Backrow

[paddy no 11]

Myriad options here

Won't even hazard a guess, some very good players will miss out

[Mikey Brown]

I don’t know how you even start whittling this down.

There are 3 or so genuine contenders from almost every team. I wouldn’t be shocked at any of the Irish 4 going*, but I wouldn’t say any of them enhanced their cases during the 6 nations, while more fringe guys like Morgan, Ritchie and Ben Curry had incredible tournaments.

*Obviously Doris goes, even if he wasn’t at his absolute best he is in a different tier. His form would have to fall off massively between now and the tour to not be an option.

[paddy no 11]

Van der flier needs a good end of season I'd like to see the 3 form players you mentioned picked

Doris and Earl are probably nailed on alright

[Numbers]

Fagerson had an excellent game for Scotland on Saturday.

[paddy no 11]

Break it down into some sort of current pecking order

6 - Richie and Tom curry maybe most clear cut?
7 - Ben curry and Morgan, vdf, darge
8 Doris and Earl, fagerson, conan, wainwright

[paddy no 11]

Jamie Ritchie - form backrow

[jngf]

I’d actually take Sam Underhill, covers both 6 and 7 ( and even 8 at a pinch ) plus the best tackler in world rugby imo

[jngf]

I’d also say there’s a case for both Jack Willis and Sam Simmonds who to mind are in a class above Tom Curry and Ben Earl, Trumpesque RFU exile policy or otherwise

[jngf]

Break it down into some sort of current pecking order

6 - Richie and Tom curry maybe most clear cut?
7 - Ben curry and Morgan, vdf, darge
8 Doris and Earl, fagerson, conan, wainwright

Darge is knowhere near Lions class. Was anonymous against England, Ritchie is only Scottish Lions class backrow imo

[jngf]

Van der flier needs a good end of season I'd like to see the 3 form players you mentioned picked

Doris and Earl are probably nailed on alright

Issue with Earl is where do you play him?, for me he’s a starting 7 or a bench utility flying flanker. Not big enough or powerful enough to be a tight carrying no.8 , frankly similar sized Morgan could carry that role off much better.

[paddy no 11]

Van der flier needs a good end of season I'd like to see the 3 form players you mentioned picked

Doris and Earl are probably nailed on alright

Issue with Earl is where do you play him?, for me he’s a starting 7 or a bench utility flying flanker. Not big enough or powerful enough to be a tight carrying no.8 , frankly similar sized Morgan could carry that role off much better.

I don't disagree but I'm 100% farrell will pick him

[Danno]

Earl is a Simmonds that can play 7 (and switches to the 12 role at times). I don't know how you can suggest Simmonds in the Bolters thread when Earl is available. Not that I'd pick either.

[jngf]

Earl is a Simmonds that can play 7 (and switches to the 12 role at times). I don't know how you can suggest Simmonds in the Bolters thread when Earl is available. Not that I'd pick either.

Because he’s already been a Lion and he can do everything Earl can (other than fetching) that little bit better and is even quicker and more explosive and I suspect more powerful as a tight carrier.

[Scrumhead]

Can he? Possibly at his peak but you’d need to rewind a good 4 years or more for that. I rate his chances of a Lions call as only marginally better than my own.

[paddy no 11]

Doris going for shoulder surgery

[Mikey Brown]

Doris going for shoulder surgery

What a shame for him, especially after missing out last time. Surely had to be front runner as captain.

[Scrumhead]

That’s a huge shame for Doris and potentially prompts a re-think from Farrell around the makeup of the back row and the captaincy.

[francoisfou]

Tom Willis must now be in with a good chance of included and being in contention for the Test 8.

[Mikey Brown]

Tom Willis must now be in with a good chance of included and being in contention for the Test 8.

I’m a bit unsure how highly Farrell actually rates Conan. He’s got the materials and is seemingly vice captain at Leinster but I don’t think Saturday will have done him any favours. It seems sort of strange he was the test 8 last time out, but for me has never looked the quality of Conan.

I’d think Willis should be in the driving seat too, but didn’t really nail down the 8 shirt ahead of Earl during the 6 nations either.

[Scrumhead]

Doris isn’t definitely being ruled out ATM, but has to be up against it from a timing POV.

Willis is definitely in with a strong shout but I could also see Farrell being tempted by Faletau.

[Puja]

Doris isn’t definitely being ruled out ATM, but has to be up against it from a timing POV.

Willis is definitely in with a strong shout but I could also see Farrell being tempted by Faletau.

My brain spent an uncomfortably long time trying to parse that as "Peter O'Vahony?"

You'd've thought they'd have to select Itoje as captain from here - they surely can't have Doris as captaincy when there's uncertainty over him making the tour.

Unless they pick Fazlet, of course.

Puja

[paddy no 11]

They could pick Doris and do the he'll be fit for tests thing which hasn't worked before iirc

Was reported in some places as a procedure for surgery rather than just surgery

Plenty of opportunities to disenfranchise supporters on Thursday

[Stom]

I'm not a huge Earl fan, but he seems like a great dirt-tracker.

TCurry a shoe in, Richie there, VdF there, I imagine Doris will go if there's any chance...

But I'll let others decide the full makeup, and just enjoy the spectacle this time, as I'm very much out of the rugby loop this time around.

How much 4 years makes a difference.

[Puja]

"PlanetRugby sources say" that Doris is out of the whole tour and that TWillis will be the beneficiary of his absence: https://www.planetrugby.com/news/exclus ... tion-frame

Whether those sources are anything more than ChatGPT, who knows?

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Best thing about Pollock's selection is how we all know the thin-skinned Aussie press is going to react to this walking personification of floppy-haired posh-schoolboy English-arrogance