Even though we are world champions, as a South African I am not that confident. The Northern hemisphere teams are getting better and better, every Lions tour gets tougher than the one before.I would be really pissed off if we lose this one, but we will have to play extremely well to win.
I definitely have a Scots bias but I'd 100% have Sutherland ahead of Mako and Watson ahead of Navidi. Sutherland was excellent in the Six Nations and would hold up in the scrum better than Mako. I'd also have Russell in at 10 but unless Gatland is going to pick Farrell at 12 it won't happen unfortunately.
Anthony Watson | "A LION" | Cinematic Highlights HD th-cam.com/video/Scx_UrsAKjs/w-d-xo.html Tried to keep this as diverse as possible based on the each player's form over the past year. Here are some more names who i think deserve a shot at a lions test just as much as the guys already in this video, whether on the bench or as starters: -Anthony Watson -Liam Williams -Sean Maitland -Jack Nowell -Henry Slade -Huw Jones (if he stays in Scotland) -George Ford (if farrell was to play 12, cant see that happening though) -Ben Youngs -Billy Vunipola -Taleupe Falateu -Sam Underhill -Jamie Ritchie -Hamish Watson -Peter O'Mahony -Courtney Lawes -George Kruis (if he stays in England) -Jonny Gray -Ken Owens
Can’t help but notice it is a very England heavy side, I’m English but still i think you could have got a few Scots and Welsh players in like : Dan Bigger or Finn Russell. Good team though!
We all know Farrell will start at 10 although even as an England fan I admit Biggar and Russell are better. Although you have to question if Russell has blown his chances. The only other England player I would argue would be Mako hasn't been the same player for me while Sutherland has been a beast but Mako still gets the bench. I would also still have Watson over Adams.
@@ethanmcmahon7343 personally think May, Watson and Williams are better with balls in the air and with Le Roux, De Klerk and Pollard there are sure to be plenty. Adams is a try scorer granted but so is May who I personally think is a better all round player. The Lions are blessed with some quality back three players.
@@ethanmcmahon7343 May, Watson, Williams is a lot more well rounded than May, Adams, Hogg. I'm not saying Adams won't go (it's Gatland, of course he will) but you need a balanced back three and players who are comfortable under the high ball. You can't just go he's a better player so he should start.
I’d put billy at 8 he’s dynamic running will put any defence on the back foot but especially against South Africa we’ll need, I’d also go Ryan/Gray at second row not sure AWJ will be the man in a years time
Think you are pretty much bang on...my own opinion that differs from yours is: Vunipola at LH - I'd pick Marler or Sutherland primarily because I think Mako has lost explosiveness through injury. AWJ at 2R - a legend but a bit past his best. I'd go for Jonny Gray or Courtney Lawes. Stander at 8 - hes good but I think he will become a target for SA crowds and players for being a "traitor" and it will be almost impossible to weather the storm. I'd pick Billy V instead. The backs are what I would go with as a gut choice but I'm interested to see what Finn Russell can do. If he is as good as many say then Farrell can move to 12 with Tuilagi coming off the bench.
firstly, Mark Wilson is the furthest a player can be from rubbish, and secondly, because he is older, and very respected, I think he would fit into a lions squad far better than Jamie Ritchie. Wilson has never had a bad game for England, consistently the highest tackler in the match from both sides and he is very good at the breakdown, especially tracking back. I think Both Hamish Watson and Ritchie could well be on tour but personally I wouldn't have them in my test team.
1. Mako Vunipola 2. Jamie George 3. Tadgh Furlong 4. Maro Itoje (c) 5. James Ryan 6. CJ Stander 7. Tom Curry 8. Billy Vunipola 9. Tomos Williams 10. Owen Farrell 11. Liam Williams 12. Manu Tuilagi 13. Jonathan Davies 14. Anthony Watson 15. Stuart Hogg 16. Ken Owens 17. Ellis Genge 18. Kyle Sinckler 19. Courtney Lawes 20. Justin Tipuric 21. Ali Price 22. Finn Russell 23. Josh Adams
Where are Gray, Ritchie, Sutherland, Heinz, aki and van de flier. If you are going to have an England biased by team you should at least include Heinz and also farrel will just be bullied by kolbe again.
absolutely bias to scottish people. 2 people in that team who are scottish. About 10 english players. Unbelievable. Scotland have played much better than england this year
@@christiantopping4386 Yh it's a close call between May and Adams, it's pretty such a speed test between them, but I would happily put May over Adams and have no complaints. For Genge I dont think that hes a strong enough scrummager to handle the power of the Boks. While hes a great carrier I think Sutherland has impressed in the 6 nations in both the scrum and the loose.
TheGreatTreeswinger yeah true but Genge brings so much off the bench, plus he is a better scrummager than Mako, he took the Irish scrum apart when he came on.
@@christiantopping4386 Yh Genge is a great impact player, and definitely worthy of going on the tour, but I dont think hes a better scrummager than Mako, and also Makos a great influence player and leader, and has been on 2 tours already
This is probably one of the less biased videos I've seen like this, good work. I would consider playing Biggar at 10 and Farrell at 12 and putting Tuilagi on the bench as impact. This gives you a ton of kicking options. The other thing I would say is dont forget who the Coach is; Warren Gatland! Hes not a fan of Irish rugby and doesn't really rate the Scots too much. I have a feeling it's going to be a England/Wales heavy team.
