One life, one club.
For 13 years, Shane Horgan bled, he sweated, and he cried for Leinster.
Across three different decades, two different millenniums, the Irish legend represented the province with pure distinction. He led them to unimaginable heights and paved the way for the new generation to follow.
There’s no arguing with Horgan’s standing in rugby and there’s certainly no arguing with his allegiance to Leinster. His Lions squad selection, however, is certainly nowhere near as watertight and you could maybe make a case to say it is that same allegiance that has fueled his picks.
Bad news for England is good news for Ireland https://t.co/S88kdSOI16
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 18, 2017
In The Sunday Times, the iconic winger joined Lawrence Dallaglio, Stuart Barnes and Stephen Jones in offering their picks for who they’d take on the tour in New Zealand but the Leinster legend went for a condensed squad of just 36.
He did manage to squeeze 11 Irish men into that same squad but so did Dallaglio and Barnes.
Of Shane Horgan’s 11 compatriots though, eight of them were Leinster players. Of Shane Horgan’s 11 Irish members, there was one glaring absentee.
That’s right, there was no CJ Stander to be seen anywhere on Horgan’s list.
Dallaglio and Barnes had the Munster man in, of course they did, but the fact that Stephen Jones didn’t probably best sums up how out there Horgan’s decision is.
It wasn’t just the absence of Stander that raised eyebrows.
- Sean Cronin got in. Rory Best didn’t.
- Luke Charteris got in. Donnacha Ryan didn’t.
- Garry Ringrose got in.
- Even Kyle bloody Sinckler with his eight caps and no starts for England got in.
And there was no place for Stander.
In fact, the only three outside of Leinster that were selected by Horgan were Murray, Zebo, and Peter O’Mahony.
Via The Sunday Times.
Both Stuart Barnes and Lawrence Dallaglio made room for the like of Stander and Rory Best as they occupied their Lions squads with the same number of Irish men as Horgan – 11 each.
It should be said that the three of them also went with Garry Ringrose too and that Horgan selected Peter O’Mahony to go and represent the isles but the absence of CJ Stander will sting.
During those games in South Africa, Stander’s dismissal was cause for mass consternation. Most people seemed up in arms for what appeared to be a harsh decision but some people believed that it warranted a red card.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuQ5A7B40cQ
Those same people included Horgan.
Shane Horgan on @SkySportsRugby: "As much as I feel for CJ Stander, there's absolutely no question that's a red card." Agree with him.
— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) June 11, 2016
It’s hardly like he has it in for the Irish flanker or anything like that but perhaps we’re all a little guilty of looking through rose-tinted glasses at what we know and love best.
Shane Horgan has a total Leinster bias in all the players he rates/comments on, there are more players on the pitch Shane!! @RTErugby #6N
— Olivia O'Sullivan (@oliviaos) February 25, 2012
In this case, we’re doing it with Stander.
