Greatest Lions XV of Pro Era - Front Row

As if we do not have enough arguments, time for some debate and indicative votes

Looking purely at the professional era (1997 tour onwards), there will be a series of votes. All players with 3 starts or more will be contenders. First the front row:


Loosehead:

Tom Smith - 6 caps across the 97 & 01 tours. Few would have predicted he would make the test side in 97 ahead of Jason "Funbus" Leonard, but Geech had a plan (and unlike Baldrick's it was indeed cunning)
Gethin Jenkins - 5 caps across 05 and 09. A great player who played in some iffy Lions teams as all his caps were in defeats.
Mako Vunipola - 6 caps (4 starts) across 13 & 17 tours. Vastly improved scrummager could be a key feature of the 2021 tour. Inexperienced in 2013 was perhaps overshadowed by the stronger scrummaging of Alex Corbisiero, by 2017 he was a key member of the side that drew with the world champions.



Hooker:
Keith Wood - 5 caps across 97 & 01. A rampaging hooker in the loose and solid in the tight.
Shane Byrne - 4 caps (3 starts) in 05. Have to admit I had forgotten he was the hooker on that tour.
Jamie George - 3 caps on 13 tour. Lots of arguments on this board about his inclusion in the test side, and to be fair after a long season he was not at his best. Even so the coaches felt he was the form hooker on the tour and gave him his first starts in international rugby as he played an important part in a drawn series.



Tighthead:
Phil Vickery - 5 caps across three tours. Will hope for one tour more before he retires.
Adam Jones - 5 caps (4 starts) on 09 & 13 tours. Old fashioned prop who anchored the scrum well in SA (hard to do) and Australia (easier).
Tadgh Furlong - 3 caps in 2017. Strong all-rounder who will look to expand on his Lions achievements on future tours.
Paul Wallace - 3 caps. Part of Geech's cunning plan in 97.
Julian White - 4 caps (3 starts) in 2005.

While I feel the current incumbents could well surpass their predecessors after future tours, for now have gone with Smith, Wood and Jones.

Gone for Furlong, wood and Vunipolo.

rodders wrote:Gone for Furlong, wood and Vunipolo.

Snap

Gethin Wood and Furlong for me

How many tours have Vanipola and Furlong been on ?

I went Gethin Jenkins, Keith Wood and Adam Jones.

LordDowlais wrote:How many tours have Vanipola and Furlong been on ?

As it says in the OP, Vunipola 13/17 (2), Furlong 17 (1)

Close call on the tightheads between White, Furlong and Jones

LondonTiger wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:How many tours have Vanipola and Furlong been on ?

As it says in the OP, Vunipola 13/17 (2), Furlong 17 (1)

So Furlongs been on one tour and he is up there ?

LordDowlais wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:How many tours have Vanipola and Furlong been on ?

As it says in the OP, Vunipola 13/17 (2), Furlong 17 (1)

So Furlongs been on one tour and he is up there ?

He has 3 test starts, which is 1 short of Adam Jones and 2 less than Vickery. I think he's a better player than either.

Given my rugby knowledge starts too late for the full pro era I'll side step any votes but how would you want the short lists created if you don't like LTs 3 cap line? You'd be discounting a few from that list if it's 2 tours or more.
There is an argument for best lions or best players to pull on the lions shirt I'd say.

LondonTiger wrote:While I feel the current incumbents could well surpass their predecessors after future tours, for now have gone with Smith, Wood and Jones.

Ditto.

Think you've missed lee Mears London? 4 caps over 2 tours?

Not according to this   :

http://stats.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;orderby=matches;position=7;spanmin1=27+Mar+1997;spanval1=span;team=32;template=results;type=player

I notice that only Keith Wood and Gordon Bulloch have been on two pro tours and been capped as hookers.

LondonTiger wrote:I notice that only Keith Wood and Gordon Bulloch have been on two pro tours and been capped as hookers.

Now there's two Lions stalwarts if I ever seen them. Two greats of the game.

LordDowlais wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:I notice that only Keith Wood and Gordon Bulloch have been on two pro tours and been capped as hookers.

Now there's two Lions stalwarts if I ever seen them. Two greats of the game.

Keith Wood yes, Bulloch less so imo. In 2001 he was added to the squad mid tour and one of 6 hookers to tour!!! Oddly he was called up at the same time as Martin Corry with both making the test squad for the First test. By 2005 he was at the very back end of his career with his turn of the bench in the last test.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Think you've missed lee Mears London? 4 caps over 2 tours?

Yeah, Matthew Rees from 09 too?

I'm blaming wiki LT.

LordDowlais wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:How many tours have Vanipola and Furlong been on ?

As it says in the OP, Vunipola 13/17 (2), Furlong 17 (1)

So Furlongs been on one tour and he is up there ?

When you send the NZ front row backwards then why not?

RiscaGame wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:Think you've missed lee Mears London? 4 caps over 2 tours?

Yeah, Matthew Rees from 09 too?

Rees shared the 3 starts with Mears. While the 3 starts was an arbitrary qualifier, it meant to be included a player either had to dominate a single tour, or be capped across multiple tours.

Apologies, I only skim read the intro

It wouldn't have made a difference to my voting anyway.

Smith, Wood and Bomb for me.

Injury permitting I think that Vunipola and Furlong could retire as all time greats though.

Vcikery??? Arguably cost us the 09 tour. Shocker to have him on this selection

Pie wrote:Vcikery??? Arguably cost us the 09 tour. Shocker to have him on this selection

The criteria was 3 starts to make the list. He achieved that and more. 

He was excellent in 2001, and tbh past his best in 2009 with neck injuries having kicked in. He did indeed struggle with the Beast boring in during first test, but came back in the 3rd to dominate him. There is no coincidence that the Beast struggled in that series when forced to scrummage legally. 

I still voted for Jones though.

I wa there. At both tests. The beast consumed him in the first and didn't care by the 3rd. Vickery cost us the 09 tour. Had Bomb been picked different story.

Well I suppose as long as people keep consistent when we get to the other guy dropped at the same time as Vickery.