Post Six Nations Lions XV - Outside Centre

Well, this time tomorrow all the guessing will be over – 'Gats' will have announced his squad and a whole new chain on of debate, incredulous moaning and allegations of bias will ensue.  Something for us all to look forward to.  It also means I have to fit my last three positions of my Lions XV into one day – but better late than never, and so joint RuckedOver in looking at the contenders for the outside centre berth…

Outside Centre

 I mentioned the importance of balance in my previous post on the inside centre position and, seeing as I've gone for the not insignificantly sized Manu Tuilagi there, I'm looking for a 13 with the skill set to help create space for both Tuilagi and the other backs outside of him.  I need footwork, vision and experience for that job – and there's only one man who can possibly fit that description…

TEST STARTER:  BRIAN O'DRISCOLL.  Yes, the squishy-faced Irish legend is a dead cert to go on his FOURTH Lions tour, with his first being the last time the Lions were in Australia, in 2001 – and he made quite an impact there, as well.  He may not quite have the out-and-out pace that he had back then, but the veteran centre's rugby brain is razor sharp and his footwork, handling, strength and defensive ability are all utterly world class.  4 years ago we saw how he thrives on playing alongside powerhouse centres (then playing alongside Jamie Roberts – another Lions tourist), so the idea of O'Driscoll and Tuilagi playing in the same side is pretty exciting – or terrifying, if you're an Aussie.  His form during the Six Nations was good enough – he had an outstanding game involving a moment of genius against Wales in Cardiff before ending with a moment of stupidity against Italy, stamping on Simone Favaro to earn himself a yellow card at a key moment.  But it is the former moment, rather than the latter, that remains standard BOD, and the experience he brings to a side will be of real benefit to the squad – so much so, that I think he's probably guaranteed a Test Spot.  And because of that, I'm making him my Captain as well.

DIRT TRACKER:  JONATHAN DAVIES.  I really rate Jonathan Davies – that was the sentence I told my old man when the Welsh centre had the ball, a split second before he hurled the ball wildly into touch against Ireland.  I felt stupid, but not nearly as much as poor JD did, I'm sure.  Davies didn't have his best Six Nations, but his class for club and country before that is undeniable.  An incredibly intelligent centre who hits great lines, he has good feet and surprising speed, an eye for a gap and a low centre of gravity that makes him hard to put down.  In many ways, he is physically almost the complete outside centre and, despite the howlers at the beginning of the Championship, he is usually a more than capable handler of the ball – I've seen him throw some lovely passes and offloads before.  His form hasn't quite been up to his usual standards, so he doesn't get a Test spot right now, but if he starts setting the world alight in the warm up games then I think he'll be hard to ignore.

So who misses out?  Well Matt Scott had a very decent Six Nations by all accounts, but he had a lot of ground to make up to work his way into Lions contention and I'm not sure he's done quite enough, whilst Scott Williams is always a handful but didn't get enough game time during the Six Nations.  Other than those 2, there isn't really anyone else putting their hands up for selection, unless Gatland went well and truly leftfield and selected someone like Henry Trinder or Jonathan Joseph – and I'm yet to be convinced by either.

Who would you pick at 13 for the Lions?