Playing SA you have to match them up front. Compare this team to the one that lost the series 2-1 back in 2009. The starting front row is comparable IMO but O'Connell and a younger AWJ were better than what we have today. However we have a lot of very good back row options. It's a toss up between Underhill and Hamish. Both great. But I would have Billie V at 8 and CJ Stander at 6 simply for their ball carrying. They have the brute strength to break the line and stay on their feet. That back row is better than the 2009 offering of Heaslip, Croft and Wallace. My backs would be, Garath Edwards, Jonnie Wilkinson, Mike Gibson, Brian O'Driscoll, Gerald Davis, JJ Williams, and JPR. I think they're all still alive :)
Mako, George, Furlong, Itoje, Ryan, Curry, Watson, Billy, Cooney, Farrell, May, Aki, Tuilagi, Adams, Williams. Bench: LCD, Sutherland, Sinckler, Lawes, Stander, Davies, Ford, Daly. Was really difficult for me not to include Anthony Watson but opted Daly for versatility
Please please wake up people please..what style of rugby does warren gatland play? So in that style pick the players he would not what and who you want.. please people,honestly it's a waste of time picking the players you want as your only going to end up disappointed and for some reason people seem to be surprised too..I beg you please pick what you think Warren will pick then you'll get closer to what the team may actually be
I'm a Scot and can't really argue with this team. I'd expect a lot of our guys in the squad though. Watson and Ritchie have been ridiculous, Gray is one of the best defensive forwards in the game and Sutherland has been destroying scrums almost single-handedly. One Scot I don't think will make it is Russell. Arguably one of the best 10's in the game but he's too much of a maverick for Gatland's style of play. Biggar would probably get picked ahead of him.
Don't rate Grey. He is a very high tackle rate and completion lock but that is it. His attacking stats are way below average, he has little impact in mauls or scrums and even his tackling is relatively passive, he rarely makes dominant hits behind the line or rips the ball. Donkey work can only get you so far and he is too anonymous in other parts of his game to really factor. Watson, Ritchie, Sutherland are definite contenders and some of the best Scottish contenders for years. Russell I'm not sold on, still too inconsistent and I think from a morale standpoint the latest debacle with Scotland could make things bad for the team. If he is even close to being the prima donna it seems he is, he will very quickly piss off a lot of the team. Especially if fighting for a place with Owen Farrell (who has been highlighted by senior players in the last 2 Lions tours as being a real leader and team player).
1. Sutherland 2. George 3. Furlong 4. Itoje 5. J Ryan 6. Curry 7. Watson 8. B. Vinupola 9. Davies 10. Farrell 12.Tuilagi 13. Davies 11. Adams 14. Watson 15. Hogg 16.McInally 17. M. Vinupola 18. Snickler 19. Lawes 20. Tipuric 21. Murray 22. Russell 23. Williams Think 9 is where people will be arguing most over the next year. You could have any combination of Davies, Tomos, Price, Horne, Murray and Cooney
I would have have anthony watson and liam williams on the wings instead of jonny may and josh adams(May will have too many handling errors, and will be targeted on defence) and I would have Taulupe Faletau on the bench instead of mark wilson and Ringrose instead of jonathan joseph
@@willk1756 he can be extremely quiet in games, through no fault of his own at 13. Tuilagi doesn't need gaps, he creates them himself and puts other people into gaps.
Some great choices here, some not so great. Russell is the best 10, Gatland won’t pick him tho, Farrell will be found wanting again and his illegal tackles will see him spend 10mins a game in the bin, if not worse. Itoje will be in the bin a lot as well, while I admire his ability and excellent maul ability, all too often he gets away with ‘bending’ the rules, again he will be in the bin in any matches he plays. Boks 9 will again make a fool of Itoje and capitalise on his illegality on the ground. All the Saracens players, if they all stay, may find match fitness a problem and, personally, I don’t think any of the ‘complicit’ players should be eligible for selection. Controversial I know. Johnny Gray should be a starter, he’s the right age and has a voracious tackle count in every match he plays in. Hogg? Hmm, not sure there, same with Maitland. Hew Jones, certainly, understands the Boks game and on his game, is a game changer (alongside Russell) Bring in some new, upcoming talent, George Horne for one, Uber dynamic. Hamish Watson should be a first team pick, the end 😀 Very Scotland centric from me but as we all know, Gatland will not pick any Scottish players 😂.
Id love to see watson at fullback but i gotta have a scottsman somewhere and hogg is class. Plus he was hard done by last tour with his injury and all. Might make another one of these trying out different player combos and see what people think. Also i feel May knows how to score against SA more so than watson and williams, was a tough call aha
davies is good but he's not better then Murray, Murray was the nine for the 15 of the decade you are not going to find a better nine for the lines at the moment.
Well Murray hasn't really matched his best form of 2017/18 in the past few seasons, that being said he's got a good chance of going on tour of it goes ahead
If Mako is in the side then the Lions can't afford to knock on. Scrum penalties were what hurt England the most for the majority of the final and it was Mako who was struggling. I'd replace Stander with Billy V and Hogg with Liam Williams but otherwise pretty much what I'd go for. I'd have a 2nd captain ready to take over from AWJ if he isn't up to it as he is no spring chicken.
Personally think there are better locks available, but he is a good captain and he gets on well with gatland, hence why i chose him over ryan/lawes/gray
Not sure for AWJ Could justify selection. He’s had his best days, and there are now better players - incl Ryan. Billy should be one of the first names on the team sheet, complete no brainer
Very strong team but I'd make a few changes... James Ryan over AWJ, and Itoje captain. Billy V over Stander in the 8 shirt. Anthony Watson over Jonny May on the wing. Liam Williams over Stuart Hogg.
@@maxmason5042 I get that, but you could apply that logic to any player who's suffered recently from injuries (e.g. tuilagi, watson). If everyone is available for selection, there's no better No.8 in the northern hemisphere than Billy.
@@henryvivian3772 yes, definitely, I was just noting that Billy has broken both of his arms more than once each, all times resulting in a lengthy recovery period, looks like a reoccurring long-term issue of his.
