Blues name full-strength squad for Japan pre-season tour

It depends on how you weigh the importance of games doesn’t it? Why did England beat France but Ireland concede over 40 at home to the same opponents?

My own support for George, Martin, Lawes and Wilis is based on the fact that all have been very good players for a long time. Willis is regularly mentioned as the best player in Top 14 by the French Press and George and Lawes would contribute to squad solidaritywith their huge experience…

If you’re basing all your theory around current Leinster I think you need to come up with something a lot, lot better. Their D is not as aggressive in Irish green as it is Leinster blue, and the attack has dropped a couple of notches from where it was three years ago.

Sadly they have also made it a habit of falling at the final hurdle too. So what’s your proof?

The forward are athetic rather than there for sheer power, esp in the back five forwards, so if Aussie go down the Tupou/Skelton route the power equation could be with the home side.

If they choose say the Northmapton template they could be very good indeed. We’ll see.

The last Lions series, the coaching staff got the tactics completely wrong, playing conservatively and trying to outmuscle the Boks - which suited the home side just fine. It wasn’t until the third test when Finn Russell came onto the field that the Lions looked really potent. There’s every chance that the Lions might get their tactics wrong again in Australia.

Vitamin A,D & E and B12. The electrolytes are off the chain, boss!

Leinster beat Harlequins 62-0 a few weeks ago ….. does that mean that Marcus Smith shouldn’t be in the Lions squad?

They beat Glasgow 52-0 a week later …. does that mean that Fagerson, Tuipolotu, Jones and Cummings don’t deserve to be in the Lions squad?

Based on Saints beating Leinster, you’ve made a case for Martin from Leicester (who were hockeyed by Glasgow), George from Sarries (who were knocked out of Europe long before Leinster), and Lawes from Brive (in the French second division 🤣), to be included in the Lions squad, ahead of Kelleher, Ryan, and most bizarrely Conan?!?

Can you maybe point me to the news story where Leicester, Sarries or Brive have beaten Leinster recently?

In summary, your article is abject, biased, jingoistic nonsense.

Would you have beaten Ireland and France in a quarter in 2023? NZ absolutely hammered you right?

I honestly don’t know what your issue is. Ireland get on very well with Argentinians. You seem to be a boaster and sychohant for Saffers and Kiwis. Weird. Have you any thoughts of your own?

Yes scores on the doors: RWCs 3:1 to Argentina.

Biggest win 53-7 Ireland 2021

20 Tests played: Score 14-6 to Ireland No Argentina wins in Dublin.

Its a long time since Argentina beat Ireland. 2015? That was the year NZ-Arg played in pool match 1. And France and Ireland were scheduled to play eachother 6 days before the QF. Winner gets Argentina, loser gets NZ.

No offense Carlos but France and Ireland beat the sh1te out of each other to avoid playing NZ. The match was brutal. Ireland lost Sexton, O’Brien, O’Connell (career ending injury), O’Mahony, Payne versus France.

Argentina recorded their biggest ever win against Ireland and New Zealand recorded their biggest ever win against France. Fra/Irl conceded 106 points in those quarters.

Even still Ireland fought back and couldn’t score the try to kick on and win.

Were you even old enough to watch that one.

How did Ireland and France get that brutal scheduling?

Well, those in charge of scheduling were ITV, the English RU and the NZRU. So Argentina benefitted directly from corrupt scheduling. Its not only Ireland and France who were hurt: SA were winning in the 3rd quarter versus NZ against 14 men in the semi. NZ scored in that period to win a tight match. If they get an honest test against a rested French team they probably dont win that semi.

Comparing World rankings to actual finishing place, the biggest Tier1 chokers by far in the history of RWC is NZ themselves…and two of those RWCs were at home.

No go back to licking Saffer and Kiwi ass Carlos.

I agree Ireland wilted in the 6 Nations despite going 4 from 5. The key difference is that they aren’t going up against the home nations. They are still leaps and bounds ahead of them when it comes to kicking it against the big three/unholy trinity.

They’ve won 4 of their last 5 against Australia, 4 of their last 5 against South Africa and 2 of their last 5 against New Zealand. That’s 10 from 15 home, away and neutral. No other home nation has a comparable record.

The symmetry is around the fact that Farrell was involved (as defence coach) for the first of those wins to the most recent.