Picking a Lions squad is a thankless job.
How do the hell do you choose a team from such a deep pool of players? Will you offend an entire nation if you snub their team entirely? What’s the point when the injury curse is bound to rear its ugly head an ruin your plans anyway? Do you choose form over class? Will you look biased if you opt for more players from your own country than the others?
These are all questions a Lions coach will have to grapple with in the build-up to a tour. And even if they end up putting together the best team they possibly can under the circumstances, they’ll still get slated by the media and fans alike over some of their decisions.
However, if they can power through the initial negativity and end up winning the tour, they’ll have the reward of being heralded as a golden god of the oval-balled game to look forward to, but it’s a long, long road to get there.
Even Brian O'Driscoll got involvedhttps://t.co/vDwI7pAKoz
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 19, 2017
Now that the Six Nations has finished, the rugby world will switch its gaze to the upcoming British and Irish Lions of New Zealand. all the talk is over what Warren Gatland’s team ins going to look like.
Following Ireland’s sensational victory over England in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, the RTE Panel gave selecting a Lions starting XV a go. In total, there were four Irishmen, but because it wasn’t an exact science, all three pundits didn’t agree on every player in the XV.
Shane Horgan had an issue Justin Tipuric taking the flanker position.
“I would have Warburton certainly at no. 7. I think he has experience of being a quality lion, a captain. He has come to (the) fore in the last couple of games, he has been really impressive. He would certainly be my starting openside. I think there is still a chance that he will be captain of the Lions.”
Eddie O’Sullivan had problems in both the backs and the forwards. The former Ireland coach believes that Jonathan Joseph just isn’t up to scratch to start in the outside centre, and that another Ireland player could easily be brought in to fill the role.
“I don’t think Jonathan Joseph is really at that level. I think even someone like Jared Payne could have got in there because of his ability to play in those outside channels.”
“The other one is George Kruis coming into the frame there. He’s a fantastic second rower and he brings a lot of physicality.”
Check out the team in full below.
