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Lions 2017: How will Warren Gatland's Test XV look?

By Jack Davies
Sam Warburton

With the British and Irish Lions squad now in the public domain and the captain revealed to be Sam Warburton, thoughts quickly turn to who will start the first Test against New Zealand on June 24.

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Warren Gatland’s announcement on Wednesday handily whittled down the options to 41 players, making the job of those attempting to second-guess his Test team selection that little bit easier.

Injuries in tour matches and training could yet be a factor come June, but here’s how we think Gatland’s Lions could line up in Auckland.

15. Stuart Hogg
Hogg is one of only two Scots in the entire squad, but, after being named Six Nations Player of the Championship for the second year running, the full-back looks likely to be part of Gatland’s Test team.

14. George North
The Northampton Saints wing has not been in the best form of late and came in for plenty of flack during a disappointing Six Nations with Wales. However, he was a Lion in 2013 and Gatland knows him well, so that could play in his favour when the team is selected.

13. Jonathan Davies
Jonathan Joseph – eventually included in Gatland’s squad – had been tipped to start at centre, but the strength of rumours that he may not make the tour at all suggest he is not such a sure bet. Davies, meanwhile, has been a mainstay for Gatland’s Wales team, racking up 64 caps since making his debut in 2009 and playing all three Lions Tests in Australia four years ago.

12. Owen Farrell
Selected as a fly-half, but Farrell’s performances at centre for England mean he is surely in pole position for the Lions’ 12 shirt. Why choose between Farrell and Jonathan Sexton when you can accommodate both in the same XV?

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11. Liam Williams
There are plenty of candidates to occupy the Lions wings, with Elliot Daly, Jack Nowell, Anthony Watson and Tommy Seymour also on tour, but Williams – as with North – is well-known to Gatland and is capable of providing the spark to unlock opposition defences.

10. Jonathan Sexton
Gatland has talked up the competition for selection at fly-half and said Dan Biggar is very much in the frame, along with Sexton and Farrell. But it is the Irish 10 who looks most likely to get the nod, particularly if international colleague Conor Murray is chosen at scrum-half.

9. Conor Murray
Murray has been challenged by Gatland to prove his fitness after suffering a neck injury against Wales in March that continues to trouble him, but, if fit, he leads the race for the number-nine jersey. If Murray is unable to recover in time, Rhys Webb and Ben Youngs are waiting in the wings.

1. Mako Vunipola
Vunipola, like brother Billy, has been troubled by injuries of late, but was an important part of England’s unbeaten run of 18 matches. Could miss out if Gatland opts for an all-Irish front row and includes Jack McGrath.

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2. Rory Best
Best is the only man to captain a team to victory over the All Blacks since August 2015, with Ireland having halted New Zealand’s record-breaking winning run in Chicago in November. One of a group of leaders in the Lions squad, Best ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to Test selection.

3. Tadhg Furlong
Along with Best, Furlong was part of a strong Irish scrum during the Six Nations. Lions assistant coach Graham Rowntree said of the prop: “He quietly goes about his business; he’s an exceptional scrummager, but he gets his hands on the ball higher than many other tighthead props.”

4. Maro Itoje
Itoje is one of the most exciting talents in northern-hemisphere rugby and the Saracens lock was considered a guaranteed Lions pick by many. After spending the Six Nations in England’s back row, a return to the second row could bring the best out of Itoje in New Zealand.

5. Alun Wyn Jones
Another of Gatland’s leaders, Jones’ experience will complement the youth and relative inexperience of Itoje. Jones has played in every Test on each of the last two Lions tours, and you wouldn’t rule out that he could repeat that feat again this year.

6. CJ Stander
One of the standout performers of the Six Nations, Ireland’s Stander was the most prolific ball carrier of the championship. He also became the first forward to score a hat-trick in the competition since 1962 when he crossed for three tries in Italy.

7. Sam Warburton (Captain)
After stepping down as Wales captain in January, Warburton returns to the role of skipper with the Lions, becoming only the second man to lead the tourists twice as he follows in the footsteps of Martin Johnson. Having played with renewed freedom during the Six Nations, Warburton will hope the added responsibility does not adversely affect his form.

8. Billy Vunipola
The younger Vunipola only returned to fitness at the back end of the Six Nations, scoring from the bench against Scotland before starting in the defeat to Ireland in the final round of fixtures. A fighting fit Vunipola has to start for the Lions.

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J
Jon 4 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”?

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j
john 6 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.

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A
Adrian 8 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

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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