Lion Hunting #5 - The Second Row

In my opinion, the outstanding lock in Britain and Ireland at the moment is Scotland's Richie Gray. True, he has not been as impressive recently as he was a year ago but his athleticism is still undeniable. You would be hard pushed to find any team in the wold that wouldn't benefit from his ball carrying in open play. He almost acts as a fourth loose forward while being very good in the lineout.

It is crucial to make sure the second row is balanced and so to go with Gray's work in the loose I would pick a more traditional, hard as nails lock to do the dirty work in the engine room. This is why Courtney Lawes shouldn't start. Yes, he is, like Gray, and incredible athlete capable of powerful carrying and doing lots of dynamic work in the loose but this would lead to an unbalanced second row without anyone who is willing to do the hard work in the tight and besides I am yet to be fully convinced that he can perform consistently at international level. He would however be an excellent impact sub. If this is enough for him to be selected I don't know but he's definitely a candidate.

Other candidates who do suit this role are England's Geoff Parling and Joe Launchbury, Ireland's PaulO'Connell, Donncha Ryan and Mike McCarthy and Wales' Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris. As you can see the are numerous options but few standouts. Paul O'Connell was for many years the best lock in Britain and Ireland but even though he is still performing at a high level he has been plagued by injuries and has aged. His spot as Ireland and Munster's premier lock has been taken over more by the more than capable Donncha Ryan. Ryan burst on to seen a year ago and since then hasn't taken a step back. He performs so well last year that he was the only Irishman to make my team of the year. He also offers the abrasiveness needed to compliment Gray perfectly. Mike McCarthy also burst on to the scene in the autumn and was outstanding, possibly Ireland's best player. He may also get a second chance to prove himself in the Six Nations with O'Connell's absence. If he performs equally well as he did in the autumn who knows? He could force himself onto the plane to Australia.

Geoff Parling is a solid option and has been performing at a consistently high level for England recently. His lineout skills would be very helpful indeed. However, if Gatland wanted an option that would effect the game more dramatically he would pick Joe Launchbury. Launchbury was outstanding during the Autumn. His work rate and tackle count make him and excellent candidate for a second row spot. He is still inexperienced but if he has an equally good Six
Nations I can't see anything getting between him and a spot on the plane.

Wales are yet to settle on a permanent second row pairing but I think Wyn-Jones and Charteris offer the most. Both are excellent workers and a year ago I would have had Wyn-Jones as one of the first names on my team sheet but he has been hampered by injuries since and his form has suffered because of this. Charteris has benefited from this as a chance to prove himself as Wales' best lock when Wyn-Jones isn't available and has demonstrated a tremendous work rate.

Starting: Ryan, Gray
Backup: Launchbury, Wyn-Jones, Lawes

Lion Hunting #2 - Centers

Centre will be a difficult selection for Gatland and the boys. There is not the wealth of talent there once was in the three quarters. It is unlikely that the Roberts, O'Driscoll partnership will line-up like they did in South Africa where they were very impressive. O'Driscoll has aged another 4 years and lost another few yards of pace. He has been hampered by injury also which hasn't helped. He was once the best runner with ball in hand in the game, quick, powerful and evasive but unfortunately his body will no-longer allow him to do this. He was never a playmaking center and although he is still a world class defender and reader of the game and his experience would be an asset it is time for a changing of the guard.

If I was to simply pick the best outside centre and the best inside centre I would pick Tuilagi at 13 and Roberts at 12 but in my opinion it is crucially important to pick a balanced centre partnership which this is not as Tuilagi and Roberts are both direct runners. This would make the team's attack one dimensional and I think they have to offer a different threat in one of the centre positions.

Manu Tuilagi is the outstanding centre in the Northern Hemisphere at the moment. He is accustomed to playing at 13 where he has more space to run into but I believe he is also capable of being a class second five. He can fix defenders with his hard running opening up space out wide as Nonu does for the All Blacks but he can also bring other player into play outside him by using his freakish power to break the line and utilising his offload game.



Jonathan Davies offers this 'different threat' I was talking about. He is used to playing outside a direct running centre with Wales and he is very good in exploiting the space in wide areas created by a hard running second five inside of him. He reads the game very well and spots space which he exploits with his strong running. He also has the ability to be a playmaker and bring other players into play outside him.

Another potential candidate is the impressive versatile Scotsman Stuart Hogg. Brad Barrit may also be considered because of his defensive solidity

Starting : 13) Davies, 12) Tuilagi
Backup : O'Driscoll, Roberts, Hogg (Covering fullback also)

Tighthead

Lion Hunting #1 - The Back Three

As we are entering a long enough break until the next international rugby fest, I have decided that I am going to publish a series of posts naming who I would like to see on the plane to Australia next June. My team is as of post Autumn internationals put it is not purely based on form but just who I would like to see on the plane. We will begin by looking at the back three.

Halfpenny was a shining light in a disapointing Welsh team this Autumn and has been consistently the best running fullback in the British Isles. He just edges out Kearney who is excellent under the high ball and on his day can be a counter-attacking threat but for me Halfpenny edges it. Other noteworthy contenders are Ben Foden, who needs to find some form to be considered, and Alex Goode who had a good Autumn series but still has a lot to prove.

Starting Fullback : Halfpenny
Backup : Kearney

Tommy Bowe is the best finisher in Britain and Ireland. He has pace, power, a good pair of hands and a top rugby brain. He may not be the most exciting winger ont the planet but he is certainly one of the most complete. George North didn't have the best of Autumns but he can cause any defense problems with his size and power. He can change games and this makes his selection a no-brainer for me. The Dutch-Scotsman Tom Visser will need to have an excellent 6 nations to be selected considering his international inexperience but he has all the ability to do that and could well force his way in as a bolter. Chris Ashton is one of the most high profile omissions from my squad. When he wants to Ashton is a superb strike runner but too often these days he drops in and out of games and makes a substantial number of silly errors. We all know what he can do but for me he doesn't do it enough. Alex Cuthbert is another viable candidate.

Starting Wings : Bowe, North
Backup : Cuthbert, Visser

Tighthead