Here is your chance to pick your 37-man Lions squad, and we’ll see if a consensus emerges.
With the Six Nations, over speculation turns to who should and who will be selected for the Lions to play the All Blacks this summer.
Everyone has an opinion and no two opinions are exactly the same so let’s put it to the vote to decide once and for all who should be on the plane to New Zealand and who should be touring with their country instead.
Firstly some ground rules:
- The squad size is 37 based on popular opinion
- • 6 props, 3 hookers, 5 locks, 7 back row, 3 scrum halves, 3 fly halves, 4 centres, 6 outside backs
- In most positions, I have selected the leading 2 candidates by position from each country
- I have also selected an additional player from any country as best of the rest, as well as a potential bolter who has fewer than 5 caps for their country
- I have grouped the Locks, Backrow, Centres and Outside backs together to help manage players who cover multiple positions
- Where a player plays across two different categories, they are only available in their primary position so that votes are not split across categories
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Marler, Mako, McGrath.
George, Hartley, Owens
Launchbury, Itoje, Kruis, AWJ, J.Gray
Robshaw, Haskell, Vunipola, O’Brien, Stander, O’Mahoney, Warburton
Murray, Webb, Youngs
Sexton, Farrell, Russell
JJ, Davies, Ringrose, Henshaw
Daly, Watson, Nowell, L.Williams, Hogg, North
Vunipola, Jenkins, Dickinson,Owens, Best, Ford, Launchbury, Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones, Charteris, Kruis, Wood, Vunipola, Heaslip, Lydiate, Barclay, H. Watson, Williams, Robson, Laidlaw, Murray, Russell, Farrell, Sexton, JJ, Garry Ringrose, Payne, McColskey, Watson, Hogg, Solomona, Giles, Woodward, Wade
WHAT
Good work Hutch.
I’ve had to compromise my selection a little due to the positional restrictions i.e. I’d take Farrell and Daly as centres, but fair enough.
Yep I actually found picking four centres I would have on the tour pretty hard!
I am sure that Nathan Catt is a loosehead?
Not that it makes much difference in this exercise.
Dave Attwood – (unfortunately) the forgotten man of the Second Row!
Take me!
Where do you play if you’re a centre you have a chance
Picked Wade mainly as I’d love him to show EJ what England are missing out on. He wouldn’t make my test team but just imagine Wade up against Savea. Would be fascinating to see such contrasting skillsets going toe to toe
Oh and my overall squad:
LH: M Vunipola, McGrath, Healy
HK: J George, Ken Owens, T Taylor
TH: D Coles, T Furlong, K Sinkler
LK: G Kruis, C Lawes, J Launchbury, M Itoje, AW Jones
BR: C Robshaw, B Vunipola, P O’Mahoney, S O’Brien, S Warburton, J Tipuiric, T Faletau
SH: D Care, C Murray, R Webb
FH: G Ford, O Farrell, J Sexton
C: J Joseph, H Slade, G Ringrose, R Henshaw
OB: A Watson, E Daly, C Wade, S Hogg, G North, L Williams
English:19
Irish: 9
Scottish: 1
Welsh: 8
i desperately wanted to pick more Scottish, but when it came to comparing them man for man they just did not stack up
ie Finn Russell lost out for game management
Centres were so bad in defence against England
Gray brothers don’t win over any of the selected locks
Hamish watson doesn’t beat Tipuric or Warbs
I would choose WP Nel for his scrumagging.
In the locks I would drop Kruis (not even played the six nations) and Lawes for the Gray brothers, I see Richie more consistent at the lineout than Kruis and both are also capable of doing 20 some tackles in a match, that is going to be something very valuable against NZ. Finn Russell is going in because Sexton is probably gonna be injured and I agree that Hamish is not yet as good as tipuric and warburton.
Lots of people choosing Jon Davies…. I’m clearly missing something.
Subliminal messaging
He’s in the picture at the top of the article
I’m sorry this is pants, I didn’t pick Farrell as I though he would come up in the centres, grrr, ‘shakes fist’.
I originally listed itoje, farrell and daly in multiple catagories but the powers that be edited my article. Probably worried about splitting the vote and players not getting selected in either
Yes sorry, it’s better to have players listed in one position only – otherwise half pick Farrell as a fly-half and half pick him at centre and in Borge positions he gets fewer votes than other players.
I figured he’s more likely to take Farrell plus two other 10s, but I should have put Daly in the centre group.
Interesting to see the relative lack of strength at centre once you take Faz and Daly out though.
Anyway, a reasonable gauge of consensus overall.
Definately feeling the majority English readership. based on current scores the test team would be
Mako, George, Furlong, Lunch, Itoje, Stander, Warburton, Vunipola, Murray, Sexton, Daly, Henshaw, Joseph, Watson, Hogg
Eng 8, Ire 5, Wal 1, Sco 1
Are there any Kiwi readers of this site, preferably well informed on NH rugby, that could offer up a team/squad they’d least like to face? Not suggesting they ABs will be scared of any team, but the one they think can cause the most problems.
