After the domestic season ended with Leinster’s fantastic Heineken Cup victory over Leicester yesterday afternoon, and all Lions coming through the game unscathed, it seemed like the right moment to evaluate the 37-men Ian McGeechan is taking to South Africa.
Paul O’Connell (Captain/Lock) – A towering beacon in his Munster and Ireland sides, and with McGeechan wanting to select a captain who could physically intimidate the opposition, O’Connell was the obvious choice. He is in the same mould to previously successful captains in South Africa, Willie John McBride (1974) and Martin Johnson (1997). The Irishman is guaranteed a place with his strong line-out work and tireless contribution at the break down – one of the key men for a Lions victory.
Mike Blair (Scrum-Half) – For me unfortunate to miss out in the original touring party. The Scottish captain has shone in an often ordinary side, and I would have thought the opportunity to play behind a strong pack and exciting back-line which is always moving forward could well bring the best out of him.
Tommy Bowe (Full Back/Wing) – Since Declan Kidney took over the reins of Ireland, Bowe has demonstrated his class. Playing in Wales, the Osprey could team up with his fellow team mates to form the back three for the Lions.
Lee Byrne (Full Back/Wing) – Has been solid for Wales in their recent success. He hasn’t attracted the attention that the blistering Shane Williams has, though is equally important. Solid in defence and under the high ball, he also has a great boot and can cut a devastating line.
Tom Croft (Lock/Flanker) – The fastest man in the Leicester squad, he optimises the athletic 21st Century forward. He still has the bulk at 6”6’ and 16st 5lbs, though will need to work hard and impress in the warm up games to break into the test team.
Keith Earls (Centre/
Wing) – Arguably the biggest surprise in the Lions squad. At just 21-years old and with only one-international cap, the Munster-man has impressed in the Magners League and in his province’s march to the Semi-Finals of the Heineken Cup. He will probably have to use this tour to gain experience for four-years time.
Harry Ellis (Scrum-Half) – Second choice at his club, Leicester, behind Julien Dupuy, Ellis call-up surprised many – especially given Blair’s initial omission. His temperament has been called into question this season while representing his country. He does offer a darting run like 1997 Scrum-Half, Matt Dawson, but needs great form and luck to impose himself on this tour.
Stephen Ferris (Flanker) – Played every game of Ireland’s Grand-Slam 6 Nations campaign, he does have a strong case for a place in the Test squad. Although he was in the eye of Eddie O’Sullivan, Kidney brought the man from Ulster into his side where he has thrived.
Luke Fitzgerald (Full Back/Wing) – Another young, Irish, Grand-Slam winner, Fitzgerald has performed well for Ireland this season. The son of former Irish prop, Des, at just 21 it is likely that it will be 2013 when his time will come.
Riki Flutey (Centre) – The Kiwi convert had a poor international start for England, though during the 6 Nations grew with his team-mates. He has continually demonstrated his class at club level for London Irish and now Wasps, and could create a potent midfield along with O’Driscoll.
Ross Ford (Hooker) – Called into the squad as the beneficiary of Jerry Flannery’s injury – who was surely the favourite for the No. 2 shirt. After switching to Edinburgh Rugby after the 2007 World Cup, Ford cemented his place in the Scottish side this year which came close to overturning the Springboks in the autumn. He will be fortunate to make the test side.
Leigh Halfpenny (Wing) – The Cardiff Blues’ winger has had a meteoric rise in the rugby w
orld this year. Will miss the start of the tour due to a thigh injury, and will therefore have to prove his fitness as soon as possible. The call-up of James Hook to cover his injury highlights that McGeechan picked the Welshman as kicking cover; and this added to his youth, trickery and pace may make him an ideal player to bring off the bench and make a difference.
Jamie Heaslip (Number 8) – Pivotal for Ireland in winning the Grand Slam, and inspirational in Leinster’s Heineken Cup win, a Lions series would cap a sensational year for the 25-year old born in Israel. He matches the big, athletic stature of his South African counterparts with pace and line-out abilities. He is the likely candidate to counter Pierre Spies.
