Two Irish players listed as Lions Test “certainties” and it’s hard to argue

It is surprising to see how far Johnny Sexton is down the list.

Ireland redeemed themselves, and restored for pride (internal and external), after beating champions England to finish second in the Six Nations. The result featured a host of outstanding Irish performances and it is no surprise to hear so many of their names mentioned in the conversation for spots on the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand this summer. The Hard Yards rugby podcast was joined by Alex Donohue from Ladbrokes to discuss Ireland's top Lions candidates - ahead of the April 19 announcement by Warren Gatland - and there was one surprise name that listed high in the betting odds [Lions chat features from 43:15 below]. https://soundcloud.com/thehardyardssportsjoe/episode-8-six-nations-winners-and-losers-irish-lions-and-dirtiest-opponents There is no doubt that one Irishman deserves his place at the top of the betting list when it comes to odds to start the First Test against the All Blacks. Tighthead Tadhg Furlong's campaign only backed up his burgeoning reputation and he is the Irishman attracting most bets. Furlong is 4/1 on. Next on the list is another man that will definitely travel - CJ Stander. The Western Cape native has been a revelation since declaring for Ireland and topped the Six Nations charts for most carries. He is available at 10/1 on. Both forwards are, somewhat surprisingly, followed by Ireland hooker and captain Rory Best [6/5]. While he may have leap-frogged Dylan Hartley in recent weeks, Ken Owens [Wales] and Jamie George [England] will have something to say about who wears that red No.2 jersey this summer. Conor Murray is fourth on the list of Irishmen favoured to start with Sean O'Brien [4/1] following him. We were taken aback to find that Johnny Sexton is not top of the pile, especially considering his strong performances against France and England, but he is odds on. One thing is for sure, interest will remain high in who does and does not go all the way up until the squad announcement next month.