Anonymous cant agree with you there i respect billy but i think stander offers so much more for tackling and breakdown i might be biased being from munster ireland but i know stander doesnt compete with him in running i just think stander is a better all round player i would love to hear your opinion on it though
@@padraigduggan2624 i agree with your view on the breakdown, however, i think that billy hits harder and keeps he op constantly worried on whether he will be used as a runner, especially from a 5m scrum on either end of the pitch- whereas stander is a more all round player, billy is more of a threat to the bigger bok pack, also, i dont think your biased its just your opinion
Anonymous I respect your opinion so much because you backed it up but i think we need to have someone to put there body on the line weather thats putting stander at 6 and billy at 8 i don’t know but i would rather stander with hamish watson and curry than billy stander and ......
Anonymous I respect your opinion so much because you backed it up but i think we need to have someone to put there body on the line weather thats putting stander at 6 and billy at 8 i don’t know but i would rather stander with hamish watson and curry than billy stander and ......
Too heavy with the welsh players and I think that Josh Adams has lost skill in the past 4 years I would swap Farrell to 12 tuilagi to 13 and put finn russel in at 10
Charlie Knight you clearly don’t watch much rugby. Josh Adams was the top try scorer in the World Cup yet he “ lost skill”. You’re chatting absolute waffle mate
Also, the hatred for the Welsh in the comment section is insane. The players like Tipuric, Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Davies in Particular. In no way does the Scots, English or Irish have better players in their positions. Also what is it with people liking the Scottish players such as Watson. He is nowhere near the level of the Welsh and English lads.
Theres a reason i chose the welsh players, i went for a dynamic back row which is why i chose tipuric over underhill, dont get me wrong as an england fan i prefer underhill as a player, but for what i was going for, which i think will be a more effective play style against the boks, tipuric just seems better. I actually think in terms of raw ability there are better locks to choose from than AWJ, but he has so much experience, hes a solid leader and hes not exactly bad either 😂 plus he has a good relationship with Gatland and will know how to transfer his messages to the team better than anyone else. Jon Davies is a beast and one of my favourite centres. Personally think that when hes injury free he's the best all round centre currently playing. Looking back, id probs make a few changes to this team, would perhaps bring in either Anthony Watson or Liam Williams at 15 for hogg, hogg is great, but those two have been in better form recently. Maybe also Falateu in for stander, Falateu or Billy Vunipola.
Considering they were in the world cup final, are top of the 2020 six nations table, won the triple crown, beat NZ and have the highest win percentage of any of the countries in the lions over the past 4 years Id say its pretty fair.
If I were to swap Hogg out with anyone, I'd replace him with Anthony Watson. I look at Williams in a similar way to Elliot Daly. When playing well in their correct position, they are world class and bring many attrinutes to a teams attack and kicking games, but they are also two players who when they aren't in top form are capable of making mistake after mistake. Take Daly in the world cup finals, In the Semis he had a great game against NZ, in the final he made a number of costly mistakes which along with other players mistakes cost England the final. I think all of the players mentioned should be included on the tour, Hogg, Watsin, Williams and Daly and most likely the test team is gonna change from week to week anyway so they may all get a shot. When I made this video I did my best to include at least 1 player from each nation in the starting 15, My opinion on a lions test team changes every day and i may make another one in the future just to see opinions.
David Stephen Liam Williams is garbage! Yes he’s ok in the high ball and tackling, but everything else is way below Hogg’s level. Always scores gimmie try’s
Personally would choose the likes of slade/joseph ahead of ringrose to replace davies but I would still take Ringrose on Tour if its possible. And yes I agree, I think Billy deserves a place on tour no matter what
Andrew McDiarmid exactly, personally think CJ stander being considered ahead of Billy Vunipola and Taulupe Faletau is very surprising I’d have billy, as for the backs spot on for me
@@ethanmcmahon7343 there would be some South Africans pretty upset at you claiming he's been the best in the world over the last year on the wing. I rate him highly, i just also rate the experience and pedigree of watson and May, tight call though imo
He can do a lot more than kick, but not to worry, all Pollard can do is run a crash ball. But i agree, thats why i've put Russell on the bench, as you can see at the end of the video. Farrell will keep the screw turning and the scoreboard ticking, and then russell will come on run circles around round the boks in the last 20. Can't wait.
Pittyy Gatland has the job it will not be the best squad with him there Wyn Jomnes is a has been plenty much better than him and NOT a Captain for the Lions
Glad to see somebody not picking big Billy.Very overrated ok going forward but defensively very poor .Boks not scared of him .Faletau at number eight best in the world on his day .Willians at fullback ,Webb or Tomos Williams at scrum half , both unpredictable and lightning fast .Speed will beat the boks not bash, bang wallop they are too strong too be pushed around .
I was going for a more dynamic back row than what England had in the final. I still think Curry, vunipola and Underhill with wilson coming off the bench is the best back row in the world, but i think against south africa with Gatland as coach something less predictable will do the job over the boks.
You're lucky i didnt choose more English players tbh. The fact that i left out players like Anthony Watson, Billy Vunipola, Sam Underhill etc is laughable. Aki is a btec tuilagi, Halfpenny hasn't been in form for years, henshaw is good but is nowhere near Tuilagi or jon davies level. Hamish watson should be on tour, but the likes of Curry and Underhill, Tipuric etc are all ahead of him. The only player you mentioned who i found hard to leave out was Liam Williams. My team aint perfect, i would make changes to it now for sure, but at the time this is what i chose. The reason there are a lot of English players, is because England won the triple crown, beat NZ and made a world cup final. The reason there are a lot of welsh in there is because they work well under Gatland.
Mostly solid pick but i have some questions. Why does nobody mention Faletau at 8 or even Tadhg Beirne somewhere in front? What about the Simmonds brothers somewhere in the picture? They should both already be playing for England anyway. And is Dan Biggar injured or did i miss something?
I would have Sexton 10, with Russell on the bench. Farrell is a phenomenal player but I don’t trust his temperament and think he’s just as likely to be sent off as he is to win the game. Also think Bundee Aki is a notable omission but I appreciate how tough it is to narrow it down to 23 players. Good video.
