The BR England Lions XV

Jenkins
Hartley
Cole
Gray
POC
Lydiate
Warburton
Heaslip
Phillips
Priestland
North
Roberts
Tuilagi
Ashton
Halfpenny


Thanks everyone for all your votes. Now we've set the team feel free to disagree and tell everyone why their selections are wrong.

I agree with all (mostly) apart from shaky Priestland. Not sure who I would have to be fair, maybe Flood as he is more consistent and deals better under pressure or maybe Sexton although he can be hit and miss as well.

I agree with most of that except Priestland at 10, need someone more reliable, Sexton namely.

its got to be Flood in my book.

Priestland is nay. I'd almost put halfpenny there and put foden at fullback.

Get rid of Priestland.

my biggest concern would not be of priestland, but the absence of cuthbert (versus ashton).
that said, priestland is off form, flood might be the in-form man of consistency, but when your playing a welsh scrum half and inside centre, you probably wanna play priestland or hook there to see if they can handle things. i agree with the english bias in the scrum, they can scrummage like nobody else atm.
i wouldnt pick warburton, he has been off form, whereas tipuric has been absolutely immense. id play croft or ferris over warburton as well if tipuric became unavailable.
the biggest headache for me is halfpenny vs kearney... that one i cant make up my mind up at all!

Tipuric has been excellent playing at club level. As yet he's shown very little to suggest he's the equivalent of Warbs at the higher test level.

Tipuric in insanely fit so gets around the pitch and is catching the eye doing so. But as yet his decision making isn't close to Warbs, and when he gets stuck in he's not even close to as strong.

'tis possible in future I'd think Tipuric is the equal or even better than Warbs. But to date I don't think it's even worth being a question, Warbs is clear and then some.

Got to be Courtney Lawes. POC is past it

Before his latest injury, and injury might be an issue, POC looked just about the best lock playing anywhere. Even better than Thorn.

There is an arguement that both POC and Thorn are past it. But in a series where development just isn't an issue if I could I'd pick both.

For England if he were fit I'd pick Lawes in an instant, but it might be we get to see more of Mo Bo. Lucky us.

I would say stick Ben Youngs in at 9, not just saying that cause it's an English Forum, I genuinely reckon he'll be the best scrum half after another season with the tigers, especially considering his performances at the back end of last season when he found his 'mojo' again. Sexton for 10 as a definite. I think POC and Gray would be a good lock partnership and a good platform for POC's swan song. agree with the centre partnership. On current form, I wouldn't start Ashton, he hasn't really performed under the Lancaster regime so far, I'd personally go for Leigh Halfpenny on the wing. Full back would be the toughest selection for me, it's a 3 way toss up between Foden, Kearney and Stuart Hogg, whose dynamism and change of pace can be an impact against south hemi teams

cant believe i forgot hogg... yea, well that just makes it an even more impossible choice...
i wouldn't play halfpenny on the wing - as good as his gamebrain is, id pick north and cuthbert.

I'd play Halfpenny somewhere, the man's a rugby genius.

But I can't really help much on the other choices soz.

jwj201 wrote:cant believe i forgot hogg... yea, well that just makes it an even more impossible choice...

Well Hogg certainly made the fullback poll, though he didn't actually poll any votes. Which on that thread I noted was perhaps a sad thing that possibly the most attacking 15 didn't get a look in.