English and Welsh media ignore Irish players in Lions team predictions.
The 40-odd players Warren Gatland selects to tour New Zealand will have six weeks to bond, find some tactics, form and beat the world champions on their own turf.
Those of us from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are under no obligation to get on but we will. Once Gatland names his squad, most fans will put aside the disappointment of their favourite players not being selected and focus on a great stretch of rugby.
When the All Blacks start dishing out hidings, however, expect us to start pointing fingers.
We are nine months, and a billion games, out from the First Test in Eden Park, Auckland but many media outlets have had a dart at predicting squads and starting XV. All very fanciful, all very subjective.
Nine Irish players best suited to make the Lions tour to New Zealand https://t.co/aucZujbNrF
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) September 7, 2016
Still, when we looked around some English and Welsh outlets and found only one Irish player included in predicted starting XVs, temperatures rose.
Wales Online have zero Irish players in their Anglo-Welsh XV, The Telegraph only have room for Leinster loose-head Jack McGrath and Sky Sports’ statistics-based team has McGrath listed as a tight-head.
McGrath played tight-head for Leinster in 2013/14, and made one Irish appearance off the bench in that position, but he has starred at loose-head over the past two seasons.
This is an Ireland team that has won two Six Nations championships since the last Lions Tour, was ranked second in the world as recently as last year and has a slew of talented, young players breaking through.
We are often guilty, protest as we might, of looking at things with green-tinted glasses but the likes of Johnny Sexton, Iain Henderson, Conor Murray and Robbie Henshaw are nowhere to be seen. Here are the three predicted teams.
TELEGRAPH [7 English, 5 Welsh, 2 Scottish, 1 Irish]
BACKS: Stuart Hogg; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Davies, Manu Tuilagi, George North; Owen Farrell, Rhys Webb
FORWARDS: Jack McGrath, Dylan Hartley, WP Nel; George Kruis, Alun Wyn Jones; Maro Itoje, Sam Warburton, Billy Vunipola
WALES ONLINE [8 English, 6 Welsh, 1 Scottish]
BACKS: Leigh Halfpenny; George North, Jonathan Joseph, Jamie Roberts, Liam Williams; George Ford, Rhys Webb
FORWARDS: Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole; George Kruis, Johnny Gray; Maro Itoje, Sam Warburton, Billy Vunipola
SKY SPORTS [9 English, 5 Welsh, 1 Irish]
BACKS: Mike Brown; George North, Jonathan Joseph, Jamie Roberts, Jack Nowell; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb
FORWARDS: Mako Vunipola, Ken Owens, Jack McGrath(!!!); George Kruis, Maro Itoje; Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Billy Vunipola
So, in summary, we’re screwed.
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