Its a good squad but there has to be room for robbie henshaw ether on the bench or on the pitch. He is an absolute beast and in that squad you have alot of pase but imagine your two centres being henshaw and tuilagi it would be a power house There is other talent you could pick like garry ringrose
Would definatley have him on the plane, with this team, i aimed for versatility and a dynamic back row, as I felt that England tried to beat the boks through physicality and failed in the final, however, despite losing the test series in 2018, they were able to carve through the boks defence on many occasions with a more balanced team
My Prediction - Why the Lions will beat South Africa:
th-cam.com/video/YNUugrvrfXQ/w-d-xo.html
Not underhill I think he deserves it
Jonathan Davies is the most under rated player ive ever seen
Mate props for being one of the few to put Tipuric and CJ together!!
6 stander 7 tipuric and 8 wales number 8
I would have navidi in there, doing all the hard graft and matching the South Africans for physicality
Yeah, I agree
Not over curry tho
The backline is great I’d just have Ryan over AWJ and Hamish Watson over Tipuric on form
Monday Rhymes what
I agree James Ryan is the man
Even though we are world champions, as a South African I am not that confident. The Northern hemisphere teams are getting better and better, every Lions tour gets tougher than the one before.I would be really pissed off if we lose this one, but we will have to play extremely well to win.
I definitely have a Scots bias but I'd 100% have Sutherland ahead of Mako and Watson ahead of Navidi. Sutherland was excellent in the Six Nations and would hold up in the scrum better than Mako.
I'd also have Russell in at 10 but unless Gatland is going to pick Farrell at 12 it won't happen unfortunately.
Where’s Finn Russell or Watson
Agreed with you there but I would go underhill in there instead of Tipuric
Ethan Jones I was about to comment the same
The best team I saw yet
Ryan in for AWJ, Billy for CJ. Watson has to be in the mix for one of the wing positions otherwise.....bring it on
Couldnt agree more. Gats got some tough choices to make 😂
Anthony Watson | "A LION" | Cinematic Highlights HD
th-cam.com/video/Scx_UrsAKjs/w-d-xo.html
Tried to keep this as diverse as possible based on the each player's form over the past year. Here are some more names who i think deserve a shot at a lions test just as much as the guys already in this video, whether on the bench or as starters:
-Anthony Watson
-Liam Williams
-Sean Maitland
-Jack Nowell
-Henry Slade
-Huw Jones (if he stays in Scotland)
-George Ford (if farrell was to play 12, cant see that happening though)
-Ben Youngs
-Billy Vunipola
-Taleupe Falateu
-Sam Underhill
-Jamie Ritchie
-Hamish Watson
-Peter O'Mahony
-Courtney Lawes
-George Kruis (if he stays in England)
-Jonny Gray
-Ken Owens
Can’t help but notice it is a very England heavy side, I’m English but still i think you could have got a few Scots and Welsh players in like : Dan Bigger or Finn Russell. Good team though!
We all know Farrell will start at 10 although even as an England fan I admit Biggar and Russell are better. Although you have to question if Russell has blown his chances. The only other England player I would argue would be Mako hasn't been the same player for me while Sutherland has been a beast but Mako still gets the bench. I would also still have Watson over Adams.
Kelvyn Hemborough why would you take Adams out?
@@ethanmcmahon7343 personally think May, Watson and Williams are better with balls in the air and with Le Roux, De Klerk and Pollard there are sure to be plenty. Adams is a try scorer granted but so is May who I personally think is a better all round player. The Lions are blessed with some quality back three players.
Kelvyn Hemborough Adams is better than Watson.
@@ethanmcmahon7343 May, Watson, Williams is a lot more well rounded than May, Adams, Hogg. I'm not saying Adams won't go (it's Gatland, of course he will) but you need a balanced back three and players who are comfortable under the high ball. You can't just go he's a better player so he should start.
I’d put billy at 8 he’s dynamic running will put any defence on the back foot but especially against South Africa we’ll need, I’d also go Ryan/Gray at second row not sure AWJ will be the man in a years time
Basically summed up the changes i'd make if i would make any. I'd maybe bring athony watson in at 15 aswell.
Coppo92 hogg for me is the best fulllback in the world
The starting team was pretty good and almost agreed with all of it until you cam to the bench where you basically chose most England player !
It will be interesting to see who is selected in the back row, as scrum half and in the back three with so much talent.
Think you are pretty much bang on...my own opinion that differs from yours is:
Vunipola at LH - I'd pick Marler or Sutherland primarily because I think Mako has lost explosiveness through injury.
AWJ at 2R - a legend but a bit past his best. I'd go for Jonny Gray or Courtney Lawes.
Stander at 8 - hes good but I think he will become a target for SA crowds and players for being a "traitor" and it will be almost impossible to weather the storm. I'd pick Billy V instead.
The backs are what I would go with as a gut choice but I'm interested to see what Finn Russell can do. If he is as good as many say then Farrell can move to 12 with Tuilagi coming off the bench.
Why would you put mark wilson in he’s rubbish what about Jamie ritchie or Hamish Watson or even billy Vunipola
firstly, Mark Wilson is the furthest a player can be from rubbish, and secondly, because he is older, and very respected, I think he would fit into a lions squad far better than Jamie Ritchie.
Wilson has never had a bad game for England, consistently the highest tackler in the match from both sides and he is very good at the breakdown, especially tracking back.
