The Lions squad shock omissions, surprise selections and unwanted Wales truth
The Lions squad shock omissions, surprise selections and unwanted Wales truth
Wales have their lowest post-war contingent on a Lions tour
Ieuan Evans, Chair and Tour Manager of the British & Irish Lions, unveils Henry Pollock as a squad member
(Image: PA Wire )
So, there we have it. Andy Farrell has announced his British & Irish Lions squad for this summer's tour of Australia and there are only two Welsh players included.
Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams are part of the lowest contingent from Wales on a Lions tour since 1936, while England lock Maro Itoje has been named as captain. There is plenty to unpack in the wake of Farrell's squad announcements, with the odd eye-opening selection and one or two shock omissions.
Here are the key talking points. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
Shock selections
In reality there weren't too many shocks but when England backrower Henry Pollock's name was read out by Lions chair Ieuan Evans it was met by an almighty cheer from the crowd at the O2 Arena in London.
The 20-year-old has only one senior international cap to his name - as a late replacement as England thrashed Wales in Cardiff a couple of months ago.
This time last year Pollock led England U20s to glory in the U20s World Championship in South Africa, so it is fair to say his rise has been meteoric. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
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The backrow was undoubtedly the most competitive position but Pollock's sensational performance in Northampton Saints' Investec Champions Cup semi-final victory over Leinster in Dublin has swung selection in his favour.
Elsewhere, it seems strange to single out England wing Elliot Day as a shock selection given he has already been on two Lions tours, but there weren't many pundits who included the Saracens star in their squads in the lead-up to the big announcement.
Ireland's James Ryan - whose exclusion four years ago caused outrage across the Irish sea - and Scotland lock Scott Cummings also beat off some stiff competition.
Shock omissions and unlucky players
We can only assume Ireland No 8 Caelan Doris - who for months was strongly tipped to lead the Lions - has not been included due to a shoulder injury which requires surgery.
From a Welsh perspective, Dewi Lake was touted for months as a potential tourist but has narrowly missed out on selection.
Lake is an outstanding player but he has been in and out of action this season due to injuries which has probably counted against him.
With Doris out injured, Taulupe Faletau would surely have entered the conversation but Farrell has opted for his Ireland backrower Jack Conan, while Ben Earl's ability to cover the backrow will also prove to be invaluable.
Many people would have been shocked at the exclusion of Scotland wing Darcy Graham who has been in electric form this season. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
Young Ireland outside-half Sam Prendergast, who up until recently was tipped to tour, seems to have paid the price for a flaky performance in Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton.
On the flip side, his opposite number last Saturday, Fin Smith, had a cracking game and has been rewarded with a place on the plane to Australia.
Toulouse openside Jack Willis is another player who many experts thought was too good to leave out, while Scotland's Jamie Ritchie is also a little bit unlucky.
Experienced England hooker Jamie George and outside-half George Ford will also feel unfortunate to miss out.
Is Wales' representation fair?
The short answer is yes.
Faletau and Lake would have been in the conversation, while Nicky Smith might also have been discussed.
But at the end of the day Wales have picked up back-to-back Six Nations wooden spoons, while they have lost a record 17 Test matches in succession. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
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A side struggling that badly is lucky to have two players on this Lions tour but it should serve as a wake-up call to the Welsh Rugby Union and is arguably a reflection of how badly the game in Wales has been managed over the past few years.
Lions' 38-man squad in full
FORWARDS
Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #838 Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England) Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England) #851 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) #853 Ben Earl (Saracens/England) Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #848 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #818 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England) Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) #825 (C) Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England) Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)BACKSBundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #837 Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #822 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England) Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland) James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England) Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855 Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales)
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