THERE IS NOTHING more futile than trying to predict the Lions squad a few years in advance… but there is also nothing more fun for rugby fans to do. We are coming up towards the halfway point between the last Lions tour and the next trip to New Zealand, so we decided to take a look at what a potential touring squad might look like.
There were some great displays throughout the Six Nations and it is pretty tough to select at some positions, but we gave it our best shot.
Also, we omitted Paul O’Connell due to the fact that he is almost certainly going to be retired by then. Warren Gatland brought 37 players to Australia so we picked our squad with the same amount of guys at each position.
Props (6)
Cian Healy (Ireland), Jack McGrath (Ireland), Joe Marler (England), Dan Cole (England), Samson Lee (Wales) and David Wilson (England).
(That third tighthead spot was VERY tough to fill.)
Hookers (3)
Rory Best (Ireland), Dylan Hartley (England) and Scott Baldwin (Wales).
Second Rows (5)
Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Luke Charteris (Wales), Jonny Gray (Scotland), Richie Gray (Scotland) and Courtney Lawes (England).
Back Row (7)
Taulupe Faletau (Wales), Sam Warburton (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Sean O’Brien (Ireland), Chris Robshaw (England), James Haskell (England) and Peter O’Mahony (Ireland).
Scrum-halves (3)
Conor Murray (Ireland), Rhys Webb (Wales) and Ben Youngs (England).
Out-halves (2)
Johnny Sexton (Ireland) and George Ford (England).
Centres (4)
Jonathan Joseph (England), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales) and Jonathan Davies (Wales).
Wings (4)
George North (Wales), Liam Williams (Wales), Tommy Bowe (Ireland) and Jack Nowell (England).
Fullback
Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Mike Brown (England) and Stuart Hogg (Scotland).
Head Coach: Joe Schmidt.
Captain: Alun Wyn Jones.
What changes would you make if you were picking the squad?
Dylan Hartley will probably be suspended by the time the lions tour comes around
Indeed. Ross Ford should keep his boots clean.
Poor Robnoxious is not happy, not a bit happy.
Ian henderson as a utility forward. 2 years to establush himsrlf
Best won’t be going
James Haskell? you must be joking. Very quiet, can’t hold the ball and may have cost his team a trophy. get Henderson in there.
You have to bring Haskell,who else have we got that’s capable of running into the goalpost at full tilt with ball in hand?You’re never going to beat the All Blacks without that kind of know-how.
That clip is priceless, 100x funnier because it’s Haskell!
Haskell has to go for squad morale. He was kicked out of his school for a sex tape scandal would be great to have around for guys like murray, zebo and cuthbert who will be back in form by then and no doubt in the squad
No room for Henderson?
Henderson will have taken over from POC by next 6Ns. He’ll be first or second lock on the plane.
Along with Donnacha Ryan
And Joe Schmidt as coach .
Good call leaving Kearney out- unthinkable last year. He’s become predictable and one paced. Great under the high ball ( except when it really mattered against Wales but ( this season ) he never managed to break tackles, make line breaks or even threaten to score tries. Not saying he’s not capable of these things but not on current form. Has lost his mojo big time.
Would normally be Kearney’s biggest defender but have to say his eye seems to be out. He always looks for the man, not the space. Jack Nowell is fantastic at finding the space.
Brown halfpenny and Hogg all in front of Kearney now
Nicklaus bendnter
Tommy Bowe will be 33. May have lost a bit of gas by then?
I think Tommy Seymour could be in with a good shout at that stage. Fine young player.
Apparently Seymour was Ireland u19s
got through the net I guess
One big ommission: Ian Henderson!
Rob Carney, Gethin Jenkins, Dan Biggar, Alex Cuthbert and Billy Vunipola.
Corbisiero (if fit), Henderson, and maybe Zebo for Williams (as wing/full-back cover). And nothing against Alun Wyn but captain Peter O’Mahony.
If O’mahony doesn’t even captain ireland yet how can you say he’ll be lions captain. warburton, jones or robshaw far more likely.
Neither was Martin Johnson in 97 pal. But I take your point and any of them would do a great job but I wouldn’t be surprised if O’Mahony replaces O’Connell as Ireland captain ahead of Heaslip
and i shall take your point as well. There is every chance that o’mahony will captain ireland but this speculative selection is based if the lions were to be picked now which rules out o’mahony for captain anyway. I’m not saying he couldn’t or shouldn’t be captain. i’m saying as of right now there are others ahead of him. he has two years to prove himself though.
I would say it’s a certainty given that he has already captained Ireland on Tour. Lions might be early though with likes of Warburton around
Sexton will be the next Irish captain.
U need a captain that when pressure is on he can step up to the play sexton can’t he will step up and miss kucks
Kicks
No. No he won’t.
