Loosehead choices for the Lions tour to Australia

First topic message reminder :

Six nations is done. We are a year on since I last held one of these polls and the long term aim was to compare what we selected a year out, a month out and the final squad.

You can pick one player only as your first choice.

I think I have grabbed most of the names in the hat, though my apologies if anyone you consider worthy has been forgotten, if you ask nicely then I am sure one of our excellent moderators might take the time to be kind enough to offer their much valued assistance.

The players included either showed in the Six Nations squads or have been regularly talked of as prospects on the various threads on here.

Hookers - https://www.606v2.com/t42471-hooker-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia

Tightheads - https://www.606v2.com/t42486-tighthead-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia

Lock No. 4 - https://www.606v2.com/t42501-number-4-lock-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia#1956467

Lock no. 5 - https://www.606v2.com/t42502-number-5-lock-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia

Blindside Flanker - https://www.606v2.com/t42514-blindside-flanker-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia

Openside Flanker - https://www.606v2.com/t42515-ospenside-flanker-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia#1956975

Number 8 - https://www.606v2.com/t42518-number-eight-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia#1958144

Scrumhalf - https://www.606v2.com/t42531-scrumhalf-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia

Flyhalf - https://www.606v2.com/t42539-flyhalf-choices-for-the-lions-tour-to-australia#1958609

Another weekend done and dusted. The squad to be announced after the next...!

Grant done his Lions chances no harm after Friday. More than adequate to handle Jones in the scrum. great in the loose, chalking up 2 tries.

It was also obvious from that game that Hibbard has to be the first choice hooker.

Yeah I just hope Hibbard isn't too badly hurt.

Grant did a really good job of getting under Jones at the Scrums, they both had a stint in the bin for thier combined antics but Grant will see that as a Victory, due to the huge experience of Jones and his reputation of being a fierce scrummager. Since the Glasgow team drew more penalties from their Welsh counterparts he'll have been happy with his performance.

Bagging 2 tries helps too.

Very impressed by Grant, he did well vs Wales in the six nations too.

Have to say that he, Gethin and Healy are the front runners with Paul James close behind.

Paul James was excellent at the weekend against Tigers too. He and Wilson really pushed the Tigers' scrum. Both were very good in the loose too.

I saw a bit of the game. He has been a rock for Wales and the Ospreys for years. Was a good signing for Bath.

Loosehead is becoming a very tough call.

Gethin Jenkins is the best bet for a most flanker-like skill set, breakdown work and tackling.

Cian Healy is the best ball carrier available and would be my pick for that reason

Alex Corbisiero is the best scrummaging loosehead available with possibly Sheridan right up there too (havent seen enough of Sheri recently)

maestegmafia wrote:I saw a bit of the game. He has been a rock for Wales and the Ospreys for years. Was a good signing for Bath.

Loosehead is becoming a very tough call.

He was very good. In my opinion, I thought he should have been starting at LH for Wales over Jenkins during the 6N

bluestonevedder wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:I saw a bit of the game. He has been a rock for Wales and the Ospreys for years. Was a good signing for Bath.

Loosehead is becoming a very tough call.

He was very good. In my opinion, I thought he should have been starting at LH for Wales over Jenkins during the 6N

It's a tough call between James and Jenkins and won't get any easier with the fantastic form Bevington is starting to show too. We are rather fortunate to have three top Looseheads.

Happy to read your appreciation of James work in the loose, he can be quite the tyro...!

Tyro means "a beginner in learning something". James is 30 (nearly 31)! I know props are always learning but he's hardly a beginner

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:Tyro means "a beginner in learning something". James is 30 (nearly 31)! I know props are always learning but he's hardly a beginner

No, but he is a prop, so he is bound to be slow

cakeordeath wrote:

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:Tyro means "a beginner in learning something". James is 30 (nearly 31)! I know props are always learning but he's hardly a beginner

No, but he is a prop, so he is bound to be slow

I just wish people understood the words they type

Cyril, it might be prudent to think before replying. Tyro is also a shortened version of the word Tyrant.


One could also alternate and use words of the ilk of.

bad guy, brute, bully, criminal, crook, cutthroat, demon, desperado, devil, evildoer, fiend, gunman, hoodlum, hooligan, law breaker, monster, ogre, ruffian, scoundrel, snake, terrorist, thief, thug, tough, vampire, vandal, viper, vulture, wrongdoer.

Obviously dependent on the context of the subject matter.

Perhaps it would be wise to not take everything written here as a literal meaning, but some leeway should be allowed for creative literacy and license.

By the way, we had an agreement and you broke it.

Sorry but you're wrong on this one, biltong.

To be fair Biltong, tyro is a word in itself meaning someone new to an activity.

wrong on the fact that Tyro can be a shortening of a word, do you know how Maesteg intended it?

Or wrong about the fact that you broke an agreement?

No 7&1/2 wrote:To be fair Biltong, tyro is a word in itself meaning someone new to an activity.

