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Predicting the full 41-man 2021 British and Irish Lions squad

(Photo by Getty Images)

Warren Gatland will now have a fairly good idea of who is going to be in his British and Irish Lions squad this summer, wherever the series is held.

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There is still plenty of time for players to work their way into contention with European rugby still to be played, as well as Scotland’s final match of the Guinness Six Nations this Friday against France.

A number of Scots could throw their hat into the ring at the Stade de France, but for the players from the other three Lions nations, their Six Nations campaigns are over.

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Ferris talks Lions, among other things, on All Access:

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Ferris talks Lions, among other things, on All Access:

So here is a proposed 41-man Lions squad after the Six Nations:

HOOKERS
Ken Owens
At the age of 34, Ken Owens is showing no signs of relenting, and returned to form this Six Nations in perfect time for the Lions.

Luke Cowan-Dickie
England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie is battling to become England’s first-choice hooker after years of high-level performances for Exeter Chiefs and now is in a strong position to make the Lions.

Jamie George
Although there have been some question marks over Jamie George’s form this year, class is permanent. Moreover, this is not a position with bags of options.

PROPS
Wyn Jones
Wales’ Wyn Jones went from being a contender to make the Lions at the start of the Six Nations to a favourite to start against the Springboks by the end. Carries hard and tirelessly, and has the magical ability to coax the opposition into red card offences.

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Lions
Wyn Jones

Mako Vunipola
Good and bad from England and Saracens prop Mako Vunipola this year, which must be partly down to his lack of game time this year with Saracens not playing. But he still has enough of a reputation to make the squad.

Rory Sutherland
Another hugely dynamic loosehead, Rory Sutherland could cement his place in the squad with a strong performance against France.

Tadhg Furlong
For Tadhg Furlong, his selection was secure once he overcame his calf injury, and his brutal display against England rubber-stamped his place.

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Kyle Sinckler
England’s Kyle Sinckler has a distribution game that few in his position can match which makes him such an attractive option for Gatland.

Zander Fagerson
Despite missing a portion of the Championship following his red card against Wales, Zander Fagerson is a rock in the scrum, although he may be pushed by Andrew Porter for a place.

LOCKS
Alun Wyn Jones
The frontrunner to captain the team this year, Alun Wyn Jones proved any doubters wrong about his age this Six Nations.

Ireland <a href=
Wales Nations Cup” width=”1200″ height=”675″ /> (Photo hy David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

James Ryan
Had a Six Nations that was hampered by injury, but James Ryan has been one of the favourites to start for the Lions for three years now and nothing has changed.

Maro Itoje
England’s Maro Itoje was able to iron out his alarmingly high penalty count as the Six Nations progressed, and only averaged one per match in the final two rounds, which would have put Gatland’s mind at ease.

Tadhg Beirne
A viable option at lock and blindside flanker, Tadhg Beirne stormed into contention this year. Relentless in defence and as a carrier, and a maestro at the breakdown, the Irishman could start at No6 against the Springboks.

Iain Henderson
Another player who is capable of playing in the back row, Iain Henderson was part of Ireland’s juggernaut set-piece pack, which has helped him shade competitors like Jonny Gray.

BACK ROWS
Josh Navidi
Wales and Cardiff flanker Josh Navidi provides the defensive resilience that may be crucial to defusing the Springboks.

CJ Stander
Capable of playing on the blindside and at No8, CJ Stander’s versatility puts him in a very good position. His standard will only improve as well over the coming months as his career draws to a close.

Jamie Ritchie
Gatland may opt to take more forwards than usual this year as he may deploy the 6-2 split on the bench to counter South Africa’s same tactic. If so, Jamie Ritchie’s chances could be boosted considerably, although he is a good shout anyway.

Hamish Watson
One of three standout openside this Six Nations, Hamish Watson provides power and explosiveness with ball in hand that his rivals do not.

Tom Curry
Despite England’s shaky Six Nations, Tom Curry’s standard did not drop and he is becoming one of, if not the most influential, player in the England team.

