10 Lions possibles that could yet make Warren Gatland's plane to SA
Warren Gatland will have a core group of players that are guaranteed to make his British and Irish Lions squad later this year.
But there will also be a handful of places that are up for grabs. There may be frontrunners to land those spots after the Guinness Six Nations, but things could change over the coming weeks, especially with some huge European encounters.
So these are the players who are on the edge of making the Lions:
CIAN HEALY
Wales’ Wyn Jones may be the only loosehead who is certain to be picked this year, meaning there is a scrap between Rory Sutherland, Mako Vunipola and Cian Healy. Dave Kilcoyne, who started ahead of Healy for Ireland’s final match of this Six Nations, is in the mix as well.
ANDREW PORTER
Ireland’s Andrew Porter is battling with Scotland’s Zander Fagerson and Wales’ Tomas Francis for the final tighthead spot behind Tadhg Furlong and Kyle Sinckler. The Scot may be leading that battle, but this is a very tight one.
JONNY GRAY
For Scotland’s Jonny Gray, he is unfortunately playing in a position full of players vying to captain the Lions this year, not just make the squad. The noticeable performances put in by Tadhg Beirne and Iain Henderson, particularly the former, this Six Nations did not help the Scot’s cause either.
He also missed the clash with France, which would have been the perfect opportunity to lay down a marker, so will seek to impress in the latter stages of the season with Exeter Chiefs.
ADAM BEARD
Wales’ Adam Beard finds himself in a similar position to Jonny Gray in the second row, but he did all he could do during Wales’ Six Nations campaign and it is now up to Gatland.
SAM UNDERHILL
If the Six Nations is an opportunity for players to put themselves in the shop window for the Lions tour, Sam Underhill missed his chance with a hip injury. Though one of the best defensive flankers in the game, plenty of Underhill’s rivals for a Lions place made a good job of staking their claim during the Six Nations.
ALI PRICE
In a position where there are no clear cut players to make the tour, scrum-half Ali Price is in contention, so a lot was riding on the match at the Stade de France last night.
TOMOS WILLIAMS
Like Price, Wales’ Tomos Williams stands a very good chance of being selected by Gatland, but fell behind Gareth Davies in the pecking order for Wales after a hamstring injury mid-tournament.
MANU TUILAGI
The world knows what Manu Tuilagi brings to the Test arena, but the question is whether he will be at full fitness come the Lions tour as he still recovers from a torn Achilles suffered in September.
HENRY SLADE
England’s poor showing in the Six Nations worked against many aspiring Lions, particularly Henry Slade. Not that the Exeter Chiefs man was a poor performer himself necessarily, but England’s conservative style and proclivity to kick prevented him from making the best account of himself.
HUGO KEENAN
Stuart Hogg and Liam Williams are the frontrunners to be Gatland’s fullbacks, but Hugo Keenan is now a viable option in the back three after his Six Nations. His aerial solidity could be vital in South Africa.
LIONS SQUAD: After a seismic Guinness Six Nations, Josh Raisey ??? tries to predict the full, 41-man squad that @lionsofficial kingpin Warren Gatland is likely to name this May. https://t.co/6Ob8ZjXkIW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 22, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments