Firstly, apologies for the delay in getting another one of these up. Unfortunately it's one of the side effects of having the inconvenience of a full-time job…and with the Lions Squad due to be announced on the 30th April, I really need to get my skates on! So, with the big announcement only 2 weeks away, let's have a look at who will be competing for the number 4 jersey for the Lions.
Second Row –
Number 4
There's been some great men in the engine room of the scrum
for the Lions over the years – think Willie John McBride, Martin Johnson, Wade
Dooley etc. Big aggressive units who
lead from the front – and that's what I'll be wanting from whoever fills my
number 4 shirt. The Lions need someone
to get into the Aussie faces and dominate collisions, raising the intensity of
those around them and charging around the park with a frankly crazed expression
on their face. It's been an interesting
Six Nations for second rows, with a few guys who you might have penned in
before the tournament failing to show up and a few more stepping up to the
plate nicely – it's probably one of the more open spots on the tour, and
therefore the most likely to cause some controversy. That hasn't stopped me from throwing a wild
card into my selection however…
TEST STARTER: ALUN WYN JONES. Yes, rugby nerds, I know he usually wears
the number 5 shirts, but really, what's the difference (said as a
non-lock)? You push in the scrums and
jump in the lineouts and run into rucks, no matter which number you wear.
Simples. And very few players do it
better than Alun Wyn Jones. His
performance against England was utterly superb – ferocious at the breakdown,
manic on the charge and a scourge in the set piece, and the word from inside
the Wales camp was that it was Jones who fired up the rest of the squad into
delivering one of their best performances of the last decade. I think he's a good shout for captain – he just misses out in my eyes – but,
regardless of whether there's a (c) next to his name, he's a bloke you want
helping to lead the side. Powerful and
athletic, he has a starting jersey sewn up.
DIRT TRACKER: NATHAN HINES. There, I said it. Nathan Hines. I said it again. It's not a mistake – I genuinely think he'd be a cracking addition to the tour party. If you watch Clermont play, you'll see how important he is to what they do, and how highly they rate him – it's why, at 36, he's still playing 80 minutes of top-level European rugby, and he'll have a semi final in a couple of weeks to show what he can do. 36, I hear you say – bit old, innit? Well, was Simon Shaw 'too old' in South Africa four years ago? I can see Hines taking a similar role to Shaw this tour – a big, powerful brute of a man with surprisingly deft handling skills and penchant for winding up the opposition. His Aussie heritage also means that he'll be especially fired up for the tour, and his local knowledge will mean he can double as a local tour guide between games – so he's also cost efficient.
Richie Gray, Joe Launchbury and Mike McCarthy are the
unlucky ones to miss out. Gray – a pre-Six
Nations favourite for a Test spot – has had a poor season form-wise, both for
Scotland and for Sale, and has now picked up a niggly injury that may have
ended his season. Launchbury meanwhile
is a great young player but on occasion, against more physical sides, he has
looked a little wet behind the ears and has yet to discover a true 'nasty
streak', whilst McCarthy impressed in part for the Irish but didn't quite do
enough to force his way into a Lions spot.
Who would fill your Lions number 4 shirt?
Not sure if he wears 4 or 5 on his back by Jim Hamilton had a good 6 nations and can certainly dish it out.
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