Nathan Hines (Lock) – Playing at Perpignan, away from the media spotlight of either the Magners League or Guinness Premiership, Hines’ abilities are perhaps not appreciated by the British media and fans. However, the Scottish lock – who grew up playing Rugby League in Australia – combines his massive frame with great ball skills and could be the man who combines McGeechan’s desire for brawn with the footballing skills needed to overcome the line-out battle against two of Botha and Matfield.
James Hook (Fly-Half/Centre) – Hook’s late call up as cover for Halfpenny will probably see his trip as more of a sight-seeing tour rather than the difference between the two sides unless injury strikes. The initial squad only named two recognised fly-halves and so he has a chance. Despite his versatility across the backline, the fact that he fell behind Stephen Jones in the pecking order for the Welsh 6 Nations campaign does not bode well for the Osprey.
Gethin Jenkins (Prop) – Played in all three Tests in 2005 and has grown as a player ever since. Close to the complete
Prop forward, Jenkins is a solid scrummager, a forceful ball carrier and committed in defence. Jenkins would need to do a lot wrong to lose his No. 1 shirt to Andrew Sheridan after a fantastic 2008-9 which saw him lift the EDF Energy Cup with the Cardiff Blues and narrowly miss out on a Heineken Cup final.
Adam Rhys Jones (Prop) – Has become a stalwart of the Welsh side, having been involved in the two Grand Slam winning sides (2005 and 2008) and amassing an impressive 56 caps for his country. He is relatively small, which does have its advantages, and is strong in the loose; though is down the pecking order one would have thought as they land in South Africa.
Alun-Wyn Jones (Lock) – Will surely one day be a Welsh captain, though with O’Connell guaranteed one of the second-row birth’s the young lock will have a tough time in fighting off his more experience opposition to the shirt. He is athletic and versatile but whether he will have the mental and physical game to counter the South Africans in one of the key battle-grounds of the series is yet to be scene.
Stephen Jones (Fly-Half) – Utterly reliable with boot and distribution, Jones has a decade of test rugby experience and a full complement of test caps from the 2005 Tour. He has the advantage of having played with the likely Scrum-Half – Mike Phillips – though lacks the flair of O’Gara. He must impress in the warm up games to be in with a chance of starting.
Rob Kearney (Full-Back/Wing) – Has done well to make the squad ahead of the likes of Delon Armitage in particular, and has very many more challenges ahead to make the starting XV. He only became a regular at 15 for Ireland during their Championship winning 6 Nations campaign, and has the potential to be a game winner from off the bench.
Lee Mears (Hooker) – Passionate, spirited and committed. Mears is one of the major driving forces behind Bath, and for England demonstrates his darting runs and his ball carrying importance. His set-piece work is second to none in Europe, and he acts like an extra back-row forward in the loose, but he will need to prove his physicality in the early games to make the test squad.
Ugo Monye (Wing) – Monye has pace and a grounded temperament which has seen his club – Harlequins – enjoy an immensely successful season and has seen him slot into the England side with ease. May have been a surprise call for some, Monye is also solid in defence and hitting the ground running in South Africa may see him secure a test spot.
Euan Murray (Prop) – Murray is more in the traditional mould of a Prop forward – scrum, lift and tackle. He may well be selected on this basis alone, as his scrummaging prowess will be necessary to hold the Lions’ set-piece firm, and allow the Back Row to worry about fancy loose play.
Donncha O’Callaghan (Lock) – A Heineken Cup, Magners League and 6 Nations winner, O’Callaghan’s partnership for province and country with Lions captain, Paul O’Connell made him a near certainty for the touring party. However, his form has dropped in the last few years and his Test selection is far from confirmed. He is passionate and committed, though has less bulk than his competition, and could also perhaps have his temperament questioned.
Brian O’Driscoll (Centre) – Despite losing out on the captaincy, O’Driscoll is one of the few certain starters. Many thought the great Irishman had lost his magic, though two tries in a 41-11 victory over Wasps in October set Leinster on course for their Heineken Cup success. Greater form in the 6 Nations proved to any doubters who were still left that the captain four years ago was ready to forget the disappointments in New Zealand and help capture a Lions series win.