I think Both Hamish Watson and Ritchie could well be on tour but personally I wouldn't have them in my test team.
lmao
Bold move with 21 but I could see it working nicely
Tadhg was amazing but atm and probs next year the way he’s going he ent that good like sinkler is way better atm
Let’s just count how many Scottish players there is ...... 1
I would just put the hole Scotland team in and no one else
You do you mate, you do you 😂
Tbh im suprised i didnt put watson in there at 15 😉
1. Mako Vunipola
2. Jamie George
3. Tadgh Furlong
4. Maro Itoje (c)
5. James Ryan
6. CJ Stander
7. Tom Curry
8. Billy Vunipola
9. Tomos Williams
10. Owen Farrell
11. Liam Williams
12. Manu Tuilagi
13. Jonathan Davies
14. Anthony Watson
15. Stuart Hogg
16. Ken Owens
17. Ellis Genge
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Courtney Lawes
20. Justin Tipuric
21. Ali Price
22. Finn Russell
23. Josh Adams
Where are Gray, Ritchie, Sutherland, Heinz, aki and van de flier. If you are going to have an England biased by team you should at least include Heinz and also farrel will just be bullied by kolbe again.
Henry T Heinz, Aki and van de flier are nowhere near the lions team
absolutely bias to scottish people. 2 people in that team who are scottish. About 10 english players. Unbelievable. Scotland have played much better than england this year
Cpt obvious what a legend
You have to have underhill in the mix
You have to add Watson in
My team:
1. Vunipola
2. George
3. Furlong
4. Itoje
5. Jones (c)
6. Curry
7. Tipuric
8. Vunipola
9. Williams
10. Farrell
11. Adams
12. Tuilagi
13. Davies
14. Watson
15. Williams
16. Cowan-Dickie
17. Sutherland
18. Sinckler
19. Gray
20. Ryan
21. Underhill
22. Webb
23. Slade
TheGreatTreeswinger not having May and Genge in there is a crime
@@christiantopping4386 Yh it's a close call between May and Adams, it's pretty such a speed test between them, but I would happily put May over Adams and have no complaints. For Genge I dont think that hes a strong enough scrummager to handle the power of the Boks. While hes a great carrier I think Sutherland has impressed in the 6 nations in both the scrum and the loose.
TheGreatTreeswinger yeah true but Genge brings so much off the bench, plus he is a better scrummager than Mako, he took the Irish scrum apart when he came on.
@@christiantopping4386 Yh Genge is a great impact player, and definitely worthy of going on the tour, but I dont think hes a better scrummager than Mako, and also Makos a great influence player and leader, and has been on 2 tours already
TheGreatTreeswinger can’t disagree with that logic. Sounds like a great team. Have a good one bud
This is probably one of the less biased videos I've seen like this, good work. I would consider playing Biggar at 10 and Farrell at 12 and putting Tuilagi on the bench as impact. This gives you a ton of kicking options. The other thing I would say is dont forget who the Coach is; Warren Gatland! Hes not a fan of Irish rugby and doesn't really rate the Scots too much. I have a feeling it's going to be a England/Wales heavy team.
William Carter I think you might be confusing biased with someone else’s opinion.
@@MKRM27 Nope
Biased against scots😂
Interesting to see this squad now considering Englands poor 6 nations. At least five English in the starting 15 who probably wont be in starting 15
Competition for the back row is unreal, would hate to make the final call
Great video, good selection, but I do think any Lions 2021 selection (and indeed any other team selection) should include the full 23.
Gareth and Owen!!!
Playing SA you have to match them up front. Compare this team to the one that lost the series 2-1 back in 2009. The starting front row is comparable IMO but O'Connell and a younger AWJ were better than what we have today. However we have a lot of very good back row options. It's a toss up between Underhill and Hamish. Both great. But I would have Billie V at 8 and CJ Stander at 6 simply for their ball carrying. They have the brute strength to break the line and stay on their feet. That back row is better than the 2009 offering of Heaslip, Croft and Wallace.
My backs would be, Garath Edwards, Jonnie Wilkinson, Mike Gibson, Brian O'Driscoll, Gerald Davis, JJ Williams, and JPR. I think they're all still alive :)
Mako, George, Furlong, Itoje, Ryan, Curry, Watson, Billy, Cooney, Farrell, May, Aki, Tuilagi, Adams, Williams. Bench: LCD, Sutherland, Sinckler, Lawes, Stander, Davies, Ford, Daly. Was really difficult for me not to include Anthony Watson but opted Daly for versatility
Why does no one have Sam underhill he is a bloody machine
Jenny Marklew tbf I agree I just think it would’ve stunk of English bias had I included him
I’m sorry but how can you not pick Underhill or Whatson to star??
Please please wake up people please..what style of rugby does warren gatland play? So in that style pick the players he would not what and who you want.. please people,honestly it's a waste of time picking the players you want as your only going to end up disappointed and for some reason people seem to be surprised too..I beg you please pick what you think Warren will pick then you'll get closer to what the team may actually be
Finn Russell for Owen Farrell
Never in a million years mate,
Would like to see the combo with farrell at 12 tho, tho i have a feeling they may not get along
Coppo92 and have tuilagi at 13 as he’s WAY better at 13
Team definitely needs another ball player so I can see dropping Davies, brining manu to 13 Faz to 12 and Finn or anscombe at 10
Majority Welsh and English with a few Irish and Zero Scots.
Spot on mate, until the subs, Tomos Williams bench instead of Cooney, Liam Williams instead of Joseph, maybe hamish at 20 as an impact
I'm a Scot and can't really argue with this team. I'd expect a lot of our guys in the squad though. Watson and Ritchie have been ridiculous, Gray is one of the best defensive forwards in the game and Sutherland has been destroying scrums almost single-handedly.
One Scot I don't think will make it is Russell. Arguably one of the best 10's in the game but he's too much of a maverick for Gatland's style of play. Biggar would probably get picked ahead of him.
Would definately have those guys you mentioned on the plane at the very least
Coppo92 they won’t be. It’s The Lions.