England Jones Rugby Pod
(Photo by Steve Bardens/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Justin Tipuric
A Gatland favourite during his time in charge of Wales, Justin Tipuric is the complete package at No7 and a guaranteed Lion this year.

Sam Simmonds
The reigning European player of the year Sam Simmonds may be overlooked by Eddie Jones for England, but could be called upon by Gatland to bring some pace in the wider channels.

Taulupe Faletau
After a few injury-dogged years, Taulupe Faletau is playing his best rugby again, and is in a very good position to start at No8 against South Africa.

Wales Toby Faletau Aaron Wainwright
Taulupe Faletau (Getty Images)

Billy Vunipola
After struggling for form this year, Billy Vunipola only really showed a glimpse of his best against France, but may still be selected on reputation. But with Saracens playing in the IPA Greene King Championship, he may not have done enough to convince Gatland and has no more opportunities to change his mind.

SCRUM-HALVES
Conor Murray
A tourist in 2013 and 2017, Conor Murray was not as assured to go as he was in previous years. But his commanding performance against England may have earned him a place.

Gareth Davies
Scrum-half is one of the most open positions going into this Lions year, but Gareth Davies may have worked his way onto the tour on the back of Wales’ form.

Wales
Gareth Davies scores for Wales /PA

Ben Youngs
It was a mixed Six Nations for Ben Youngs, but his experience may prove to be the difference. Although he will be pushed by Ali Price and Tomos Williams.

FLY-HALVES
Dan Biggar
As dependable as ever for Wales, Dan Biggar has a strong relationship with Gatland already, but would likely be selected even if that were not the case.

Jonathan Sexton
Like his longtime halfback partner for Ireland, there were question marks over the 35-year-old Jonathan Sexton this year, but he showed his class against England and made a huge Lions statement.

Ireland player ratings
Jonny Sexton /Getty Images

Finn Russell
The mercurial Finn Russell brings something that his other Lions teammates do not, or indeed many other fly-halves on the planet. The Scot provides the creativity that could be needed against a resolute defence.

CENTRES
Owen Farrell
England captain Owen Farrell provides a viable option at fly-half and inside centre. Gatland picked him at No10 for the first Test against the All Blacks in 2017, but moved him to No12 for the second and third Tests.

Robbie Henshaw
Rock solid for Ireland at inside and outside centre, Robbie Henshaw all but confirmed his Lions place in this year’s Championship.

Garry Ringrose
A classy operator at outside centre, Garry Ringrose has been a favourite to be selected for a while, and provides the footwork and movement that other centres on the tour do not.

Garry Ringrose
Garry Ringrose

Jonathan Davies
The 2017 player of the series Jonathan Davies featured at inside centre this Six Nations for a change, which only bolstered his Lions credentials.

George North
After reinventing himself as a centre over the past year, George North has breathed new life into his Lions chances while still being able to cover the wing.

WINGERS
Louis Rees-Zammit
Rugby’s new sensation Louis Rees-Zammit finished the Championship alongside Anthony Watson as top try scorer, and produced some individual moments of pace and brilliance that booked his place on the tour.

Jonny May
England’s Jonny May has been one of the premier wingers in the world for a number of years now, and though it was not the most flashy Six Nations for him, he has enough in the bank to be picked.

Josh Adams
One of the most clinical finishers in the Northern Hemisphere currently, Josh Adams has a prolific strike rate.

Josh Adams

Anthony Watson
Comfortable on the wing or at fullback, Anthony Watson showed glimpses of how dangerous he is during the Six Nations despite being behind a struggling England team.

Duhan van der Merwe
Scotland’s new weapon on the wing Duhan van der Merwe may have had a quieter Six Nations than he had hoped for, but offers raw strength and power out wide. Could make a serious statement against France as well.

FULLBACKS
Stuart Hogg
Scotland captain Stuart Hogg’s place is never in doubt, and he will hope to earn his first Lions cap after succumbing to an injury in 2017.

Hogg Exeter
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Liam Williams
Another player who can cover the wing or fullback, Liam Williams will not be too far from the Test team come the summer.

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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