Actually yeah, and a Cork lad too! How could you tell?? :)
henderson ahead of richie gray. denton or vunipola ahead of faletau. best will be too old probably.
Surely launchbury is in with a shout considering his age and physique
Launchbury is utter class, Id rate him as a more complete second row than Lawes…. Incredible engine, possible test starter imo
Dunno, Lawes is consistently awesome, that flying tackle on French no 10 would put the Fear of God into anyone, 18.5 stone of superb athlete flying through the air.
He’s a bit dim though (in a rugby sense )
Yeah he’s amazing at blindsiding much smaller men without the ball. World class at it really. On the bigger guys actually carrying the ball though, not so much.
Schmidt for coach
*Schmit. You obviously know nothing about rugby. It’s gonna be Gatland.
As long as it’s not Gatland
Is his name not in fact *Schmidt, Ella??
*ellen
Don’t think I’ll be taking speling tips off you Mary
‘Speling tips’….!??? Note – I did correct myself the minute I realised I was wrong!!
Mary is spot on. It is lSchmidt” you daft bitch.
Easy tiger. No need for name calling.
Controversial…….. Is Armitage not available for Lions? Just because Lancaster is a stubborn git and won’t bend the rules for one of the best back rows in the world, does that mean that he is ineligible for the BILs?
Agree. Armitage is probably the best back row / jackal in the NH, if not the world today. That Lancaster should ignore him simply defies common sense.
Martin, I’m not complaining or even saying I feel sorry for Armitage. It just clearly is England’s loss. In any case, as things stand, he would definitely be Lions material.
Definitely wouldn’t have Jones as captain
Surprised Keith earls isn’t mentioned either in the centre or wing or even fullback he is a brilliant player if he can stay injury free
I agree earls is a brilliant player but come on…..he’s way behind on selection for Ireland and i predict he will be overlooked for the next few years. (with the likes of fitzgerald, Trimble and D. Kearney all returning to be present) Unfortunately he won’t get a look in for the lions
…but in saying that i still agree that he’s a great player
Henderson in for Gray or Chartiris. Best out for Cronin. Marty moore in.
Chartiris had a brilliant six nations so dont know why you wouldnt put him in any potential squad on current form. Gray definitely not good enough though, overrated
Sean Cronin and Ian Henderson will travel..Eastwood from England will have a real shot at travelling also..Robshaw or sexton to captain side
Sexton will not make next lions tour all those concussions just about make the World Cup
Neither of the Grays deserves to be in: I can name at least half a dozen Irish, English or Welsh locks that are far better than either.
Go for it so?
Tuohy, Henderson, Foley, Parling, Launchbury, Kruis, Attwood, Evans, and the list goes on…
Very good but realistically they’re not going to bring more than 3 max from one country plus it will probably depend on what hookers they bring. For example if they bring an Irish, Welsh, and Scottish hooker that could potentially swing the vote away from the English guys (except where they are clearly the best).
Plus Jonnie Gray is only 21, by the time the Lions come around he’ll be a lot more experienced.
Didn’t stop Gatland loading the last tour with Welsh or Woodward with English when he was picking
I hear you, but as things stand, it is VERY unlikely that any Scottish hooker will be in the squad anyway. And Johnny Gray might have potential, but I see far more in Henderson, while he is roughly the same age.
Gatland at least loaded it with players at the top of their game, unlike Woodwards squad of old players.
It’s two years away but so much could change. Given the right exposure and grooming I could see them bringing Henderson, J Gray, Lawes and probably a more experienced player like Wyn Jones.
Wyn Jones is class
Do you watch rugby? Teams are always loaded with players from whatever nation is doing best then. 15 irish initially named on the south africa tour and similar number of welsh went to australia.
I believe Tommy o Donnell will be on plane with O’Brien and o Mahoney. Heaslip won’t make it. Jordi might be 8 by then and zebo, with ball will travel with attacking centres feeding him fodder. Would-be unstoppable
Enter CJ Stander as Ireland number 8 and possibly on the plane!!Thought????
JJ…
JJ who?
wiiliams
Yes?
Billy V? Maybe a coach would be tempted to take Toner as a line out certainty!
Billy V is actually a tighthead in no. 8′s clothing.
He’s amazing at 8 too!
Iain Henderson will be one of the best locks in world rugby in two years time. How can ye not have Joe launchbury in there? And as for James Haskell….
I wouldn’t bring heaslip
Why not?
Not good en
Mark Bennett over Davies, Biggar as third outhalf, Moore or Furlong instead of Wilson
Youre comment became void when you suggested bringing furlong who as of now is not even starting champions cup games for his province or even played international. Also why bring three outhalves? Pointless when you could just bring a utility back. Only one scottish player good enough and thats hogg not bennett and certainly not ahead of davies a proven lion.
Exactly. Wilson played has played a 3 test series already in New Zealand in 2014 and did brilliant in the scrum. England nearly one two of those 3 tests.
Kyle Eastmond was also electric. Another lad to consider.
Completely agree with not having Best. Have to have Henderson over Haskell.
Finally can’t stand Liam Williams. Such a dirty dirty player. Last guy I want on tour next to Hartley who will be suspended thankfully
We’ll see, guys. Note I said Moore or Furlong. It’s likely that Ross will not be Ireland’s tighthead in two years time, and that one of Moore or Furlong will be starting for the national team, which would give them a pretty good chance of going. Liam Williams could be the starting fullback imo. That guy is an incredibly good player
Rory best realy ?
In two years time would be cronin surely
Faletau out for Vunipola
Haskell out for Lydiate
Williams out for Zebo/Gilroy
Biggar unlucky
Rory Best too old?
Heaslip/Robshaw/O’Mahony for captain
Where is Ian Henderson and Marty Moore?? Moore and Tadhg Furlong will both be pushing for Lions selection. So will Stuart Olding. Heaslip won’t be on the plane. Age will have caught up with him. Not sure Jack McGrath will be on the plane either. Ever hear of Luke Fitzgerald and Rob Kearney??? Did Steve Jones write this piece? Surprised no Italians were picked.
My amendments
Props I’d probably have Marty ahead of Wilson
Locks- Henderson over charteris
Back row- Cj Stander over Haskell
Centers- Bennett over Davies, Bennett has been immense all year and is only 22
Full back- Kearney over brown, browns been average all year
And Kearneys been better??
I thought Kearney did an excellent job of executing schmidts game plan to be honest
I here one direction are a member short on they’re tour, one direction kearney could fill the gap he’d fit STRAIGHT in…
*their
At least he’s not arrogant like brown, with brown making out that Ireland only won because Scotland were poor and France being excellent
I will concede that I don’t think there is much between brown and Kearney in this 6 nations, it’s just personal preference. Yet I don’t see why Bennett didn’t make it
He was actually v complementary about Ireland as deserved winners, his gripe was with the Scots. At the minute, Hogg, Brown and Halfpenny are streets ahead of Kearney in terms of form; running straight into contact and losing said contact is not what coaches look for in full-backs!
Ah yeah but fielding and an aerial game is what a coach looks for and Kearney is probably the best in the world on that front bar maybe folau in the air
Yeah Brown over Kearney any day. Brown is a better player, all he needs to do is learn to control his temper.
Well the Wales match would say otherwise, he couldn’t compete at all!!
Hogg better than both at the minute
I don’t think robshaw would go, 2 much better 7s than him there and Id rate tipuric as a better player also. On current form I wouldn’t have besr on the plane either. Also there will be at least 1 player that hasn’t made his debut yet that will travel. Exciting to pick it now but between injury, loss of form and emergence of new talent it wouldn’t surprise me if 15 of that squad don’t travel in 2 years time
Hoping Fitzgerald, Madigan, or Conan would be playing well enough
Cant see how Madigan would be. He’ll be firmly behind Sexton for both Leinster and Ireland.
Although, he might be an established 12 in two years time. Could be a useful utility back to have in the squad.
No way should Best be in that squad
Owen Farrell should be there
Where exactly? The dole queue?
You’re having a laugh. He is too one dimensional and tends to become a liability when things are not going his way. Bit like Ashton. Must be a Sarries thing.
So a 23 gets a dip in form and suffers a knee injury can’t come back from it. He’s the best kicker by a long way out of the 3, sometimes a game needs a player like that, not the dynamic play of Sexton or Ford. That’s why he will be there
Halfpenny likely to be the kicker anyway.
I’m talking about from out half when they need to play territory. They will bring 3 out halves and Farrell will be the 3rd. He will see a lot of time in the World Cup too
Eh… Rob Kearney fullback?
He’d be 32. A bit old
31.
Not to old to rediscover his form (younger than Brown). But work to do to get back in front of the other 3 .
Best would be 34, even now I would bring Cronin as he more likely to last a tour.
Murray, Youngs and Webb. Thats a serious amount of talent at number 9. Danny Care is no slouch either.
Biggar will be starting out half backed by force. Sexton. Is going bAckward s only one backs try on Saturday. From a winning team shocking
Bit pointless considering in a sport so tough and demanding with the physicality of modern players some of these lads could be retired with injuries(hopefully not).
If it’s based on current firm and excluding O’Connell, it’s fairly spot on, but kearney might slip in ahead of Hogg.
Not a chance
British Lions
British and Irish lions you tool bag and the Irish part is the only bit that interests.
Yawn…..
dont think best will make it terrible six nations i reckon strauss will be irelands top hooker next year if we can get him over injury same with Luke Fitzgerald providing injury doesn’t ruin him
I would take out Rory best and tommy bowe. Tommy O’Donnell might be worth a mention? If he gets enough game time…