Russell has to start ( and I'm an England fan )
Don't rate Grey. He is a very high tackle rate and completion lock but that is it. His attacking stats are way below average, he has little impact in mauls or scrums and even his tackling is relatively passive, he rarely makes dominant hits behind the line or rips the ball. Donkey work can only get you so far and he is too anonymous in other parts of his game to really factor.
Watson, Ritchie, Sutherland are definite contenders and some of the best Scottish contenders for years. Russell I'm not sold on, still too inconsistent and I think from a morale standpoint the latest debacle with Scotland could make things bad for the team. If he is even close to being the prima donna it seems he is, he will very quickly piss off a lot of the team. Especially if fighting for a place with Owen Farrell (who has been highlighted by senior players in the last 2 Lions tours as being a real leader and team player).
1. Sutherland 2. George 3. Furlong
4. Itoje 5. J Ryan
6. Curry 7. Watson 8.
B. Vinupola
9. Davies 10. Farrell
12.Tuilagi 13. Davies
11. Adams 14. Watson 15. Hogg
16.McInally 17. M. Vinupola 18. Snickler 19. Lawes 20. Tipuric 21. Murray 22. Russell 23. Williams
Think 9 is where people will be arguing most over the next year. You could have any combination of Davies, Tomos, Price, Horne, Murray and Cooney
Youngs is also a shout at 9, when he is is on form he is brilliant but one week hes good, one week not so much
I would have have anthony watson and liam williams on the wings instead of jonny may and josh adams(May will have too many handling errors, and will be targeted on defence) and I would have Taulupe Faletau on the bench instead of mark wilson and Ringrose instead of jonathan joseph
How does Mark Wilson get anywhere near the lions squad, let alone the 23?
I based this squad from 2019 and mainly the world cup, the man was a beast during the world cup. I'd make a lot of changes to it now.
Tuilagi plays his best rugby at 13. I'd have him there.
No he doesn't
@@shearer567 He's better in the open channels running out wide with more space.
@@willk1756 he can be extremely quiet in games, through no fault of his own at 13. Tuilagi doesn't need gaps, he creates them himself and puts other people into gaps.
Ur trying to put as much English players as u can when most of them haven’t even been playing that well
Triple crown, world cup final, dominated NZ,
Idk what planet ur on saying they havnt been playing well..
Just cos your a English hater
Some great choices here, some not so great. Russell is the best 10, Gatland won’t pick him tho, Farrell will be found wanting again and his illegal tackles will see him spend 10mins a game in the bin, if not worse. Itoje will be in the bin a lot as well, while I admire his ability and excellent maul ability, all too often he gets away with ‘bending’ the rules, again he will be in the bin in any matches he plays. Boks 9 will again make a fool of Itoje and capitalise on his illegality on the ground.
All the Saracens players, if they all stay, may find match fitness a problem and, personally, I don’t think any of the ‘complicit’ players should be eligible for selection. Controversial I know.
Johnny Gray should be a starter, he’s the right age and has a voracious tackle count in every match he plays in. Hogg? Hmm, not sure there, same with Maitland. Hew Jones, certainly, understands the Boks game and on his game, is a game changer (alongside Russell)
Bring in some new, upcoming talent, George Horne for one, Uber dynamic. Hamish Watson should be a first team pick, the end 😀
Very Scotland centric from me but as we all know, Gatland will not pick any Scottish players 😂.
Fairs, tho itoje hasnt been in the bin for a while now, hes improved that side to his game.
I’d swap May for Watson and Liam Williams for Hogg but that is bang on my team too otherwise
Id love to see watson at fullback but i gotta have a scottsman somewhere and hogg is class. Plus he was hard done by last tour with his injury and all. Might make another one of these trying out different player combos and see what people think. Also i feel May knows how to score against SA more so than watson and williams, was a tough call aha
I agree with you fully I would also put Hamish Watson and 6 and Curry at 7 instead of Tipuric
Totally overrated that Williams. He can barely walk with those bandy legs of his
Coppo92 is you have to have a scot then finn Russell at fly half and farrell at 12
cd loges i dont agree with you there i think williams is best in the world under the high ball and you need that against south africa and im irish
Lawes
Murray
Watson
Underhill
????????????
Cant believe theres no big billy at 8
He's a better 8 than stander, but I think Gatland will go for a more dynamic back row, rather than play with the aim to out muscle them
Can understand not wanting to meet the boks head on but as much as it's best to go around them I just cant leave billy out!! Loved the video 👍👍
Thats because Thor will make "big billy" look like a small boy when he smashes him in every tackle 32-12
I disagree with the CJ stander billy v in my opinion is a lot better
I think that aswell, just not for the gameplan i think gatland will go for
Wilson should not be in the squad. Underhill on the other hand is far better
That’s a lotta English players.. no look at Conor Murray or 2018 play of the year Johnny Sexton?
The lions will clearly beat South Africa there not good but if it was New Zealand there new squad would rek thwm
It's a tour too far for AWJ - Ryan and Itoje are the starters. Both of whom would be good shouts for skipper. Anthony Watson is too good to leave out.
Where is Antohny Watson he plays 14 he is the best where is Conner Maray where is sexton
I agree with watson. Sexton and murray as good as they've been, they havnt been in form.
davies is good but he's not better then Murray, Murray was the nine for the 15 of the decade you are not going to find a better nine for the lines at the moment.
these subs are so shocking
Well Murray hasn't really matched his best form of 2017/18 in the past few seasons, that being said he's got a good chance of going on tour of it goes ahead
Anyone think Richie gray coming back to Europe could be a potential bolter?
He should definately be on the plane.
Eliot Daly sam underhill and alwyn jones shouldn't be captive it should be owen Farrell
Sexton will start
If Mako is in the side then the Lions can't afford to knock on. Scrum penalties were what hurt England the most for the majority of the final and it was Mako who was struggling.
I'd replace Stander with Billy V and Hogg with Liam Williams but otherwise pretty much what I'd go for. I'd have a 2nd captain ready to take over from AWJ if he isn't up to it as he is no spring chicken.
