A 'should have been' Lions XV
Selecting a British and Irish Lions squad is a devilishly hard job for any coach, and there are invariably some players who are bitterly unlucky to miss out. So while it is hard to inveigh against any selectors in the choices they make, there have been some players in the past who looked shoe-ins to tour for the prestigious team and have missed out, and here are some of the best:
1 Duncan Jones
Once a member of Wales’ and the Ospreys’ hirsute front row alongside Adam Jones, Duncan Jones was a contender for the 2005 Lions tour, but was unfortunately ousted by the emerging Gethin Jenkin for Wales that season, who went to New Zealand instead.
2 Dylan Hartley
A Lions tourist in 2013 had it not been for his asinine slur directed at Wayne Barnes, this will rank as one of Dylan Hartley’s greatest regrets throughout his career. After coming so close and having the chance taken away from him, the former England captain simply missed out in 2017.
Honourable mention: Sean Cronin
3 Mike Ross
The cornerstone of Ireland’s scrum for many years, Mike Ross was pipped for a place on the 2013 tour as Warren Gatland opted for Matt Stevens in a decision that caught everyone by surprise. The England prop’s ability to play both sides of the scrum helped him, but it did mean Ross was bitterly unlucky to miss out.
Honourable mention: WP Nel
4 Gareth Llewellyn
With 92 caps to his name, former Wales captain Gareth Llewellyn was once his country’s most capped player, but that could still not earn him a seat on the plane to New Zealand in 1993 or South Africa in 1997. The 2001 tour to Australia was during his two-and-a-half year absence from the Test arena, before he retired in 2004.
Honourable mention: Jonny Gray
5 Joe Launchbury
During 2017, Joe Launchbury had to watch his three England second-row teammates, Maro Itoje, George Kruis and Courtney Lawes, all go to New Zealand, while he toured Argentina with England. With the likes of Alun Wyn Jones on the tour as well, Laucnhbury has unfortunately been playing during an era of great locks.
6 John Barclay
Scotland players have been the least well represented side in the Lions squads in recent years, which comes with the territory given the strength of the other three nations this millennium. While many fans, and indeed players, have begrudged Scotland’s under-representation, few can feel more hard-done-by than former captain John Barclay.
Honourable mention: Alan Quinlan
7 Chris Robshaw
Being captain of your country does not earn you a place in a Lions squad by right, as Chris Robshaw found out in 2013. The Harlequin was one of England’s most consistent and reliable performers, but was perhaps let down by England’s 30-3 loss to Gatland’s Wales in March 2013, which would have had calamitous consequences for some England players. Maybe didn’t quite have athleticism or explosiveness
Honourable mention: Hamish Watson
8 Victor Costello
A brute at the base of the scrum for Ireland and Leinster, as well as an Olympic shot putter, Victor Costello was never called upon to wear the red of the Lions. While he did not have the longest Test career, spanning only 39 games in the 1990s and early 2000s, there were not many players to rival his size and natural thew.
9 Peter Stringer
One of the most surprising players to have never been selected for the Lions, Peter Stringer was ever present for Ireland and Munster in the 2000s. Much of his career, and his 98 caps, was partnering Ronan O’Gara, who made the 2001, 2005 and 2009 tours.
Honourable mention: Danny Care
10 Jonathan Davies
A switch to rugby league deprived former Wales standoff Jonathan Davies of ever representing the Lions, despite being one of his country’s greatest ever players. While his exclusion was by his own design, he is still a player that would have undoubtedly toured in 1989 and 1993 had he not left union.
11 Sean Lamont
During a 105-cap Scotland career which straddled three Lions tours, Sean Lamont was a great servant for his country, but surplus to requirements for the Lions. While there were some great wingers from rival countries during his career, Lamont was always a powerful weapon for Scotland and would have been a candidate to tour.
Honourable mention: Tom Varndell
12 Mike Tindall
The starting inside centre when England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, and later the captain of his country during his 75-cap, eleven-year Test career, Mike Tindall is another shocking absentee. Perhaps too young, at the age of 22, to go to Australia in 2001, a broken foot dashed his hopes of making the 2005 tour, and by the time the South Africa series arrived four years later, he was not in contention.
13 Garry Ringrose
There is little doubt that Ireland’s Garry Ringrose will play for the Lions at some point in the future, but he was even unlucky in 2017. Though the tour may have come slightly too early for him, having only made his debut in late 2016, he was still a possible to make the tour.
14 Chris Ashton
Despite being exiled from the England team in 2017, partly due to disciplinary reasons, Chris Ashton was an outside bet to make the tour to New Zealand. As a player who scores tries for whomever he is representing, there is no question that he would have crossed the whitewash in a Lions jersey if he had the chance. Last time out he suggested his ‘wife’ had more chance of touring with the Lions.
15 Chris Paterson
Scotland’s record points scorer Chris Paterson also holds the unfortunate record of having the most caps in the British Isles without touring with the Lions. A haul of 109 caps and 809 points was still not enough for the form Edinburgh and Gloucester fullback to ever make the cut.
Honourable mentions: Mike Brown and Girvan Dempsey
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments