A team well capable of beating the Wallabies!
With the last batch of international before the Lions Tour of Australia commences, the waters have cleared somewhat in terms of selection, with few chances left to stake a claim.
There have been some big individual winners this Six Nations, most notably, Jac Morgan, Jack Conan, and Huw Jones.
Others may not have played much, or at all, but prior form and prediction gets them in.
Such is the talent pool when the four nations come together, that there are some tough selection calls with some world class talent missing out.
Lions 23:
Front row
Other than what was a considerable blip against Wales, Andrew Porter’s achilles heel – his scrummaging – has been kept at bay this season, and he performed well in the set piece against a gargantuan French pack.
We had Zander Fagerson to start in our post-Autumn Nations Series team, but he was quieter over the last few weeks and Tadhg Furlong looked good on his return to the Irish side, while England’s Will Stuart was the stand-out No 3.
Dan Sheehan exploded back into the Irish side with an unreal cameo against England, and after a few poorer games, he got rid of any doubt with his hat-trick and POTM performance against Italy.
Rónan Kelleher increased his stock over the tournament, while Jamie George’s experience and line out prowess will always have him in contention.
Second row
No change here from our previous selection with Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne still the stand-out locks.
Joe McCarthy could be on the verge of taking his game to the next level if he can finally manage to cut the cheap and costly penalties, but England’s Ollie Chessum is the better bet currently.
Back row
Caelan Doris remains a shoo-in, but while his overall showing in the loss to France proved his worthiness as a player, his captaincy credentials may have taken a hit, as he got on the wrong side of Angus Gardner.
The deep competition at openside was an entertaining side story during the Championship, with Josh van der Flier, Jac Morgan, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, and Rory Darge all vying for top spot.
In the end, it was Wales’ Morgan and England’s Tom Curry who shone the brightest.
Another who enhanced their reputation in every game was the three-time test Lion Jack Conan, while Ben Earl and Henry Pollock will be in contention.
Scrum-half
Jamison Gibson-Park is still the man in possession of the jersey and was mostly flawless throughout, but Alex Mitchell reminded everyone against Wales why he is his closest challenger.
Craig Casey was looking primed to make a push for inclusion before knee surgery in December put paid to those ideas, but a run with Munster will put him back in the frame.
Out-half
Finn Russell had a subpar tournament overall, but, largely through circumstance, none of the pretenders made much ground on the Scot.
His main rival Marcus Smith was shifted to fullback for the still-raw Fin Smith.
With Ireland, Sam Prendergast was handed the reins and was going strongly until a poor showing against France, while Jack Crowley suffered from a lack of game time.
The closing stages of their respective leagues and the Champions Cup knockouts will tell a lot.
Centre
Ollie Lawrence’s cruel injury has lessened the selection headache for Andy Farrell and Co, in what is another are filled with world-class talent.
Despite missing the tournament, nobody did enough to take the jersey off Sione Tuipulotu, while his teammate Huw Jones has had a magnificent run of games.
Back three
It is nip and tuck between Blair Kinghorn and Hugo Keenan at fullback.
The Scot has versatility on his side and goal kicking, but the Irishman showed against Les Bleus that he is still a big-game player.
For all of Duhan van der Merwe’s greatness, James Lowe’s all-round game, and crucially his defensive attributes, put him ahead.
Our choice on the right wing is our most controversial, as we have opted for not only an inexperienced winger, but another player who missed the Six Nations.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has just 10 caps for England, but has the biggest upside of any of the competitors and is primed to his that wingers purple patch this summer.
If Ireland vs France was anything to go by, the value of a game-breaker can not be understated.
SportsJOE’s post-Six Nations Lions 23:
- Andrew Porter
- Dan Sheehan
- Will Stuart
- Maro Itoje
- Tadhg Beirne
- Jac Morgan
- Tom Curry
- Caelan Doris
- Jamison Gibson-Park
- Finn Russell
- James Lowe
- Sione Tuipulotu
- Huw Jones
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
- Hugo Keenan
Replacements: Ellis Genge, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Bundee Aki.