Unpopular opinion. AWJ is so overrated
Personally think there are better locks available, but he is a good captain and he gets on well with gatland, hence why i chose him over ryan/lawes/gray
Henshaw instead of tuilagi and north instead of Joseph
Ngl i wouldnt be suprised if both those guys failed to make the plane :/
Billy V at 8?
No underhill don’t get that
Exactly he's one of the best 7s in the world
I’d have Billy V instead of Stander but can agree on the rest
Tom Stead billy is good going forward but doesn’t have the defensive reliability of stander
Watson in for Adams
Slade.
Think Adams is massively under-rated lots of people saying may and watson over the world cup to try score
Not sure for AWJ Could justify selection. He’s had his best days, and there are now better players - incl Ryan. Billy should be one of the first names on the team sheet, complete no brainer
Tadg, AWJ past their best. CJ stander not the best 8. Hogg over rated.
Eh def not
Bang on fella except I wouldn’t put CJ stander in there and Liam Williams and Jordan larmour have a shout over Hogg based on recent form
I like it, Liam Williams in for one of the back three for me ( couldn’t decide which one)
You got a bench?
Watch till the end
@@coppo9261 oh cheers mate my bad haha. Normally when people do a lions team they dont bother with the finishers
@@thewargodking5463 nw, i probs left it slighty too long until it transitioned to the finishers so it kinda looks like the video finishes after hogg
F: MAKO, GEORGE, FURLONGH, ITOJE, RYAN, CURRY, TIPS, BILLY & B: DAVIES, ANSCOMBE, FARRELL, DAVIES, ADAMS, WATSON & WILLIAMS
1 scot
Very strong team but I'd make a few changes...
James Ryan over AWJ, and Itoje captain. Billy V over Stander in the 8 shirt. Anthony Watson over Jonny May on the wing. Liam Williams over Stuart Hogg.
Everyone wants to go with Billy V, but given how often he gets injured, there is a chance he won't be available by the time the tour is underway.
@@maxmason5042 I get that, but you could apply that logic to any player who's suffered recently from injuries (e.g. tuilagi, watson). If everyone is available for selection, there's no better No.8 in the northern hemisphere than Billy.
@@henryvivian3772 yes, definitely, I was just noting that Billy has broken both of his arms more than once each, all times resulting in a lengthy recovery period, looks like a reoccurring long-term issue of his.
I would do that but stander can play 6/7/8 and that’s what a coach whats in a person so when someone gets injured he can play every in the back row
Marc Lawless and that’s why Stander deserves a spot on the bench, because he has the ability to cover multiple positions...
swap cj stander and big billy and that would be my team
Anonymous cant agree with you there i respect billy but i think stander offers so much more for tackling and breakdown i might be biased being from munster ireland but i know stander doesnt compete with him in running i just think stander is a better all round player i would love to hear your opinion on it though
@@padraigduggan2624 i agree with your view on the breakdown, however, i think that billy hits harder and keeps he op constantly worried on whether he will be used as a runner, especially from a 5m scrum on either end of the pitch- whereas stander is a more all round player, billy is more of a threat to the bigger bok pack, also, i dont think your biased its just your opinion
Anonymous I respect your opinion so much because you backed it up but i think we need to have someone to put there body on the line weather thats putting stander at 6 and billy at 8 i don’t know but i would rather stander with hamish watson and curry than billy stander and ......
Anonymous I respect your opinion so much because you backed it up but i think we need to have someone to put there body on the line weather thats putting stander at 6 and billy at 8 i don’t know but i would rather stander with hamish watson and curry than billy stander and ......
@@padraigduggan2624 yh, i don't rate hamish as much as billy or stander.
I still don’t understand the incredible bias towards the Scots
Who does 😂 kidding. Hogg is a very good 15 and is a good leader.
Too heavy with the welsh players and I think that Josh Adams has lost skill in the past 4 years I would swap Farrell to 12 tuilagi to 13 and put finn russel in at 10
Josh Adams made his Wales debut 2 years ago so how has he lost it in the past 4 years? And Davies Miles ahead of Tuilagi
Charlie Knight you clearly don’t watch much rugby. Josh Adams was the top try scorer in the World Cup yet he “ lost skill”. You’re chatting absolute waffle mate
Anthony Watson for josh Adams
Also, the hatred for the Welsh in the comment section is insane. The players like Tipuric, Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Davies in Particular. In no way does the Scots, English or Irish have better players in their positions.
Also what is it with people liking the Scottish players such as Watson. He is nowhere near the level of the Welsh and English lads.
Theres a reason i chose the welsh players, i went for a dynamic back row which is why i chose tipuric over underhill, dont get me wrong as an england fan i prefer underhill as a player, but for what i was going for, which i think will be a more effective play style against the boks, tipuric just seems better. I actually think in terms of raw ability there are better locks to choose from than AWJ, but he has so much experience, hes a solid leader and hes not exactly bad either 😂 plus he has a good relationship with Gatland and will know how to transfer his messages to the team better than anyone else. Jon Davies is a beast and one of my favourite centres. Personally think that when hes injury free he's the best all round centre currently playing. Looking back, id probs make a few changes to this team, would perhaps bring in either Anthony Watson or Liam Williams at 15 for hogg, hogg is great, but those two have been in better form recently. Maybe also Falateu in for stander, Falateu or Billy Vunipola.
Defo not biased to england
Considering they were in the world cup final, are top of the 2020 six nations table, won the triple crown, beat NZ and have the highest win percentage of any of the countries in the lions over the past 4 years
Id say its pretty fair.
@@coppo9261 Why dont you just re-name the team to Wales & England Lions? Moose
@@kenowens535 imagine being so offended by somebody elses opinion that is a year out of date 😂
Agree apart from Whinge and Hogg.
