Lions hangovers: Five players who've struggled to find form post tour
The British & Irish Lions is widely viewed as the professional high point of any Home Nations player’s career – but it doesn’t necessarily follow that the form that got said player on the plane, will follow them off it.
For every player that goes on multiple tours, there’s a handful that are one-hit wonders, whose careers receded from sight thereafter.
Yet even Test veterans can fall foul of the metaphorical Lions’ tour hangover and the 2021 Lions’ tour of South Africa was no different. Here’s we look at five players who have struggled to re-ignite after the most recent campaign.
LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT
While admittedly Rees-Zammit didn’t see much game time under Warren Gatland in South Africa, the bolter’s attacking prowess is plain to see. For all his attacking brilliance on the ball, question marks over his defending and his work rate off it continue to dog the 21-year-old.
After a strong Autumn Nations Series, the youngster’s failure to make an impact in the opening two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations culminated in Wayne Pivac dropping him from the team in favour of veteran Alex Cuthbert. No doubt it’s a bump in the road for Rees-Zammit, whose try against Northampton Saints on the weekend at the very least shows the setback hasn’t dampened his attacking flair.
MAKO VUNIPOLA
Possibly the one player with the most justification to feel aggrieved with Eddie Jones’ squad refresh ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup. The Saracens prop went from being a British & Irish Lions starter in the second Test to being surplus to requirements as far as Jones and England were concerned when he returned.
The Australian has said the door has been left open for the loosehead to battle back into the reckoning, but it feels like lip service from Jones, not least given his Vunipola’s decent form for Sarries. An injury at the weekend against Leicester Tigers will end any immediate return to favour, but a return doesn’t look likely.
GARETH DAVIES
The hero of the 2015 Rugby World Cup didn’t feature heavily on tour but may not have expected to lose his position as Wales’ number one scrumhalf quite so quickly. Tomos Williams and Kieran Hardy appear to be Pivac’s first and second choice nines going forward. Davies did feature in the first two Wales’ Guinness Six Nations fixtures against Ireland and Scotland, from the bench, but at 31, Pivac may be planning without the talented halfback.
OWEN FARRELL
Farrell brought questionable form into the British & Irish Lions tour, but arguably the greatest England player of the professional era had enough credit in the bank to warrant inclusion. Prior to his January, 2022 injury and operation, the 30-year-old was beginning to find his form of old for Saracens.
For all that, Marcus Smith’s ascension to the England flyhalf mantle appeared fated, even if the pair didn’t get to go head to head for it in England camp. Many had predicted Farrell would play 12 outside of the Harlequins’ magician, but we’ll never know.
WYN JONES
The Scarlets’ prop went from the preferred Lions’ loosehead and a star of the 2021 Six Nations, to a player who hasn’t quite hit the heights of his breakout season. A delayed wedding and a lack of game time due to Scarlets’ URC matches getting postponed over Christmas didn’t help him on the fitness front.
He started against New Zealand and Australia in the Autumn and all of Wales’ Six Nations games to date, so it might be unfair to characterize Jones’ form as having dipped dramatically, yet his star hasn’t shone in the same way it did in 2021.
Props are no strangers to post-Lions tours hangovers. Injury issues saw Lions loosehead Alex Corbisiero play just two more games for England after the 2013 Lions tour of Australia, while Ireland’s Jack McGrath went from a Lions starter in 2017 to missing out on Ireland’s 2019 Rugby World Cup just two years later.
INJURIES: Ken Owens, Anthony Watson, Taulupe Faletau and Josh Navidi have all suffered long-term injuries since the tour and haven’t been considered for this list, even with the latter two making a return to action in recent weeks.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments