B&I Lions 2025 Official Thread

[Kawazaki]

Indeed, one imagines he spends a lot of time reading rugby forums

But in case he is reading. I don’t mean you’re not a good club player Owen. Well done.

Yes, I'm sure there is no causal link between his club winning lots of trophies with him at flyhalf and achieving 115 England caps and 6 BL caps.

[Biffer]

I know lots of coaches and players disagree but I won’t be swayed on it.

The single biggest drag on England as an international rugby team over the last decade has been the perpetual need to select Farrell and the continued insistence that his questionable leadership and woeful temperament is somehow unassailable. We are told to ignore the evidence of our eyes and ears

We won’t be subject to it for much longer but here he is, parachuted in to offer more of these ethereal and invisible qualities, all at the behest of former teammates and his entirely objective dad

Which is a well versed point of view but it’s inescapable that every coach in every set up that can pick him does, those coaches being far from limited to his own father.

Apart from the one he’s had for the last year.

[Stranger]

I know lots of coaches and players disagree but I won’t be swayed on it.

The single biggest drag on England as an international rugby team over the last decade has been the perpetual need to select Farrell and the continued insistence that his questionable leadership and woeful temperament is somehow unassailable. We are told to ignore the evidence of our eyes and ears

We won’t be subject to it for much longer but here he is, parachuted in to offer more of these ethereal and invisible qualities, all at the behest of former teammates and his entirely objective dad

Which is a well versed point of view but it’s inescapable that every coach in every set up that can pick him does, those coaches being far from limited to his own father.

The same can be said about Ben Youngs

[Kawazaki]

I know lots of coaches and players disagree but I won’t be swayed on it.

The single biggest drag on England as an international rugby team over the last decade has been the perpetual need to select Farrell and the continued insistence that his questionable leadership and woeful temperament is somehow unassailable. We are told to ignore the evidence of our eyes and ears

We won’t be subject to it for much longer but here he is, parachuted in to offer more of these ethereal and invisible qualities, all at the behest of former teammates and his entirely objective dad

Which is a well versed point of view but it’s inescapable that every coach in every set up that can pick him does, those coaches being far from limited to his own father.

Apart from the one he’s had for the last year.

Difficult to pick a player that's injured.

[dpedin]

I know lots of coaches and players disagree but I won’t be swayed on it.

The single biggest drag on England as an international rugby team over the last decade has been the perpetual need to select Farrell and the continued insistence that his questionable leadership and woeful temperament is somehow unassailable. We are told to ignore the evidence of our eyes and ears

We won’t be subject to it for much longer but here he is, parachuted in to offer more of these ethereal and invisible qualities, all at the behest of former teammates and his entirely objective dad

Which is a well versed point of view but it’s inescapable that every coach in every set up that can pick him does, those coaches being far from limited to his own father.

Apart from the one he’s had for the last year.

Farrell was an excellent player at club, international and Lions level - no one is disputing this! 2-3 years ago he would have undoubtably got into the Lions squad on merit. However he has played 16 games in the last 12 months, most of which he didn't complete, for a team whose performance was mediocre at best, he hasn't played for 9 weeks, been injured for large parts of the season and hasn't competed at international level for over 2 years. He stepped back from the 6Ns due to his mental health issues in 2024. He didn't set the fire alight at Racing and was regarded as the biggest flop of the season in France by the French rugby press. The problem isn't his record in rugby, he has a fantastic record at all levels, but his record over the last 12-24 months which has been the opposite of fantastic! He is nearly 34, has a lot of miles on the clock, hasn't operated at the levels he once did for 12-18 months, has had a very, very poor season at club level and we are not even sure he is match fit and able to step into international/Lions rugby? Given every other player in the squad has been picked on the basis of merit and form over the last 12 months I am not sure why Farrell isn't held to the same selection criteria?

[Kawazaki]

I am not sure why Farrell isn't held to the same selection criteria?

For the simple reason that the tour is already 3 matches old and coaches know that a player who has extensive Lions experience will gel much much quicker than a rookie.

Still, it's amusing seeing people get so worked up over a player that might make an appearance off the bench in a midweek match, although, I would love to see him make the test side just to see the reaction from the haters.

[Paddington Bear]

I know lots of coaches and players disagree but I won’t be swayed on it.

The single biggest drag on England as an international rugby team over the last decade has been the perpetual need to select Farrell and the continued insistence that his questionable leadership and woeful temperament is somehow unassailable. We are told to ignore the evidence of our eyes and ears

We won’t be subject to it for much longer but here he is, parachuted in to offer more of these ethereal and invisible qualities, all at the behest of former teammates and his entirely objective dad

Which is a well versed point of view but it’s inescapable that every coach in every set up that can pick him does, those coaches being far from limited to his own father.

Apart from the one he’s had for the last year.

Well they did, he got injured and reasonably clearly was being asked to play with a niggle that if he was still at Sarries would have seen him on the touchline. Don’t get me wrong, that’s the chance you take for the French money but it’s a terrible rebuttal

[Paddington Bear]

Which is a well versed point of view but it’s inescapable that every coach in every set up that can pick him does, those coaches being far from limited to his own father.