Ryan is a better lock and won’t alienate the ref.
Liam Williams is better than Hogg in every way.
If I were to swap Hogg out with anyone, I'd replace him with Anthony Watson.
I look at Williams in a similar way to Elliot Daly. When playing well in their correct position, they are world class and bring many attrinutes to a teams attack and kicking games, but they are also two players who when they aren't in top form are capable of making mistake after mistake. Take Daly in the world cup finals, In the Semis he had a great game against NZ, in the final he made a number of costly mistakes which along with other players mistakes cost England the final.
I think all of the players mentioned should be included on the tour, Hogg, Watsin, Williams and Daly and most likely the test team is gonna change from week to week anyway so they may all get a shot.
When I made this video I did my best to include at least 1 player from each nation in the starting 15,
My opinion on a lions test team changes every day and i may make another one in the future just to see opinions.
David Stephen Liam Williams is garbage! Yes he’s ok in the high ball and tackling, but everything else is way below Hogg’s level. Always scores gimmie try’s
Great team. I'd have Billy.V over Stander and maybe Ringrose over Jonathan Davies but would depend on form.
Personally would choose the likes of slade/joseph ahead of ringrose to replace davies but I would still take Ringrose on Tour if its possible.
And yes I agree, I think Billy deserves a place on tour no matter what
I would have hamish Watson in for Tipuric, Ryan for AWJ and probbaly try and fit May in at winger, good squad though.
I put May at 11? You mean Watson?
My bad i thought Adams was at 11, i would replace him with Watson.
Andrew McDiarmid exactly, personally think CJ stander being considered ahead of Billy Vunipola and Taulupe Faletau is very surprising I’d have billy, as for the backs spot on for me
Andrew McDiarmid how could you take out Adams? He’s been the best winger in the world over the last year
@@ethanmcmahon7343 there would be some South Africans pretty upset at you claiming he's been the best in the world over the last year on the wing. I rate him highly, i just also rate the experience and pedigree of watson and May, tight call though imo
I’m South African an think without a play maker like Finn Russell we will have the upperhand all Farrell can do is kick
He can do a lot more than kick, but not to worry, all Pollard can do is run a crash ball.
But i agree, thats why i've put Russell on the bench, as you can see at the end of the video.
Farrell will keep the screw turning and the scoreboard ticking, and then russell will come on run circles around round the boks in the last 20.
Can't wait.
@@coppo9261 what a bj out sexton starting farrell 12
One thing’s sure. With Gatland as coach Scotland will be lucky to have any representation on the Lions Tour.
Pittyy Gatland has the job it will not be the best squad with him there Wyn Jomnes is a has been plenty much better than him and NOT a Captain for the Lions
Hard to ignore Watson and Jamie Richie too
They're also players id like to see included in a test. Both Watsons that is
I would have they two at 6 and 7 ryan
Yep, I’d love to see Hamish Watson on tour. If billy can get anywhere near his best the back row is going to be very competitive
Glad to see somebody not picking big Billy.Very overrated ok going forward but defensively very poor .Boks not scared of him .Faletau at number eight best in the world on his day .Willians at fullback ,Webb or Tomos Williams at scrum half , both unpredictable and lightning fast .Speed will beat the boks not bash, bang wallop they are too strong too be pushed around .
I was going for a more dynamic back row than what England had in the final. I still think Curry, vunipola and Underhill with wilson coming off the bench is the best back row in the world, but i think against south africa with Gatland as coach something less predictable will do the job over the boks.
Finally someone who puts cooney in the squad and rightfully so 🙏
never seen a more biased lions team like where’s the likes of sutherland watson aki henshaw williams halfpenny like we might aswell watch england
You're lucky i didnt choose more English players tbh. The fact that i left out players like Anthony Watson, Billy Vunipola, Sam Underhill etc is laughable. Aki is a btec tuilagi, Halfpenny hasn't been in form for years, henshaw is good but is nowhere near Tuilagi or jon davies level. Hamish watson should be on tour, but the likes of Curry and Underhill, Tipuric etc are all ahead of him. The only player you mentioned who i found hard to leave out was Liam Williams.
My team aint perfect, i would make changes to it now for sure, but at the time this is what i chose. The reason there are a lot of English players, is because England won the triple crown, beat NZ and made a world cup final. The reason there are a lot of welsh in there is because they work well under Gatland.
Pretty good mate but I’d have Hamish Watson over curry and billy Vunipola on the bench with Liam Williams on the bench instead of Johnathan Joseph
I would have Russell at 10, Farrell at 12 and tuilagi at 13
Good choice
No
Nah not russel
Deffo have underhill for tipuric and no shout for billy vunipola?
Think both are better players than what i chose tbh, but was going for a more dynamic backrow as the curry underhill vunipola combo failed in the wc
It’s a strong team. Though no Daly over JJ?
Mostly solid pick but i have some questions. Why does nobody mention Faletau at 8 or even Tadhg Beirne somewhere in front? What about the Simmonds brothers somewhere in the picture? They should both already be playing for England anyway. And is Dan Biggar injured or did i miss something?
I would have Sexton 10, with Russell on the bench. Farrell is a phenomenal player but I don’t trust his temperament and think he’s just as likely to be sent off as he is to win the game. Also think Bundee Aki is a notable omission but I appreciate how tough it is to narrow it down to 23 players. Good video.
Its a good squad but there has to be room for robbie henshaw ether on the bench or on the pitch. He is an absolute beast and in that squad you have alot of pase but imagine your two centres being henshaw and tuilagi it would be a power house
There is other talent you could pick like garry ringrose
Would definatley have him on the plane, with this team, i aimed for versatility and a dynamic back row, as I felt that England tried to beat the boks through physicality and failed in the final, however, despite losing the test series in 2018, they were able to carve through the boks defence on many occasions with a more balanced team
Ok i get want your point
Great vid