Is Rountree out of line?

By announcing that Parling will be in the 2nd test team, has Rountree overstepped his role as assistant coach?
I would have imagined that they would have waited until after Tuesdays match to give the team selection.
How motivating is this for either Evans or Gray?  Rountree good coach, poor selector in my opinion.

I dont think so.

Gatland does all the selections and rowntree just promotes his mates 

"Let your random side out with new Rowntree randoms..."

GLove39 wrote:"Let your random side out with new Rowntree randoms..."

When will the lego lions videos be coming out?

Let's not get involved in "mates selections" - too many bad memories from last tour.
Onwards & upwards. Hope the boys do well on Tuesday and Saturday.

Unless you are dim witted the writing is on the wall anyway. What is up for grabs is a bench spot.... that is a genuine incentive for Gray and Evans.

Evans will need to play out of his skin.

GunsGerms wrote:

GLove39 wrote:"Let your random side out with new Rowntree randoms..."

When will the lego lions videos be coming out?

Well the Guardian have done a 'recreation' of the first test... But to be brutally honest it's dire!

Parling the Northumbrian who has never played with Rowntree and has only been coached by him at International level for a year or two. Not really a mates selection. Now Tom Youngs who came through whilst Rowntree still worked with the Tigers academy and whose dad would have played with Rowntree (just I think), that you could argue.

Parling is the logical choice as POC ran the lineout and that is Parling's major strength.

Rowntree telling us what we already knew isn't news.

macscot wrote:By announcing that Parling will be in the 2nd test team, has Rountree overstepped his role as assistant coach?
I would have imagined that they would have waited until after Tuesdays match to give the team selection.
How motivating is this for either Evans or Gray?  Rountree good coach, poor selector in my opinion.

Jury is still out in my opinion

I assume Rowntree was put forward as the Coaching representative for Mondays press conference, while SOB was the player rep.

Rowntree refused to comment on Horwill, made all the right (bland) platitudes about POC and refused to be drawn on Robert's fitness. I suspect when talking about Parling he was toeing the party line - if not then yes he should be reprimanded. But in all likelihood he said exactly what had been agreed by Gatland, Howley, Farrell, Jenkins, Irvine and himself beforehand.

Taken back a bit although he was on the bench last week, he came on to replace AWJ on Sat we lost the scrum 5m out, he may be good in the line out but has he the power in the scrum, he is not the biggest second row? I hope we don't get blasted in the breakdown with Croft and now Parling, this team is getting closer to the English pack stuffed by Wales.

We lost the scrum on their 5m line due to the ball getting stuck on the left hand locks side and not getting back to Heaslip. You could see from the Way that Youngs dropped back that the Lions had wheeled the scrum as they wanted, just the ball never got to the back of the scrum.

Genuinely think England's front 5 is a match for Wales it's the bac row of Lydiate Tipuric Warburton and Falateu or battered England

What did Rowntree say?

glamorganalun wrote:Taken back a bit although he was on the bench last week, he came on to replace AWJ on Sat we lost the scrum 5m out, he may be good in the line out but has he the power in the scrum, he is not the biggest second row? I hope we don't get blasted in the breakdown with Croft and now Parling, this team is getting closer to the English pack stuffed by Wales.

So it was just him?
Not the entire front row being replaced and the blindside?
in fact the frontrow was noticably weeker

Tiger/Chief wrote:Genuinely think England's front 5 is a match for Wales it's the bac row of Lydiate Tipuric Warburton and Falateu or battered England

I don't agree, it was the front 5 (on the day) did the work allowing the back row to rip the pack apart. I was very nervous at the time as I thought and still believe the Wales back row was light weight with two 7's and not the biggest 8 against an English pack! Prior to that game R Jones played 6 that gave Wales power in the back row.

I think Gray or Evans will provide more power and they are both very good in the line out when they have a decent thrower. All the second rows have played very well, Evans has been quiet but not played badly.

dragonbreath wrote:

macscot wrote:By announcing that Parling will be in the 2nd test team, has Rountree overstepped his role as assistant coach?
I would have imagined that they would have waited until after Tuesdays match to give the team selection.
How motivating is this for either Evans or Gray?  Rountree good coach, poor selector in my opinion.