Ronan O’Gara (Fly-Half) – Since breaking into the Ireland test team at the turn of the Millennium, O’Gara has never looked back. He is a reliable kicker, with great vision when punting for territory or to put those either side of him into gaps. He has perhaps been unlucky on the 2001 and 2005 Lions tours to sit behind Jonny Wilkinson and only claim one Test cap, though this will give him invaluable experience this time around.
Mike Phillips (Scrum-Half) – At 6f”3’ and just over 16-stone Mike Phillips is not your typical Scrum-Half. He is determined, having fought off the competition from Justin Marshall at the Ospreys; and his physical, bullish and confrontational game makes him ideal starter for the Lions. However, he will have to make sure that the Boks don’t take advantage of these traits and tip him over the edge.
Andy Powell (Number 8) – Powell has been fortunate to be picked above his Welsh captain, Ryan Jones, and England Number 8, Nick Easter, and it is probably largely due to the form he showed in the autumn against the South Africans. He managed to shift Jones to Blindside Flanker, though couldn’t repeat his heroics in the 6 Nations. His bullish attitude and strong running may well be a threat off the bench.
Matthew Rees (Hooker) – With Flannery’s injury, the Number 2 shirt is anyone’s to grab. Rees is strong in the loose, though his set play does sometimes let him down which will be important against the solid South African line-out. History is also not on his side as a Welshman hasn’t started in his position since the tour to New Zealand in 1977.
Jamie Roberts (Centre/Wing) – His versatility to also play in the back 3 will help Roberts, though it is his direct running from 12 which is most recognisable when playing for Cardiff and Wales. The early tour games will be key as it needs to be seen whether he gels better with certain started O’Driscoll outside him than his nearest rival Flutey.
Simon Shaw (Lock) – Is the only playing member from 1997 to be returning in the same capacity this time around – though d
espite this is yet to win a cap for the Lions. He has matured and improved with age, often missing out on international duty behind Martin Johnson. Tough and experienced, Shaw could well be the man to conquer the South African Second Row if he carries the form that has seen him help Wasps lift two Heineken Cups and England reach the World Cup Final in 2007.
Andrew Sheridan (Prop) – Is not the player that devastated the Australian scrum so well, and wound up Julian White to such an extent that it saw him see red. Consistency is a major problem for the Sale prop, and moving ahead of Gethin Jenkins in the queue is unlikely unless he performs in the warm-up games.
Phil Vickery (Prop) – His experience, guile, strong running and huge tackle count since returning from a career threatening back injury which saw him miss the 2005 Lions tour all count massively in his favour. He is also a leader on and off the park, as he enters into a battle with Murray for the Tighthead spot.
David Wallace (Back Row) – Wallace is big in defence and exciting in attack. Encapsulated in the Grand Slam winning match against Wales his bursting try and nullifying of his opposition Back Row is exactly what Ian McGeechan and his team want and need.
Martyn Williams (Flanker) – Not the largest, Williams will have to hope that McGeechan opts for a more balanced Back Row rather than bulk to match the South Africans. His experience and ‘game-play’ which Kiwi – Richie McCaw – executes so efficiently could see him add to his solitary Lions test cap.
Shane Williams (Wing) – At the beginning of his career he was constantly questioned over his lack of size; though since braking onto the international scene in 2000 he has answered all challenges put in front of him spectacularly. Like Bryan Habana, he has raw pace, as well as the ability to break tackles and slither through gaps. He is one of the few certain starters, and certainly a match-winner.
Joe Worsley (Flanker) – Many would have thought his international career was over before Martin Johnson recalled him for the 6 Nations. He was arguably the stand out man in his position over the tournament, with his ferocious and uncompromising defence. He will not let the South Africans over the gain-line, but does not offer as much as his competitors in attack.
Those who have fallen:
Thomas O’Leary – Broken Ankle
Tom Shanklin – Dislocated Shoulder
Alan Quinlan – Suspension
Jerry Flannery – Chipped Elbow
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