Post Six Nations Lions XV - Full Back

Phew. Got there in the end.  Last, but not least, is the full back slot for the Lions.  The man at the back of the park, tearing it up on the hard pitches down under.  Actually, I can’t keep a straight face when saying that – one of my big gripes with anyone talking about the Lions keeps referring to the “fast, hard pitches” in Australia.  It’s their winter for crying out loud! Sure, Brisbane may still be pretty hot, but Australia is a tropical country and elsewhere the land is treated to copious amounts of monsoon-esque rain throughout June and July – take a look at when Scotland played a test there last year at around the same time...does that look like ideal running rugby weather to you?!

 

The Lions will likely be subjected to the entire spectrum of conditions down under, and that means selecting someone both reliable and exciting at full back.  Take a look below at RuckedOver’s final selection in the Lions squad...

Full back

As I’ve said above, we can’t just assume that the Lions will be playing on bone-dry pitches in perma-tan-level sunshine, so we need somebody who is reliable under the highball but still has that ability to run the ball back with interest and make the opposition think twice about kicking deep.  This is man is going to seem a little lonely on the selection front as I’m only picking one bloke here – with Leigh Halfpenny on the right wing providing cover (seeing as I’m only picking a 35 man squad).  But, for me, there was one player who stood head and shoulders above the rest as an attacking force...

TEST STARTER: STUART HOGG. I think this guy is good enough to push the player of the Six Nations, Leigh Halfpenny, out to the right wing.  With electric pace, surprising strength and dazzling footwork, the Scottish youngster is an exceptional counter attacker and strike runner who will bring real bite to the Lions attack, both when joining the line when his team are in possession and when running any loose kicks back at the opposition defence.  He’s also pretty tidy under the high ball and will be helped by the ever-reliable Halfpenny at the back as well, but it’s his ability to constantly make half breaks and slide through tackles that really mark him as a stand out player.  His form throughout the Six Nations was excellent, and I have no hesitation handing him a starting spot.

Who does the exciting Glasgow full back beat to a Lions spot?  Well, Rob Kearney is certainly illustrious enough competition, but I don’t think he’s really performed at the level he’s capable of for the last year, and is well behind several other contenders on current form.  One of those contenders is Mike Brown, but the man from Harlequins was shunted out onto the wing in the Six Nations and didn’t look all that comfortable, denied of the chance to shine in his best position on the international scene.  The man in possession of that England shirt, Alex Goode, has had an impressive season himself but doubts remain over whether or not he has the necessary ‘zip’ to be an attacking threat from the back, despite being a fine distributor.  Delon Armitage’s name has also been banded around but, despite his obvious natural talent, you can’t ignore the fact that he’s about as popular as a fart in an elevator.

Who would you pick at 15 for the Lions?

And so that’s it.  My Lions squad is selected – I can’t wait to see how it stacks up next to Gatland’s tomorrow.

RuckedOver’s Lions Squad (Starters in bold):  Healy, G Jenkins, Vunipola, Hibbard, T Youngs, Best, A Jones, Cole, Ross, A W Jones, N Hines, G Parling, P O’Connell, Robshaw, K Brown, Croft, Warburton, Tipuric, O’Brien, Faletau, B Youngs, Phillips, Care, Sexton, Farrell, Wilkinson, North, Zebo, Tuilagi, Roberts, O’Driscoll, J Davies, Halfpenny, Cuthbert, Wade, Hogg

That’s a squad of 35 with 13 (6) Welshmen, 12 (4) Englishmen, 8 (4) Irishmen and 2 (1) Scotsmen  - I think that’s a pretty fair reflection on the Six Nations and where the teams are at.

Predicted Warren Gatland Selection:  Healy, Jenkins, Vunipola, Best, T Youngs, Hibbard, A Jones, Cole, Ross, R Gray, I Evans, A W Jones, P O’Connell, D Ryan, Lydiate, Brown, Croft, Warburton, Tipuric, Faletau, Heaslip, Phillips, B Youngs, Laidlaw, Sexton, Farrell, North, Zebo, Roberts, Tuilagi, O’Driscoll, J Davies, Cuthbert, Gilroy, Halfpenny, Hogg, Kearney