Year of the Lion - Pre 6 Nations Predictions - Front Row

Ah, the six nations.  My favourite time of year – rugby, beer, banter and horrendously cringe-worthy politically correct advertisements involving overly enthusiastic (and ethnically diverse) fans on the BBC.

It’s also a Lions year, which means in about two months time, everybody’s pre-tournament Lions predictions will be blown out the water and a small group of smug lucky-guessers will be proclaiming their rugby wisdom to the world.  But as much as we hate to admit it, Lions predictions are our favourite pastime in the months (occasionally years) leading up to a Tour.  So, with the Six Nations hurtling at full throttle over the horizon, and as it’s our first post, Rucked Over takes a look at who is in prime position for the shirts at the moment.

 Let’s start with the fatties....

 Loosehead Prop - the most ambiguous call currently; is this a position of strength or weakness?  On paper you see names such as Jenkins and Sheridan, sparring buddies at Toulon, but Sherry (the Toulon favourite) won’t be getting an international look-in anytime soon, and Geth spends most of his time getting splinters up his backside during Toulon’s big games.  Cian Healey, on the other hand, has always been a beast with the ball in hand, but now the big Leinster man seems to have allayed concerns over his scrummaging with a succession of dominant displays.  He might have a face like a Picasso painting drawn up after a night on the sauce, but when the loosehead can hit and move like this....  



 

  ....CIAN HEALY gets the number 1 shirt at the moment. 

 His back up? Aside for the Toulon duo,  Corbisiero is in the mix if he can hold his body together for more than a month, whilst Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola and Tom Court have all impressed at club level, but probably have too much to prove in the big boy league to get a spot.  We’ll plump for a fit and firing ALEX CORBISIERO and the chunky Welsh wizard GETHIN JENKINS as Mr Healy’s back ups.

 

 

Hooker - an interesting one because the easiest decision is probably who to have on the bench rather than who to start.  TOM YOUNGS has exploded onto the scene since the end of last season after an unusual move from centre to hooker – something my teammates are often encouraging me to do, but for all the wrong reasons.  If ever there was a complimentary way of using the word ‘Chode’ (where a person is wider than he is tall) to describe someone then this is it.  The bloke is a barrel on legs, difficult to tackle and an absolute monster in defence.  People point out throwing as a perceived weakness, but this is s myth:

 

	Heineken Cup starts – Lineout win %	Last 4 international starts – Lineout Win %
Dylan Hartley	88.8%	88.3%
Tom Youngs	89.9%	89.2%
Rory Best	72.7%	88.5%

   Although there were some concerns against Australia in the Autumn about his ability to hold the scrum together, his explosivity makes him an ideal impact sub (although a 6 nations campaign starting for England may change that).   So who starts ahead of him?  It’s a close one, but the leadership qualities of England team-mate DYLAN HARTLEY, along with his scrummaging power and his general abrasiveness, should see him edge it.  The Saint (ah, the irony!) started the season like a runaway freight train, smashing over the try line for 2 tries in his first 2 games, but injuries and bans have knocked him off the rails over recent months.  I expect to see him get back on track (OK enough of the train puns now, I promise) but RORY BEST will be pushing him all the way.  The Ulsterman got the better of Hartley at Franklins Gardens earlier this season, including getting Hartley sin binned with this superb wind up.   He's also pretty mobile, but Hartley perhaps holds the edge in terms of ball carrying. 
And the rest? Ross Ford is a previous tourist and always gives his all but too often seems to get battered about, Matthew Rees has experience but needs to prove himself after an injury plagued two years and Richard Hibbard was proclaimed by his Ospreys coach as the “best hooker in Europe” – but just because my mum reckons I’m the most handsome man in the UK, it doesn’t mean it’s true (apparently). We will reserve judgement until we see him put in some big performances against Europe’s best.  

Tighthead Prop - 25 year old granddad impersonator Dan Cole is the man in pole position without a doubt. Bang in form for the last two years, he has not only established himself as arguably England’s most important player, but his recent performances also edge the experience of Adam Jones in terms of Lions selection. His scrummaging has gradually improved to the point he is regarded by some as one of the most feared operators in world rugby, and he has recalled the lessons learnt in his junior days as a flanker at the breakdown where he is consistently one of England’s top sources of turnover ball. He can also shift a bit when he gets some space - check out his try against Gloucester last year:  




   

So with DAN COLE starting at no.3, who else travels?

ADAM JONES is a certain tourist, despite suffering from injury problems and a lack of form (by his standards) over the last year. Whenever the yeti plays, the Ospreys or Wales seem to play better, a quality that can’t be taught. Of the rest, MIKE ROSS has his supporters whilst Euan Murray can be a force of nature, as long as it isn’t a Sunday. A 50/50 call, but the big Irishman edges it because of his experience of playing big club games over recent years.

ENGAGE!
 

I've picked my specialist lard-boys with the aim of keeping enough scrummaging dominance to give the Lions the advantage at set piece, whilst still providing substantial ballast around the field in terms of ball carrying and general-mayhem-making at the breakdown.  The fact that the Australian scrum is a comparative weakness often gets transformed into a myth that the Stoneygate Social XV front row could give them a shunting, but the fact is they have worked hard at it and gave a good account of themselves in the Rugby Championshipm as well against England and Wales in the AIs.   

Starters: Cian Healy, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole

Subs: Gethin Jenkins, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones

Dirt Trackers: Alex Corbisiero, Rory Best, Mike Ross
 

Which front rowers would you pick in your Lions squad, and who do you think will show up well this Six Nations?