Accepted mate, but if we go on the literal meaning of every word word that is typed on this forum it will become a literacy exercise where we become pedantic to the point of boredom regarding how people spel and intent their abbreviations.

I am pretty sure in this case talking about a prop ten years into pro rugby, is not a rookie.

It is perhaps a good idea to read things in context before assuming someone doesn't intend a word in a specific meaning.

This one is tough.

Healy for me is the front runner, and assuming Gatland doesn't mind Jenkins being used by Toulon at the start of the tour, then Jenkins should go as well.

Final choice is hard. Ryan Grant, Paul James, Alex Corbisiero, Mako Vunipola and Andrew Sheridan will all be considered no doubt.

Biltong wrote:wrong on the fact that Tyro can be a shortening of a word, do you know how Maesteg intended it?

Or wrong about the fact that you broke an agreement?

Yes, no idea (but used wrongly) and maybe.

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:

Biltong wrote:wrong on the fact that Tyro can be a shortening of a word, do you know how Maesteg intended it?

Or wrong about the fact that you broke an agreement?

Yes, no idea (but used wrongly) and maybe.

Ok, so you rather assume that someone who follows rugby and have for a long time would call intentionally call a 30 year old rugby player a rookie?

Or is it perhaps that small window of opportunity to create waves that was just too enticing to let go?

Biltong wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:To be fair Biltong, tyro is a word in itself meaning someone new to an activity.

Accepted mate, but if we go on the literal meaning of every word word that is typed on this forum it will become a literacy exercise where we become pedantic to the point of boredom regarding how people spel and intent their abbreviations.

I am pretty sure in this case talking about a prop ten years into pro rugby, is not a rookie.

It is perhaps a good idea to read things in context before assuming someone doesn't intend a word in a specific meaning.

I read it and understood it to mean that he doesn't know what the word really means and has used it incorrectly. Take your point about being a pedantic so and so but do we really have to guess what he means if he's making up meanings of words?

Biltong wrote:

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:

Biltong wrote:wrong on the fact that Tyro can be a shortening of a word, do you know how Maesteg intended it?

Or wrong about the fact that you broke an agreement?

Yes, no idea (but used wrongly) and maybe.

Ok, so you rather assume that someone who follows rugby and have for a long time would call intentionally call a 30 year old rugby player a rookie?

Not intentionally no. He just uses words he doesn't understand sometimes (or in the wrong context). I fail to see how gently letting someone know the actual meaning of a word rather than let them continue to be wrong constitutes "a bad thing".

It's not being pedantic. It's black and white on this one.

Let's drop it eh? Before we get into any more trouble

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:

Biltong wrote:

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:

Biltong wrote:wrong on the fact that Tyro can be a shortening of a word, do you know how Maesteg intended it?

Or wrong about the fact that you broke an agreement?

Yes, no idea (but used wrongly) and maybe.

Ok, so you rather assume that someone who follows rugby and have for a long time would call intentionally call a 30 year old rugby player a rookie?

Not intentionally no. He just uses words he doesn't understand sometimes (or in the wrong context). I fail to see how gently letting someone know the actual meaning of a word rather than let them continue to be wrong constitutes "a bad thing".

It's not being pedantic. It's black and white on this one.

Let's drop it eh? Before we get into any more trouble

Yes, good idea to drop it, but as you know we are talking a specific case here, and hence not a good idea to correct grammar.

I just look at myself, English is my second language, and even though I tend to make grammatical errors or use words in the wrong context I have not been corrected from memory, so I think it is a lesson we can take that not everyone on here has the same literacy competencies.

Cian Healy to start for me with Jenkins to come on when the game loosens up. Grant a good dirt tracker who wouldn't be embarrased if needed for the test side.
It seems a shame for James who is pretty well regarded, but seems to lack the profile. But at least Gatland will know his strengths.

Biltong wrote:

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:

Biltong wrote:

Cyril on 606v2 wrote:

Biltong wrote:wrong on the fact that Tyro can be a shortening of a word, do you know how Maesteg intended it?

Or wrong about the fact that you broke an agreement?

Yes, no idea (but used wrongly) and maybe.

Ok, so you rather assume that someone who follows rugby and have for a long time would call intentionally call a 30 year old rugby player a rookie?

Not intentionally no. He just uses words he doesn't understand sometimes (or in the wrong context). I fail to see how gently letting someone know the actual meaning of a word rather than let them continue to be wrong constitutes "a bad thing".

It's not being pedantic. It's black and white on this one.

Let's drop it eh? Before we get into any more trouble

Yes, good idea to drop it, but as you know we are talking a specific case here, and hence not a good idea to correct grammar.

I just look at myself, English is my second language, and even though I tend to make grammatical errors or use words in the wrong context I have not been corrected from memory, so I think it is a lesson we can take that not everyone on here has the same literacy competencies.

English is my first language and it's still rubbish!!

The poll is closing soon and the vote is looking conclusive.

Healy as starter with Gethin and Grant as back up.