Lions squad 2013

Test Side

1. Healy
2. Hibbard
3. Jones
4. Launchbury
5. Wyn Jones (c)
6. Warburton
7. Tipuric
8. Faletau
9. Phillips
10. Sexton
11. North
12. Twelvetrees
13. Edwards
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

Reserves

Jenkins, Best, Cole, Ryan Jones, Youngs, Farrell, Brown, Roberts

Dirt-trackers

1. Marler
2. Youngs
3. Grant
4. Hamilton
5. Coombs
6. Robshaw (c)
7. Haskell
8. Morgan
9. Weir
10. Biggar
11. Maitland
12. Tuilagi
13. Barritt
14. Bowe/Zebo
15. Hogg

Overal count per nation:

Wales 16

England 13

Scotland 5

Ireland 4

Healy is the only really surprising choice in the first XV, but the Lions probably can't work Jenkins back to starting fitness in time after the end of season in France. Wyn Jones wins his place as the experienced captain as well as on form. Twelvetrees for some creativity against the Aussie backs. Ryan Jones is there to cover a lot of positions and is probably unlucky on “utility back five” tag and how well that Wales back row worked against England. Parling is unlucky to miss the flight but I wanted the option of a big centre or an extra kicker from hand and so had to squeeze both Roberts and Farrell in somehow! If I swap out Farrell and Roberts for Hook, then Parling would get on the plane - but picking someone who no longer gets a lot of playing time on the international stage seems unreasonable.

In the dirt trackers, Maitland is in as a good utility back, but also with his Crusaders experience of other stadia, players and the like. I think someone with first-hand experience adds to watching video and well Wales know the main players all too well, I expect some fresh blood too, mainly from the young Brumbies on current form. I'd like to take both Bowe and Zebo, but I'm not sure on fitness grounds, so they're bracketed. Biggar starts here for extra experience. If Sexton is injured or out of form he'd jump straight up to the test squad for me, over Farrell.

If I can take extra bodies over the 38 listed, Parling and then probably the young Welsh prop (James I think?) make it up to a 40-man squad.

O'Driscoll, it won't surprise those of you that listen to me talk about rugby, doesn't make a 4th trip. Yes, he has a load of experience and flashes of brilliance. If he does go, he could provide the x-factor that wins a game for the Lions. But so could Edwards and Twelvetrees that I've picked in the centres ahead of him. I think they're more likely to do that than O'Driscoll, than the 2013 model of O'Driscoll anyway. Neither of them are as good as BOD in his pomp but in his final years? Both perform better week-in, week-out.

Six Nations 2013: Team of the tournament

As I normally do I'm going to review this season's tournament by looking at my team of the tournament. Injuries, a few suspensions and the like have made this harder than normal - people who probably should be included aren't going to make it because they missed too many games for me to feel it's fair to include them. In a break from tradition, however, I'm going to be lazy. Every team had its off periods. If Wales had shown up for the first half against Ireland, they might have won back-to-back slams. Or not of course. England failed to show up for the second half against Wales, and really failed to show up against Italy and in the first half against France. France didn't really show up until Scotland yesterday. In fact, rather satisfyingly, the order in the final table is in reverse order of the number of poor halves played. And, since Wales were imposing themselves on England before England fell asleep, and Wales and England were clearly better than the other four teams this year, I'm just going to do this: Eloise's team of the Six Nations: Look at the Wales team sheet from the match against England. From 1-15, I'm picking the Welsh team. Now, I should say, this is based on my habit of picking units rather than individuals as much as possible. The Welsh front row dominated the English, French, Scottish and Italian front rows. In fact it monstered most of them repeatedly and cruelly. That sort of thing rarely happens, certainly not against all those sides. So, although I have doubts about Hibbard's lineout throwing, Jones, Hibbard and Jenkins are in. The only place I'm not sure about this red domination is the locks on a unit rather than player by player basis. England's locks were very good, as a unit, at most scrums, carrying the ball, clearing rucks, and at the lineout. However, in that critical game, yesterday, they didn't dominate, so I'm going with the Welsh pair. I think Parling and Launchbury were better in the line out over the championship as a whole, but that is only part of their role and they didn't impose even that on the Welsh. There are individuals who are probably hard done by here. Parra along with Picamoles shone for the French. Comparing Parra and Phillips is rather chalk and cheese for scrum halves. But, to my mind, Phillips was strong throughout, whenever Wales needed him to be. He was helped in that by stronger people around him than Parra, but while Parra was great he couldn't drag his team-mates up and inspire them while Phillips could and did. Fofana was brilliant in the centres, as expected, and wasted for too long on the wings. Parese was suspended for a game, but brilliant and inspirational for the Italians. Picamoles, Parese and Read are in a meaningful discussion for "best 8 in the world" which is a step up for Picamoles now. Falatau, good Welshman that he is, is not in that discussion. However, if you were to list the top 5 number 8's I think he'd be in that discussion. There are a couple of South Africans, an Aussie, an Irishman and an Englishman who are also in that discussion but Falatau is there on merit. While thinking of the Italians, Masi also deserves a mention: he was clearly Italy's second best player after Parese, he was a strong, great full back, solid on defence, incisive in attack. Hogg too shone at full back. Halfpenny's goal kicking can be discounted (although not necessarily in terms of the impact of taking a task away from Biggar to let him concentrate on other things to his and the team's benefit) as outside the full back role. But Halfpenny hardly made a mistake throughout the five games and while he didn't make the sweeping, penetrating runs that Masi and Hogg both did, he was often the extra man to pass the ball to those big wingers. Hamilton, for the Scots imposed himself at lineout time, repeatedly. He was good around the park too. I think he'll be on the Lions tour, possibly at the expense of Evans, but as part of a pair the Scottish locks weren't strong enough for my list. Heaslip and Healey from the Irish can count themselves as unlucky too - but Heaslip had one shocker of a game and several mediocre games and doesn't make it to my list. The Irish hooker might count himself as unlucky too. But given I've been reduced to calling him "the Irish hooker" shows how much he imposed himself on my consciousness. Zebo is the other notable Irish absentee: Against Wales he was scintillating. Then he injured himself. He is a great talent but one game and ten minutes into the next one is not enough to get you into my list for team of the tournament. Before the tournament Sexton would have been written in to most people's lists. After his injuries he's not making my team of the tournament consideration. He'll almost certainly go to Australia in the summer though. There aren't enough names here for a Lions touring team - but I'd be surprised if there aren't a LOT of Welsh players on the plane.