Apart from the one he’s had for the last year.

Farrell was an excellent player at club, international and Lions level - no one is disputing this!

Plenty of people are disputing this in the face of a lot of evidence, don’t get me wrong I agree he has no form to justify his Lions place

[Slick]

In fairness, there's definitely a bit of groupthink going on with the Scottish posters. I recognized it early on in the thread in that it's quite similar to the Leinster posters on PR.

When something doesn't quite go to plan, the initial reaction is "aw shit" but then somebody will pipe up why it's actually not that bad and that there's really something or somebody else to blame. Poster 2 pipes up in support and before you know it, they've all convinced themselves that everything is actually fine and that their lad is really the best in the world.

Not quite as extreme here but it is there and you see quite a bit of it in this thread. It's probably natural enough when one contingent has so many numbers relative to everybody else.

Quite amusing given the only reason you are backing the Farrell nonsense is because it was made by the Ireland coach. You'd be joining the rest of us in mutual outrage if it was Gatland or AN Other.

Projection.

There's a fair few strange calls made with squad selection that I've called out much earlier in this thread, some of them Irish.

Bollocks. If it was Steve Borthwick calling him up you'd be spitting blood.

[topofthemoon]

[Uncle fester]

You can’t fault him no. He wants to play and does his best. You can’t fault him that people keep selecting him and his best comes up short 9 times out of 10.

He's just Dan Biggar with a better supporting cast.

[topofthemoon]

Teem's out

No Welsh in the Lions' starting XV for the first time in the professional era.

[colonel]

How many standards did he drive?

[Sandstorm]

Didn’t the Lions score a try early on against the Force when Russell made a cross-kick to the right wing that Sheehan caught and passed inside?

[Lobby]

Didn’t the Lions score a try early on against the Force when Russell made a cross-kick to the right wing that Sheehan caught and passed inside?

Stats are the for the game against the Reds, not the Force.

[Blackmac]

ROG basically saying he considers Farrell the likely 10 back up to Russell.

[Sandstorm]

Didn’t the Lions score a try early on against the Force when Russell made a cross-kick to the right wing that Sheehan caught and passed inside?

Stats are the for the game against the Reds, not the Force.

D’oh

[Biffer]

ROG basically saying he considers Farrell the likely 10 back up to Russell.

For someone who seems to be a good coach, ROG's opinions on the game are fucking bizarre.

[Sandstorm]

ROG basically saying he considers Farrell the likely 10 back up to Russell.

He loves a good troll.

[SaintK]

Pollock out due to a calf niggle
Beirne to 6 and Cummings starts
VdM to the bench

[Slick]

Pollock out due to a calf niggle
Beirne to 6 and Cummings starts
VdM to the bench

That’s a shame, was looking forward to watching him
again

[Hal Jordan]

Let's face it, the Lions Test team is decoded by whoever isn't broken by the time the first match rolls round as much as anything else.

[ScarfaceClaw]

What time does this fecking match kick off. Less chat Sky, more playing.

[SaintK]

What time does this fecking match kick off. Less chat Sky, more playing.

11:00 UK time

[Tichtheid]

What would happen if a player pulls up on the way out of the tunnel? Are they allowed to replace him and start the game with the full 23?

It feels as if that should be the case, but you never know.

[Sandstorm]

What would happen if a player pulls up on the way out of the tunnel? Are they allowed to replace him and start the game with the full 23?

It feels as if that should be the case, but you never know.

Yes. Anytime before kickoff.

[Big D]

What would happen if a player pulls up on the way out of the tunnel? Are they allowed to replace him and start the game with the full 23?

It feels as if that should be the case, but you never know.

I think they possibly could but would need the opposition to agree.

[Tichtheid]

Cheers both

[Big D]

Great defensive work by Hansen and Cummings.

[Sandstorm]

Jesus, the Lions have a herd of donkey props in this squad.

[Blackmac]

Penalised a solid scrum but resets the first shitshow.

[Big D]

Sniper 1 Earl 0. Unlucky there.

[Blackmac]

Jesus, the Lions have a herd of donkey props in this squad.

Waratahs loose head destroyed Bealham but was pretty squint.

[Slick]

I hope that wasn’t Lions supporters booing Farrell

[Blackmac]

I hope that wasn’t Lions supporters booing Farrell

It was .

[Big D]

Jesus, the Lions have a herd of donkey props in this squad.

Waratahs loose head destroyed Bealham but was pretty squint.

Both Tahs props are squint.

[Blackmac]

Jesus, the Lions have a herd of donkey props in this squad.

Waratahs loose head destroyed Bealham but was pretty squint.

Both Tahs props are squint.

To be fair, Bealham has just destroyed him back.

[Slick]

Smith seems to be completely mistiming his kicks, very odd

[duke]

Huwipolotu strikes

[Tichtheid]

There we go