrum.com/lions-tour-2013/rugby/story/168806.html

If they'd waited a month, they'd probably have found that Robbie Deans was available.

http://www.7daysindubai.com/Robbie-Deans-dilemma-courage-Matt-Hampson/story-16746629-detail/story.html

That's unfortunate

It will be better than 2005 and that joker in command, I will bet my house on that.

rainbow-warrior wrote:It will be better than 2005 and that joker in command, I will bet my house on that.

SCW a joker ? Get outta here. Ok it was a crap tour against the ABs but you can't write him off like that. Even Sir Ted slipped up with Wales, so RW try a little balance before you go bad mouthing a sporting great

anyone who can get the Poms to be the best side in the world is not a joker. And of course it will be better. It's a lot easier to beat the convicts than it is to beat the All Blacks

Dontheman wrote:

rainbow-warrior wrote:It will be better than 2005 and that joker in command, I will bet my house on that.

SCW a joker ? Get outta here. Ok it was a crap tour against the ABs but you can't write him off like that. Even Sir Ted slipped up with Wales, so RW try a little balance before you go bad mouthing a sporting great

A sporting great? Possibly a person who created a world cup winning side in 2003 all on a drop goal. 2005 was a circus where he held onto the ancient and burnt out dross from the 2003 english side. Little more than a small flash in the pan anywhere but england to be honest.

Rainbow-Warrior you are talking rubbish. Sir Clive molded together the best NH team there has EVER been. Between 1999-2003 England won 14 CONSECUTIVE games against NZ, SA and Oz. Just to clarify England went 4 years unbeaten home and away against the 3 best teams in the world. As coach he won evey international honour there is won a world cup, grandslam and got England to the number 1 team in the world rankings.

I agree with WRFC-the best NH team ever. Sure it came down to a drop but the Poms handled the pressure and kudos to them for doing so.

Woodward disappeared up his own rectal cavity after that though. He should have quit while he was ahead like Johnson. He was as guilty as anyone for the lack of innovation in the immediate post-03 aftermath and getting his backside handed to him in NZ with the Poms getting a hiding and the Lions getting even worse took a lot away from his legacy IMO. Add that to the petulance of not admitting NZ were the better side in 05 and still chipping them about the WC (we haven't heard him talk about 11 yet) and you have a great coach who outstayed his welcome.

Gatland is the obvious choice. I think it'll be devastating to the Lions if they don't win next year though.