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11th May 2025
07:20pm BST
Andy Farrell named his Lions squad on Thursday, selecting 15 Irish, 13 English, 8 Scots, and 2 Welsh.
A number of these were born outside of these countries, including Irish players, James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and Mack Hansen.
Those four grew up in New Zealand and Australia, with the former three qualifying after playing in Ireland for three years, while Hansen qualifies through his Cork-born mother.
Despite the fact that the residency rule has been increased to five years, some still are not happy with the situation, including Lions legend Willie John McBride.
The Antrim man played 63 times for Ireland, and is considered by many to be the greatest Lion of all time, with five tours to his name and the captaincy of the side on their iconic tour to South Africa in 1974.
However, his comments are rather harsh during such a special week for these players, and show a lack of understanding, with the four aforementioned men wearing the Irish jersey with such pride and putting in consistent high-quality performances.
McBride said: "One thing that does bother me is that eight members of the squad are not born in Britain or Ireland.
"That’s how things have changed over the past 60 years. In my day, the team consisted only of native players.
"The Lions is about selecting the best players available, and Ireland have cemented themselves as the leading union over the past few years.
"Farrell is a shrewd character and has clearly done his homework. He knows his players and they are absolutely loyal to him."
He has handed out jerseys to Lions players before, but it doesn't look like he will be asked to do so this time around.
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