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Fans' poll picks Lions Test team featuring 5 English, 4 Welsh, 3 Irish and 3 Scottish while Billy Vunipola doesn't even make the plane

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

A poll of more than 13,000 rugby fans via the official Lions app believes that Alun Wyn Jones will skipper Warren Gatland’s tourists in South Africa and reckon there will be no selection in the squad for England trio Billy Vunipola, George Ford and Elliot Daly.

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Part of the Lions’ Vodafone app has included an XV Selector where fans from across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been making their voices heard and highlights from the fans’ selections include:

Alun Wyn Jones selected as captain with 40 per cent of the vote over Maro Itoje (22 per cent), Stuart Hogg (20 per cent) and Owen Farrell (10 per cent);

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2017 Lions pick Jack Nowell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Jamie Roberts

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2017 Lions pick Jack Nowell guests on RugbyPass Offload with Simon Zebo and Jamie Roberts

Owen Farrell (45 per cent) misses out on the starting XV with Finn Russell (69 per cent) the fans’ pick at fly-half and Robbie Henshaw preferred at No12;

Louis Rees-Zammit (56 per cent) is the favourite to start on the wing, with Anthony Watson (40 per cent) currently edging out Jonny May (37 per cent) on the other flank;

Billy Vunipola misses out on the Lions squad entirely, despite being the first choice to start at No8 before the tournament (14 per cent down from 44 per cent); Tadhg Beirne books a place on the plane with 20 per cent of the vote, despite not a single fan picking him for the squad pre-tournament;

Stuart Hogg (81 per cent) was the most picked player by Lions fans, just ahead of Itoje (77 per cent), with the two stars selected in the starting XV;

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While the Lions poll doesn’t make good reading for Vunipola, English trio Manu Tuilagi, Sam Simmonds and Sam Underhill haven’t lost out with the fans despite not making Eddie Jones’ Six Nations squads– all three have received enough votes so far to make the plane even though Tuilagi has been injured since September.

“The fans have built a strong team, no doubt about it, and one I’m confident would have a great chance at going toe-to-toe with South Africa,” said Jeremy Guscott, the 1997 Lions Test series winner and Vodafone ambassador.

“Louis Rees-Zammit has really impressed this season and deserves a seat on the plane, if not the starting Test team. I personally would have Maro Itoje playing second row and Tadhg Beirne or Taulupe Faletau as our blindside flanker, but agree with the fans that Anthony Watson would deliver a good performance on the right wing.”

LIONS STARTING XV (and bench)
1. Mako Vunipola (29%)
2. Jamie George (39%)
3. Tadhg Furlong (47%)
4. Maro Itoje (77%)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (capt) (50%)
6. Tom Curry (50%)
7. Hamish Watson (42%)
8. Taulupe Faletau (46%)
9. Conor Murray (31%)
10. Finn Russell (69%)
11. Louis Rees-Zammit (56%)
12. Robbie Henshaw (38%)
13. Jonathan Davies (35%)
14. Anthony Watson (40%)
15. Stuart Hogg (81%)
Replacements
16. Ken Owens (34%)
17. Cian Healy (16%)
18. Kyle Sinckler (39%)
19. James Ryan (30%)
20. CJ Stander (43%)
21. Ali Price (22%)
22. Owen Farrell (45%)
23. Jonny May (37%)

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WHO HAS MADE THE PLANE?
FORWARDS (22)
Hookers (3): Jamie George (39%), Luke Cowan-Dickie (27%), Ken Owens (34%);
Looseheads (3): Mako Vunipola (29%), Cian Healy (16%), Rory Sutherland (15%);
Tightheads (3): Tadhg Furlong (47%), Kyle Sinckler (38%), Andrew Porter (12%);
Second rows (5): Maro Itoje (77%), James Ryan (49%), Alun Wyn Jones (50%), Jonny Gray (29%), Tadhg Beirne (21%);
Back rows (8): CJ Stander (43%), Tom Curry (50%), Sam Underhill (23%), Justin Tipuric (41%), Taulupe Faletau (46%), Josh Navidi (11%), Sam Simmonds (16%), Hamish Watson (42%)

BACKS (17)
Scrum-halves (3): Conor Murray (31%), Ali Price (22%), Gareth Davies (16%)
Out-halves (3): Owen Farrell (45%), Finn Russell (69%), Jonathan Sexton (10%), Centres (5): Manu Tuilagi (26%), Jonathan Davies (35%), Garry Ringrose (33%), Henry Slade (22%), Robbie Henshaw (38%)
Wingers (3): Jonny May (37%), Louis Rees-Zammit (56%), Duhan van der Merwe (30%)
Full-backs (3): Stuart Hogg (81%), Liam Williams (24%), Anthony Watson (40%)

 

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J
Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

32 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

32 Go to comments
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