British Lions Tour to South Africa !!!
Discussion
As im finally getting my ass on a lions tour (albeit only the last two tests at the moment) and the fact there is a lot of chat about who should be the coach, i thought i'd see who the collective rugby fans of PH's think should coach the lions.
After Graham Henry i really don't want to see any SH coaches in charge of the Lions. I don't care how good a coach they are, its got to be someone from the UK and Irleland. Graham Henry, Jake White and Warren Gatland can f off as far as im concerned.
O'Sullivan must have been a front runner until recently and must be out of contention now, Ashton i pray has never been in contention, Hadden has done ok in Scotland but could be out of his depth on this tour, possibly wouldnt have the full respect of all the players.
I think Mike Ruddock is the stand out candidate and would make a cracking Lions Coach. I'd would have liked to see Shaun Edwards involved with him, but the new rules being tried in the Super 14, would effectively make his rush defence redundant and he might have to go back to the drawing board soon if the rules are made worldwide.
After Graham Henry i really don't want to see any SH coaches in charge of the Lions. I don't care how good a coach they are, its got to be someone from the UK and Irleland. Graham Henry, Jake White and Warren Gatland can f off as far as im concerned.
O'Sullivan must have been a front runner until recently and must be out of contention now, Ashton i pray has never been in contention, Hadden has done ok in Scotland but could be out of his depth on this tour, possibly wouldnt have the full respect of all the players.
I think Mike Ruddock is the stand out candidate and would make a cracking Lions Coach. I'd would have liked to see Shaun Edwards involved with him, but the new rules being tried in the Super 14, would effectively make his rush defence redundant and he might have to go back to the drawing board soon if the rules are made worldwide.
Trouble is, there is a dearth of quality candidates. Of the four home nations only Gatland is currently doing a passable impression of a decent coach, and that's only 2 games into his tenure. As a Welshman, I desperately hope Gatland doesn't get the job after what happened to Graham Henry when he did it, but I'd be very surprised if Shaun Edwards isn't involved in some capacity.
I've just finished reading Martyn Williams autobiography and he had very little positive to say about Mike Ruddock. He reckons Steve Hansen and Scott Johnson did all the hard work to make Wales a competitive force again and that Ruddock took over at just the right time to ride on the back of that work to claim the plaudits for the 2005 Grand Slam. He says that under Hansen and Johnson the players were always pushed at that the training was challenging and innovative, but when Ruddock took over they went back to very basic training drills and the improvements that had occured previously started to dry up. Apparently Alfie tells a very similar story in his book.
All in all, I think if it goes to a British coach, it will be Ian McGeechan, but it'll more likely be Jake White or Gatland.
I've just finished reading Martyn Williams autobiography and he had very little positive to say about Mike Ruddock. He reckons Steve Hansen and Scott Johnson did all the hard work to make Wales a competitive force again and that Ruddock took over at just the right time to ride on the back of that work to claim the plaudits for the 2005 Grand Slam. He says that under Hansen and Johnson the players were always pushed at that the training was challenging and innovative, but when Ruddock took over they went back to very basic training drills and the improvements that had occured previously started to dry up. Apparently Alfie tells a very similar story in his book.
All in all, I think if it goes to a British coach, it will be Ian McGeechan, but it'll more likely be Jake White or Gatland.
I think it will be Jake White and he is probably the only decent candidate out there. The only leftfield option I can see could be Sean Edwards in his own right, but he has very limited international experience...
There would be something poetic about Jake White taking charge of this Lions tour! However, he may be gainfully employed as England coach by that point...
There would be something poetic about Jake White taking charge of this Lions tour! However, he may be gainfully employed as England coach by that point...
TheGreatSoprendo said:
Ian McGeechan,
I thought Geech had ruled himself out. If not, then lets get the last Succesful Lions management team together. Geech, Jim Telfer . They know how to win in SA.Ruddock seems to be doing a pretty good job at Wuss, despite inheriting a load of absolute shite
Edited by stimmers on Saturday 16th February 21:25
Twit said:
There would be something poetic about Jake White taking charge of this Lions tour! However, he may be gainfully employed as England coach by that point...
Poetic? Wrong more like. A SA taking a British Lions team to SA is so so wrong. Lions coach should only be British or Irish, no matter how good the candidates are.I think Jake White and Sean Edwards will be in charge of England when Ashton has done doing....... well whatever the hell he is doing. I secretly think Francis Baron is decided the team and the tactics and simply pays Ashton to be his 'face'. Would actually make a hell of a lot more sense that whats actually going on.
5yearstobuyatvr said:
Stimmers,Could it be Rob Andrew???
No, it can't. He's no longer a coach. In fact i really have no idea what his job is, but it cannot be Andrew.It will be someone who has had past coaching experience of an International side and had success. Which in terms of British coaches, is a very very short list, if there is a list at all.
Gimlet said:
Geech is the man if he would consider it.
I was lucky enough to attend a small dinner gathering with him in Cairns during the 2001 Australia Tour and can categorically say that the Lions would have come out on top had he been responsible for the Team.
Great guy, and a fantastic coach.
Most talented Lions squad we have had for some time and should have seen the Aussies off, your right.I was lucky enough to attend a small dinner gathering with him in Cairns during the 2001 Australia Tour and can categorically say that the Lions would have come out on top had he been responsible for the Team.