Jury is still out in my opinion

You may say that, I couldn't possibly comment.....!

Could be mind games, they say it's Parling in but actually Hines is visiting his family in Australia and rocks up as a late change on match day

So Rowntree is somehow to blame for mentioning a choice that does not fit with the view of a couple of people on here. Sad.

Would love to see the big man in a Lions shirt again - "Nae messin wae the Hines"
Scotland miss his "charms" in the loose.

lostinwales wrote:So Rowntree is somehow to blame for mentioning a choice that does not fit with the view of a couple of people on here. Sad.

That was not my point - the team should be announced as a whole, not just drip fed.
Everyone is entitled to their view....

Parling is by far the better lineout player as an out & out line-out jumper & organiser.

POC is by far the better loose/physical player.

If we could agreee to accept that premise then the decision needed go further. Physicality is needed in the loose who is the blind side of choice to compensate. Croft is an out field player. So Lydiate or O'Brien.

I think O'Brien with his close running game will worry the oz more than Lydiate who is a more static destroyer. But then you need someone to feed off that, Heaslip obviosly in the 1st instance because of his Irish connection

So the backs no personally I would go for Szebo & Bowe starting they would really shake the oz up with mazy (god bless you Bill) running. Start (if fit) with Tuilagi to again put some physical into it then bring on BOD when legs are wearying.

But the big one, open side? it has got to be Tipuric, Warburton was made to look very championship last weekend by a side who almost had to bring the kit man on. So

Halfpenny
Bowe
Tuilagi
Davies
Szebo
Sexton
Phillips
Jones
Youngs
Vunipola
Parling
AW Jones
O'Brien
Tipuric
Heaslip

I commend my reasoning to the house

10to15 wrote:Parling is by far the better lineout player as an out & out line-out jumper & organiser.

POC is by far the better loose/physical player.

If we could agreee to accept that premise then the decision needed go further. Physicality is needed in the loose who is the blind side of choice to compensate. Croft is an out field player. So Lydiate or O'Brien.

I think O'Brien with his close running game will worry the oz more than Lydiate who is a more static destroyer. But then you need someone to feed off that, Heaslip obviosly in the 1st instance because of his Irish connection

So the backs no personally I would go for Szebo & Bowe starting they would really shake the oz up with mazy (god bless you Bill) running. Start (if fit) with Tuilagi to again put some physical into it then bring on BOD when legs are wearying.

But the big one, open side? it has got to be Tipuric, Warburton was made to look very championship last weekend by a side who almost had to bring the kit man on. So

Halfpenny
Bowe
Tuilagi
Davies
Szebo
Sexton
Phillips
Jones
Youngs
Vunipola
Parling
AW Jones
O'Brien
Tipuric
Heaslip

I commend my reasoning to the house

I really don't think your rational for changing our two very impressive wingers, the ones that won us the game, is very strong but I agree with your justification of Parling, he is the right choice. Superb line out skills will mean we can play a territory game.

Croft doesn't work in this team, we need a more proactive backrow. Lydiate or SOBcoukd come in in retrospect of the way the first game was refereed. But we will have Joubert, a ref with a different interpretation of the breakdown.

I think Tipuric at Openside and Warburton at blindside. In the Wales vs Scotland match this year Joubert really liked Wales at the breakdown, more penalties were awarded that game than in any other previous International.

With Halfpenny the number one goal kicker in world rugby at the moment we should win what could be, let's say, not the most exciting test match, unless the ball is kicked to George again.

I did read your post last week.

10to15 wrote:Having played on wing for 25 or so years, albeit not at international level I worry that Cuthbert & George North (and why is he always Gearge North when everyone else in commentary is known by surname? does his mum insist?) will be exposed if Oz get a kicking & wide running game together. Both have been exposed on this tour by speedy wingers and/or balls being put behind them. I think Gatland has let his Kiwi roots overshadow him here he has consistently picked these 2 as the biggest wingers for power but neither of them have the skills of any Kiwi winger. When playing for Wales they are used to a supply of good broken play ball I doubt they will get that on Saturday. Hope I am wrong, but let's all be eternally grateful for Robbie Deans pig headed attitude to Quade Cooper, he would have exposedd them like a couple of page 3 girls in a sauna.

