The British & Irish Lions return to Australian shores for the first time in 12 years

by Paul Cook –

The appetite for the upcoming British & Irish Lions tour of Australia has been truly whetted with the announcement of the Lions squad in London this evening (AEST) and coach Warren Gatland has sprung a few surprises. Sam Warburton, Gatland’s Welsh general, has been given the honour of captaining the 37 strong tourists, which includes the largest Welsh contingent since 1977, stalwart Brian O’Driscoll makes the cut but there was no place for Jonny Wilkinson.

Full Squad:

Fullbacks: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales, Cardiff Blues), Stuart Hogg (Scotland, Glasgow Warriors), Rob Kearney (Ireland, Leinster)

Wings: Tommy Bowe (Ireland, Ulster), Alex Cuthbert (Wales, Cardiff Blues), Sean Maitland (Scotland, Glasgow Warriors), George North (Wales, Scarlets)

Centres: Jonathan Davies (Wales, Scarlets), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland, Leinster), Jamie Roberts (Wales, Cardiff Blues), Manusamoa Tuilagi (England, Leicester Tigers)

Outside halves: Owen Farrell (England, Saracens), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland, Leinster)

Scrum halves: Conor Murray (Ireland, Munster), Mike Phillips (Wales, Bayonne), Ben Youngs (England, Leicester Tigers)

Props: Dan Cole (England, Leicester Tigers), Cian Healy (Ireland, Leinster), Gethin Jenkins (Wales, Toulon), Adam Jones (Wales, Ospreys), Matt Stevens (England, Saracens), Mako Vunipola (England, Saracens)

Hookers: Dylan Hartley (England, Northampton Saints), Richard Hibbard (Wales, Ospreys), Tom Youngs (England, Leicester Tigers)

Locks: Ian Evans (Wales, Ospreys), Richie Gray (Scotland, Sale Sharks), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales, Ospreys), Paul O’Connell (Ireland, Munster), Geoff Parling (England, Leicester Tigers)

Back rows: Tom Croft (England, Leicester Tigers), Toby Faletau (Wales, Newport Gwent Dragons), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland, Leinster), Dan Lydiate (Wales, Newport Gwent Dragons), Sean O’Brien (Ireland, Leinster), Justin Tipuric (Wales, Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Wales, Cardiff Blues)

Breakdown: 15 WALES / 10 ENGLAND / 9 IRELAND / 3 SCOTLAND

The most surprising omission is Irish hooker Rory Best, arguably the form rake of the recent Six Nations Championship, with Gatland and his selection committee opting for Richard Hibbard of Wales and two Englishmen, Dylan Hartley and Tom Youngs.

There was no place too for Chris Robshaw and Kelly Brown, captains of England and Scotland respectively, English wingers Chris Ashton and Mike Brown, Ireland’s Simon Zebo or Welsh fly-half, James Hook.

He was ousted by England’s Owen Farrell, an undoubted talent but lacking Hook’s experience but that appears to be the theme in selection. A blend of youth with experienced campaigners like O’Driscoll and former Lions captain, Paul O’Connell to assist the tyros like Farrell, Scottish full-back Stuart Hogg and Welsh wingers, George North and Alex Cuthbert.

An interesting inclusion is Sean Maitland, Kiwi born but of Scottish heritage, who has been a standout for Glasgow Warriors and Scotland since his move North last year. His cousin just happens to be Wallaby fly-half, Quade Cooper.

Gatland explained the arduous task of selection. “We finalised the squad last night. We assembled yesterday afternoon as a coaching team, the seventh meeting we have had. It was a robust debate. There were some healthy discussions.

“The hardest thing about coaching is selection. Ideally you would like to take everyone. Some quality players have missed out. It has been tough, robust, but we feel we have an incredibly talented squad with great depth.”

British & Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland and captain Sam Warburton

He went on to describe the criteria used to finalise selection and offered an olive branch to those that missed out.

“We’ve looked at the last few weeks in terms of performances and we’ve had a number of players who have come back from injury. The benchmark for a lot of the squad was the Six Nations and then looking at some club form and assessing whether there was the same physical intensity to draw comparison and then finally make the selection of those players.

“If you look at previous tours, there are six to eight players who always get injured. There will be a key group of players who will potentially be called up.”

His decision to opt for Warburton is pivotal and will undoubtedly polarise opinions. Arguably the form openside flanker at the 2011 World Cup, Warburton led his team to the semi-finals, having already achieved a Grand Slam earlier that year but despite Wales repeating the feat two months ago, he was far from his best. His place was under threat from Justin Tipuric, who will travel with Warburton Down Under, and he relinquished his captaincy for the final match against England, opting to concentrate on his game.

That has led many in British & Irish rugby circles to question his solidity under pressure and his ability to lead such a large group of individuals from different nations on to such a huge stage. Many thought O’Connell should have got the nod but Gatland has relied on what he knows and trusts.

“The last two or three years he’s been the most successful captain in the northern hemisphere, I have huge respect for him, he leads from the front.”

Warburton himself, was merely glad that the cat had finally been let out of the bag. “Warren gave me a call a week ago on Sunday so it’s been nine or ten days since I found out,” he said. “It’s been the hardest secret I ever had to keep, but I kept it in. It’s unbelievable, it’s an accolade which very few people can achieve. To be able to do this is an honour.”

“There’s a good Welsh contingent of leaders who I can rely on,” he continued, “and I’m sure there are other experienced members and I’ll need their help along the way…I’ll just continue to do what I do for Wales – I guess that’s why Warren chose me.”

The Lions assemble on May 13th and will begin their tour against the Barbarians in Hong Kong on Saturday June 1st before arriving on Australian shores to face the Western Force in Perth on Wednesday June 5th.