Great guy, and a fantastic coach.
I was in Australia for the 2003 World Cup. On the tour i was on we had some great speakers and ex rugby players. The best was in the hospitality area a couple of hours before the final. We had JPR Williams, David Duckham, Willy John McBride, Jack Rowell and Bob Dwyer - it was really something to be in the same room as these guys and listen to what they had to say. Huge respect and the best sporting night i have ever had and probably will ever have.
5yearstobuyatvr said:
I wsa at a sports dinner last night, and one of our old boys (Tim Stimpson) was the speaker and he spoke very highly about Ian Mcgeechan, However my outsider longshot choice would be Shaun Edwards.
McGeechan is a good shout, but he has already led a Lions tour to S.Africa and won so I doubt he'd do it again; but could be wrong. The more I think about it the more there is only one choice, assuming the coach will be from the UK, and that is Shaun Edwards.5yearstobuyatvr said:
I wsa at a sports dinner last night, and one of our old boys (Tim Stimpson) was the speaker and he spoke very highly about Ian Mcgeechan, However my outsider longshot choice would be Shaun Edwards.
I know Tim, he went to Silcoates when i was at QEGS. Quite a few years above me mind. He was captain of Yorkshire Under 18's when i started playing junior County rugby.Really great guy and got to know him very well at Tigers. Under rated by England IMO.
You were at or are still at Silcoates then ?
Well well, what a coincidence that is.My youngest son went to Silcoates and played junior rugby at Sandal RUFC. Then he went to Reading Uni, back home now. I went to what was Rothwell Grammar School,(No longer} I played at Wakefield College grove in the 70s. 2nd & 3rd team. Its a pity its gone now. They produced some good international talent, for a relatively small club.When did you leave QEGS?
5yearstobuyatvr said:
Well well, what a coincidence that is.My youngest son went to Silcoates and played junior rugby at Sandal RUFC. Then he went to Reading Uni, back home now. I went to what was Rothwell Grammar School,(No longer} I played at Wakefield College grove in the 70s. 2nd & 3rd team. Its a pity its gone now. They produced some good international talent, for a relatively small club.When did you leave QEGS?
I played at Sandal RUFC for a bit, along with Mathew Hemmingway and Mike Tindall.I left QEGS at 16 in 94/95 i think it was.
Wakefield Quegs?
Oh God I hate you b
ds. Ive never been beaten up more in a rugby match than I was at Quegs! I think Im 2-3yrs older than you Stimmers, so probably never played against you, but Ill (un)happily say Quegs Wakefield produced the best schoolboy rugby teams I ever played against.
Ahston inspired Stoneyhurst teams were usually good and to be fair to them they did give the best grub after matches
Pitches were always muddy as hell!
Contemporary of BJ Mather and Liam Botham here, learnt my game under the harsh rule of John Bevan.
Oh God I hate you b
ds. Ive never been beaten up more in a rugby match than I was at Quegs! I think Im 2-3yrs older than you Stimmers, so probably never played against you, but Ill (un)happily say Quegs Wakefield produced the best schoolboy rugby teams I ever played against.Ahston inspired Stoneyhurst teams were usually good and to be fair to them they did give the best grub after matches
Pitches were always muddy as hell!Contemporary of BJ Mather and Liam Botham here, learnt my game under the harsh rule of John Bevan.
5yearstobuyatvr said:
Stimmers,Matt Hemingway is captain at Sandal now.I propped at Wakefield RUFC with your probable sports master,Mr J Cholewa esq.
Wow, been a long long time since i saw Matt. Last i heard he'd gone on a rugby tour to ireland and got some girl preggers. This must be going back 12 years now. He still a scrum half ???? Few other names i recall are Edward Smithies, Richard Outhwaite (nob)Yep, i remember Cholewa - small world
DJC said:
Wakefield Quegs?
Oh God I hate you bds. Ive never been beaten up more in a rugby match than I was at Quegs! I think Im 2-3yrs older than you Stimmers, so probably never played against you, but Ill (un)happily say Quegs Wakefield produced the best schoolboy rugby teams I ever played against.
Ahston inspired Stoneyhurst teams were usually good and to be fair to them they did give the best grub after matches Pitches were always muddy as hell!
Contemporary of BJ Mather and Liam Botham here, learnt my game under the harsh rule of John Bevan.
From a very early age at QEGS we were taught to be nasty gits on the rugby pitch and try to intimidate the opposition from the start. In fact i remember instructions of 'if you haven't put in a huge it on your opposite number in the first 10mins of each game, consider yourself dropped', and this is at 13,14.Oh God I hate you b
ds. Ive never been beaten up more in a rugby match than I was at Quegs! I think Im 2-3yrs older than you Stimmers, so probably never played against you, but Ill (un)happily say Quegs Wakefield produced the best schoolboy rugby teams I ever played against.Ahston inspired Stoneyhurst teams were usually good and to be fair to them they did give the best grub after matches
Pitches were always muddy as hell!Contemporary of BJ Mather and Liam Botham here, learnt my game under the harsh rule of John Bevan.
Yeah wouldn't have played against you, i played a year above myself for the under 16's but thats it. We had a right ding dong with Bradford Grammer at their place that year. Bradford were a top team and Charlie Hodgson was their 10 and my opposite number. Had a good game till just fater HT when a certain centre on our side smashed him off the pitch
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