No Scotch or Oirish🤔
Not on current form.
Ford???
I’d have three Welsh outhalves in ahead of any ingerlish. I’d have alun wynn in there, and jinny may is shite.
Would be a quiet old Lions team
The vunipolas went hiding today on a big stage, what use would they be in loftus on a scorcher
The small fat lad was anonymous, the big strong fella was far from hiding.
Surprised to see mako mashed in the scrum.
He was no more than average compared to how he’s rated
Twas glorious. difference sinckler could have made a big difference though
Does South Africa have the best collection of Stadia in the world it does?
Tipuric James Ryan is a guaranteed starter.
I think when picking a prospective Loins team, it’s always best to go with current form. Of course what would be the team now is highly unlikely to be the team come June 2021, but each prospective line up along the way is a snapshot in time - I suppose it’s very much like political opinion polling in that regard.
Not a whole lot to quibble with in that selection - of the four home nations, it’s undoubtedly England and Wales who have shown best in Japan.
Liam Williams is an automatic choice at full back.
Jonathan Davies is another automatic selection and a proven big game player.
In the forwards, I’ve no arguments about Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, the peerless Alun Wyn Jones (still an automatic choice as captain), Tom Curry or Billy Vunipola.
So, the debatable positions…
You can’t argue with Josh Adams being the leading try scorer at the World Cup - he’d undoubtedly be a strong contender were the team being picked today, but for me Anthony Watson just has that extra bit of class and inventiveness you want. A very close call, mind.
For a player I never rated particularly highly for a long time, Jonny May has turned himself into a very good player indeed, a superb finisher and arguably England’s best player in yesterday’s final. I’d give him the nod at 11.
12 and 10 are linked - there’s a place for Owen Farrell in one of those positions, but I’d differ from you here and select him at stand off half.
The double playmaker tactic has become very familiar during this World Cup and there’s certainly an argument in favour of it, but 10 is the fulcrum, and for me Farrell is just that little bit more steady than George Ford, so I go with him as the conductor.
That leaves 12. Tuilagi could play there, but he’s settled in at 13. Do you know what, you’re right here actually, there’s a lack of alternative 12s, Farrell there and Ford at 10 is what I’d go for too, on mature reflection.
Scrum half is a bit of a problem position, there’s no real stand out. Conor Murray has regressed alarmingly. Davies is the best of a mediocre lot.
Loose head perhaps not the strongest position either, I’ll go for Mako Vunipola too but not with huge conviction.
I’m going with Ken Owens over Jamie George at hooker, just. I always like to have a Welsh presence in the front row to provide the grit at the coalface, and they don’t come any grittier than Owens.
That leaves open side flanker - and again that’s a razor thin call - I’ve great regard for Justin Tipuric’s footballing skills but alas he’s oonce again the nearly man here as I’ve plumped for Sam Underhill.
Billy Vunipola an automatic chooice for now at 8 but I expect Taulupe Faletau to come strongly back into the reckoning when he recovers from injury.
So I’ve gone for three different selections to yourself - Watson for Adams, Owens for George and Underhill for Tipuric.
So onto the squad positions, and I’ll cover one replacement for each position.
Full back is between Elliot Daly and Stuart Hogg. Daly is some respects a victim of his own versatility here. He’s a competent full back, but more of a winger in my eyes. Hogg gets the nod.
Josh Adams is my replacement on the left wing, and on the right I plump for one of the very few success stories of Ireland’s World Cup, Jordan Larmour. Darcy Graham unlucky to miss out here.
Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade are my reserve centres.
Finn Russell gets my nod at 10. Scotland didn’t have the greatest World Cup but I have great admiration for Russell’s talent.
Conor Murray just about holds on as reserve scrum half.
In the forwards, I go with Wyn Jones, Jamie George and Tadhg Furlong in the front row.
James Ryan performed with some credit in Japan, the other reserve second row position is a poser with several contenders, despite a bit of a nightmare today I’ll stick with proven Loins performer Courtney Lawes over Jake Ball and Jonny Gray.
And given that I’ve gone with an all-English back row for the Test line up, the midweek line up must be all-Welsh in Aaron Wainright, Justin Tipuric and Josh Navidi.
Hamish Watson would have been pushing hard at 7 but he endured a brief nightmare in Japan, picking up a serious knee injury, Dan Leavy is of course already recovering from one. One of our strongest positions I feel.
Absolutely fascinating to look over the certainties, the probables and the possibles, as always.
The picture will no doubt change again in the near future, but that’s the beauty of it.
It’s 2am, I’m a little tipsy here but on vino veritas and I want to say something very sincerely from the bottom of my heart: you’re a horrible scumbag, a really genuinely bad human being, a nasty, fake, mean-spirited piece if work.
That’s a bit of a cheap shot - @GeoffreyBoycott no longer posts here and so is not around to defend himself
You’re lucky he probably won’t even get to read this comment
Very poor taste.
Wyn Jones might struggle in the front row
I said he might struggle in the front row. The Welsh did all world cup. They are relatively weak there. I’d have a good few in ahead of him.
I think navidi should be in there also.
The Welsh were outstanding in this tournament, yet again.
That Japanese scrum half was some yolk also.
It would appear that @GeoffreyBoycott logged in 2 days ago. Chances are he’s gonna log in again soon.