Which is a very good analysis. But the benefits of these guys in attack negates what is likely to be a weakness in defence, more so Cuthbert than North.

We have good cover from halfpenny to help then out.

I suppose you could sight the Folau try as an example of the issue you raised. Good point but I would say that was more the constant issues we have seen with a poor lions defensive organisational tactic rather than any particular personal fault.

Though that said if Croft is going to spend all afternoon in the backline, he could put a bit more effort in in defence.

I agree Maesteg ... dropping the two wingers who scored the try is not a sane move although its possible to argue Bowe for Cuthbert just to add some variety and greater experience.... but for my money start with the big chaps and Bowe on the bench.

I agree about Croft, I didn't think there was enough physcicality in the pack on Saturday and loosing POC reduces it further, I think you have to bring in Lydiate or SOB and would prefer Lydiate as he is more likely to put in turn over winning tackles, but would be happy with POC. Croft did well jumping at number two but its a luxury having a 6 whose main role is to jump where any big man should have a good chance of winning the ball.

10to15 you correctly note that there is not enough physcicality in the pack and then want to exchange Tuperic for Warburton ..... thats just not logical

Newsilure wrote:I agree Maesteg ... dropping the two wingers who scored the try is not a sane move although its possible to argue Bowe for Cuthbert just to add some variety and greater experience.... but for my money start with the big chaps and Bowe on the bench.

I agree about Croft, I didn't think there was enough physcicality in the pack on Saturday and loosing POC reduces it further, I think you have to bring in Lydiate or SOB and would prefer Lydiate as he is more likely to put in turn over winning tackles, but would be happy with POC. Croft did well jumping at number two but its a luxury having a 6 whose main role is to jump where any big man should have a good chance of winning the ball.

10to15 you correctly note that there is not enough physcicality in the pack and then want to exchange Tuperic for Warburton ..... thats just not logical

I agree.

Though the way Joubert referees really suited Warburton and Tipuric in the Six Nations.

Gatland and Howley will likely have noted this and this could well be why Tipuric is benching in tomorrow's game.

macscot wrote:By announcing that Parling will be in the 2nd test team, has Rountree overstepped his role as assistant coach?

 
His influence on this tour has been pervasive, witnessed by the over representation by English forwards generally, which has been a disaster. Yet Launchberry and Wood are nowhere near the squad. Perhaps they should have signed for Leicester.

Glas a du wrote:

macscot wrote:By announcing that Parling will be in the 2nd test team, has Rountree overstepped his role as assistant coach?

 
His influence on this tour has been pervasive, witnessed by the over representation by English forwards generally, which has been a disaster. Yet Launchberry and Wood are nowhere near the squad. Perhaps they should have signed for Leicester.

Not many criticising Youngs, Corbisiero & Vunipola now though? Stevens was a 'luxury' pick granted but covers both sides & was in good form pre Lions.

Launchbury should have gone.

Finally we have our scape goat. If Lions lose it is because of Farrell and Rowntree, if they win Gatland and Howley get the credit.

God sometimes I hate the internet.

I understand your frustration, I will erase the memory of what happened when Jones and Jones went off and Parling and Cole came on, if that helps? 

Glas a du wrote:

macscot wrote:By announcing that Parling will be in the 2nd test team, has Rountree overstepped his role as assistant coach?

 
His influence on this tour has been pervasive, witnessed by the over representation by English forwards generally, which has been a disaster. Yet Launchberry and Wood are nowhere near the squad. Perhaps they should have signed for Leicester.

Erm.. we lost one game so far. In that game in the starting squad there was one 'English' forward. That was Matt Stevens on whom there is (for once) no disagreement. In that case roll on more disasters

Rowntree could possibly get back into line if he can persuade Gats/Howler to drop Phillips from the line up Saturday.