Lions Selector Panel – Epilogue Pt2

Our Welsh panellist Hywel Davies looks back over the HoR Selector project…

Well, it's been a ball. All last season I was part of the Lions Selector panel on HOR2. Four of us representing the home nations gave our predictions for the first test line up.

This was the first composite team:

Pre season
15 LEIGH HALFPENNY (WALES)
14 ALEX CUTHBERT (WALES)
13 BRIAN O’DRISCOLL (IRELAND)
12 JAMIE ROBERTS (WALES)
11 GEORGE NORTH (WALES)
10 JONATHAN SEXTON (IRELAND)
9 MIKE PHILLIPS (WALES)
1 CIAN HEALY (IRELAND)
2 RICHARD HIBBARD (WALES)
3 ADAM JONES (WALES)
4 ALUN-WYN JONES (WALES)
5 JIM HAMILTON (SCOTLAND)
6 SAM WARBURTON (WALES)
7 JUSTIN TIPURIC (WALES)
8 SEAN O’BRIEN (IRELAND)

It's interesting to note that it's only an injury to Roberts which has robbed us of total accuracy in the backs. The forwards however are a dogs dinner. 3 out of 8, and one of them out of position! The only place injuries save our blushes are at loose head.

More interesting though is what this tells us about Home Nations rugby. Big backs are in vogue, and it is mightily impressive as such that O'(AP)Driscoll has made it to the test side. (Don't all cue up to berate me for that, I will be delighted if the old man shows the Aussies a thing or two)

Having the luxury of watching the season unfold the composite team changed to being...erm...equally inaccurate:

Post season
15 LEIGH HALFPENNY (WALES)
14 ALEX CUTHBERT (WALES)
13 MANU TUILAGI (ENGLAND)
12 BRIAN O'DRISCOLL (IRELAND)
11 GEORGE NORTH (WALES)
10 JONATHAN SEXTON (IRELAND)
9 MIKE PHILLIPS (WALES)
1 CIAN HEALY (IRELAND)
2 RICHARD HIBBARD (WALES)
3 ADAM JONES (WALES)
4 ALUN-WYN JONES (WALES)
5 JIM HAMILTON (SCOTLAND)
6 SAM WARBURTON (WALES)
7 JUSTIN TIPURIC (WALES)
8 JOHNNIE BEATTIE (SCOTLAND)

However I defy anybody outside fanatical Leicester or Leinster fans to have had Croft, Youngs or Heaslip as nailed on starters. O Connell of course was just playing with us, as a cat would, with a mutilated mouse.

Whereas Gatland's backs have his name written all over them, the type of forward selected is more of a surprise. Youngs may just be there for his throwing in, but Croft and Heaslip are not what we've come to think of as Gatland's type of men. They are bold calls, a nod to the Aussies, the pitch, and even Lions of the past. Who'd have thought it?

One thing was always certain though; It will be a blast.

1st Test team:
15 Halfpenny
14 Cuthbert
13 O'Driscoll
12 Davies
11 North
10 Sexton
9 Phillips
1 Corbisiero
2 Youngs
3 Jones
4 Jones
5 O'Connell
6 Croft
8 Heaslip
7 Warburton (c)

Hywel (@HywelV2) is head Rugby writer on the v2 Journal. A bundle of contradictions, he is a Solicitor and Farmer, a Scarlets supporter and a "conservative, forward orientated typical blydi prop".