Your Current Lions XXIII

Calm down everyone, it's just a bit of fun and we all know that form will change hugely over the course of a year.

However, based on what I've seen this tournament, I would be very interested to see how this 23 would fare against the Wallabies:

01 Andrew Porter (Ireland)
02 Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
03 Tadhg Furlong (Ireland) (C)
04 Dafydd Jenkins (Wales)
05 Ollie Chessum (England)
06 Ben Earl (England)
07 Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
08 Caelan Doris (Ireland)

09 Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
10 Finn Russell (Scotland)
11 James Lowe (Ireland)
12 Bundee Aki (Ireland)
13 Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)
14 Duhan van der Merwe (Krypton)
15 Hugo Keenan (Ireland)

16 Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
17 Jamie George (England)
18 Zander Fagerson (Scotland)
19 Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
20 Tommy Reffell (Wales)
21 Alex Mitchell (England)
22 Marcus Smith (England)
23 Ollie Lawrence (England)

There's no point basing your selection solely on the team you think is most likely to win - then you'd just pick the Irish matchday 23.

11 Irishmen, 6 Englishmen, 2 Welshmen and 4 Soapdodgers. I think that's fairly representative of where everyone is at the moment.

Have at it.

Nice of you to include a Welshman in the starting 15 GC But there are better locks in the 4 nations than Jenkins surely? He’ll be great for Wales going forward, I’m sure. But not sure he’s best of the best yet

TAFKA The Oracle wrote:Nice of you to include a Welshman in the starting 15 GC But there are better locks in the 4 nations than Jenkins surely? He’ll be great for Wales going forward, I’m sure. But not sure he’s best of the best yet

I think the problem is the best locks are Irish so would essentially make it Ireland. Essentially next year will (rightly) be the Irish lions with a British lilt

I'd pick the English scrum-half over the Kiwi Irish citizen. Neither of the Irish props should be in the picture. Sheehan to back up George on the bench.
Drop the token Welsh forward and include Beirne. Earl at 8 and Doris at 6. Scottish 12 instead of Aki.

I’m not one for trying to shoehorn in someone from a particular nation in order to make it representative. But………..if I had to propose a Welshman I feel could genuinely make a Lions team I think it would be Tomos Williams at 9. Still only 29, bags of experience, in great form. Maybe I’m biased (surely I am!) but I think he’s as good as Gibson-Park. I hope he at least makes the plane. Awesome player.

TAFKA The Oracle wrote:Nice of you to include a Welshman in the starting 15 GC But there are better locks in the 4 nations than Jenkins surely? He’ll be great for Wales going forward, I’m sure. But not sure he’s best of the best yet

Jenkins is my bolter/homeboy.

TBH, even the second choice team is likely to beat Australia as of today. I think the spots where I have questions are at BS and the winger that is across from Lowe. If the tour started today:

Porter - Sheehan - Furlongh (Schoeman - George - Zander)
Beirne - McCarthy (Itoje)
Wainwright - Doris - Van Der Flier (Earl)

Mitchell - Russell (Gibson-Park - Ford)
Aki - H Jones (Henshaw)
Lowe - Kinghorn - Dyer

Wainwright has been very good in a poor Wales team and was originally a BS. Starting Earl at six leave the backrow without much height and Earl can happily cover the entire backrow from the bench.

Wing, the backline GC picked is physically huge with the exception of Keenan. Whilst I love VDM, his workrate and defence can be poor. I like a fast, small wing and Dyer was the only real threat Wales had for much of the championship. He looked for the ball and would have scored more if he was in any other team.

Works out at 11 Irish, five Scots/English and two Welsh.

Wabosos development will be interesting....if his starting debut v Ireland was anything to go by.

Also George Martin should be in the mix...the guys an absolute powerhouse.

Genge, Sheehan, Furlong
Beirne, Martin
Earl, Doris, vdF
Mitchell, Russell
Tuipolotu, Ringrose
VdM, Keenan, IFW

Dan, Porter, Cole, Itoje, Reffell, Gibson-Park, Ford, Grady

Based on this six nations. Perhaps a little bit light in kicking options within the back three though Keenan can step up there.

If I were picking a little bit more generally than just the 6N then Morgan would come in for Reffell on the bench. Cole would probably be replaced by somebody younger like Zander or Bealham.

Genge 
George
Furlong
McCarthy 
Itoje
Doris
VDF
Earl
Gibson-Park
Russell
VDM
Lawrence
Jones
Hansen
Keenan

Sheehan, Porter, Bealham, Beirne, Underhill, Wainwright, White, Smith

I haven't seen enough of the other games to give a full team, but from an England perspective, would have the following in or around the squad if playing this summer (I suspect for example Jamie George may fade out of contention next year):

Jamie George
Maro Itoje
George Martin
Ollie Chessum
Ben Earl
Alex Mitchell
Marcus Smith
Ollie Lawrence
(maybe one of the wingers...)

Of those, in the LIons first XXIII squad at least, Id expect George, one of Chessum or Martin (as bench cover for 2nd row and 6), Earl, Mitchell and possibly Itoje and Smith (the latter especially if we go with Finn Russell as first choice 10.