Love to help:
Vunipola, George, Furlong
Itoje, J Gray
Stander, Vunipola, Warburton
Murray, Russell,
Farrell, Joseph
Williams, Watson, Hogg
bench:
McGrath, Brown, Nel
Launchberry
Watson
Webb
Henshaw
Seymour
I still think we would win the series although I wouldn’t be surprised if the team listed won a test.
*happy to hep
Interesting call on Russell. I think that’s quite telling – as the underdog we’re geared up to think, ‘how do we stop them?’ Whereas we could be thinking, ‘how do they stop Hogg, Watson, Russell, the Vunipolas in full flight?’
Fun summer ahead!
Yes Don P though he might not take the task
A. Very seriously (all english players being crap)
B. He wouldn’t want to offer any genuine player tips for fear of his team being trumped by it.
Challenge set, Don P. Don’t let us down.
No way will the tour be only 37 players, think you will see 42 minimum, have you seen the schedule !!!.
All the pundits seem to agree on the squad size of 37. I’m not sure if they know something that we don’t be I agree that such a small squad would lead to a lot of broken players from having to play twice a week (even if only off the bench)
I keep seeing 37 man squads, but surely last time proved that to be too small? Gatland ended up calling out loads of players to play the midweek games that weren’t proper injury replacements, and they were often players not anywhere near the reckoning at this time 4 years ago.
Second the Wade selection on the wing. Size is definitely an issue nowadays in the minds of coaches and selectors but think Jason Robinson and Shane Williams who were highest try scorers for their nations. (Robinson not exclusively from wing as he wore 15 too!)
Imo wing is the one position where size doesn’t matter!
I don’t think that ‘size’ in terms of weight would be the problem, I think it’s probably more a height thing and being able to challenge for the high ball. Picture Wade on the wing, in England’s 22, Russell puts in an on-the-nose crossfield kick to an on-rushing Tim Visser, Visser’s 6ft 5″ beats Wade’s 5ft 8″ and a try is scored.
Conversely, Wade is less likely to win the aerial battle off a crossfield from George Ford, purely down to height.
Egg Chaser
But Wade would have s ored an electric try already and the score board would read 7-0 to England.
The anti-Wade theory doesn’t stack up as those sorts of tries don’t come around often whereas ball in hand running rugby type tries (wade eat your heart out) occur more often
Mako B.-George-Furlong
J. Gray-A. Wyn Jones
CJ Stander-Billy B-Robshaw
C. Murray-Farrell
J. Joseph-G. Ringrose
Norht-Hogg-Daly
Haha love the fact Cuthbert was on the list, I think Gatland would be better off taking his granny
Its difficult to pick the 4 first choice players for Wales without including him. I could have had Keelan Giles in there but put him as a bolter instead due to a lack of caps.
Also it made me smile to include him in the list, would make me laugh if he started picking up votes too
Whatever the squad ends up looking like, it’s nice to see that there are a good collection of options
particularly in the back row and outside backs
lots of room to tailor a team to any number of play styles
I couldn’t pick North, bless his mushy head
I just want him to have a break
Why is everyone fascinated by AWJ Still?
If Gatland and his management team were to pick a team now for the 1st test you can bet at least 5 or 6 of those players will not be in the team on June 24th due to injury fluctuations in form. IMO there are only 3 players I think are sure to start the 1st Test if fit Furlong Itoje and Sexton
I don’t understand why everyone rates Watson so highly, very good player but not stand out. Hasn’t played to good high level game in months!
McGrath, Mako, Healy
Best, George, Owens
Furlongh, Sinckler, Nel
Launchbury, Kruis,
Itoje, Gray, Henderson
CJ Stander, Robshaw, O’Brien, Warbuton, Tiperic Vunipola, Heaslip
Murray, Youngs, Webb
Sexton, Ford
Farrell, Joseph, Henshaw, Bennett
Daly, Watson, Nowell, North, Hogg, Williams, Visser
first test squad…Mako V…Owens…Furlomg……4) Itoje …5) Gray …6) CJ Stander 8) Faletau…7) Warburton …9) Webb ..10) Sexton….11) Liam Williams .12) Farrell..13)..Henshaw…14)Watson…….15) Hogg …..16..AW Jones …17…J.Tipuric…18)…Joseph,,..19) C Murray…20).).E .Daly ..21)..J ,George..22)..D Cole….
sorry Murray for Webb …J George for Owens….if Murray and Sexton fit they start , and the hookers are very close but just think George pips Owen and Hartley
pot good enough
Mako, George, Furlong, Itoje, Launchbury, O’Mahoney, Stander, Billy, Murray, Sexton, North, Farrell, Joseph, Watson, Hogg
Owens, McGrath, Nel, J. Gray, Moriarty, Youngs, Daly, Williams.