The talking is almost over. On Wednesday, the 2017 Lions squad will be revealed. Gareth Hughes gets inside the head of Warren Gatland, makes a stab at selection himself, and says 39 should be the magic number.
Selecting a Lions touring party, and the Test team, has been the subject of much discussion and debate for the last two years.
At last, we have arrived at the moment when the composition of the group is about to be announced and already the next stages of debate and arguments have begun.
This is partly down to the hard-earned, regained lustre of the ‘Lions’ brand’ following the disappointing tours of 2001 and 2005 and because, despite the appeal of the Rugby World Cup,
to many fans in the home countries, the British and Irish Lions remains the ultimate accolade for an international player.
Warren Gatland and his coaching team have to bring together the best players of the home nations and blend them into an international rugby team capable of beating the best team in the world – in their own home – and to manage this in a ridiculously short period of time.
The size of the task should not be underestimated as many good international sides that have been together for several years are unable to succeed at such a demanding task.
The itinerary, described as ‘suicidal’ by Graham Henry, will take all of Gatland’s coaching abilities to get the Lions even close.
They will have to perform alchemy of the highest order to create the right mix to mould a united and capable team. Gatland has a vast reservoir of experience to call upon and he will have utilised this to select the party that he feels will be good enough to beat the AB’s.
On Wednesday, at last, the endless parochial media speculation can end. When national bias has to be put to one side and when the players who have earned their places can be seen as Lions, not as English, Irish, Scots or Welsh players, and move seamlessly into a composite capable squad without losing the qualities that set them apart.
There will elation for a finite number of elite players and bitter disappointment for those who had high expectations but are not chosen. And, of course, the media will be vociferous in its criticism or support, depending on their own perceived interests.
Gatland will not be overly concerned; he has been through it all before and has confidence in his own abilities and record and believes that the team he has chosen will do well.
The majority of the players, coaching staff and supporters will trust his judgement. He was part of the rehabilitation in 2009 and he led the Lions to victory in Australia in 2013. He knows more intimately than most what it will take to win in New Zealand.
He comprehends what a Lions tour means to the hosts and how desperately they will want to win and he will use that to forge an identity and an ethos for the 2017 Lions.
The selection will not have been arrived at easily; a great deal of rugby will have been watched, studied and analysed before conclusions have been reached. The litmus test will have been the consideration of England’s matches against Wales and Ireland, and Ireland’s performance in Cardiff.
These games stood out in the Six Nations and made and destroyed reputations. It is no easy task to select a Lions squad and everyone will have an opinion. Here’s mine:
2017 British and Irish Lions
15, 14 &11: Hogg, Halfpenny, North, Williams, Daly, Nowell
Centres: Davies, Ringrose, Henshaw, Williams
Outside Half: Farrell, Sexton, Biggar
Scrum half: Webb, Murray, Youngs
Props: McGrath, Evans, Marler, Furlong, Cole, Francis
Hooker: Owens, Best, George
Locks: AWJ, Charteris, Kruis, Itoje, Jonny Gray, Henderson
Flankers: Warburton (Captain), Tirpuric, O’Brien, O’Mahony, Stander, Moriarty
No.8: Faletau, Billy Vunipola
The choice of a 39-man squad is to ensure the depth needed to cope with the inevitable injuries.
There will be an outcry concerning the omission of several English players, but in trying to second guess Gatland it seems he will have worked out what he needs. He knows he must have players that move forward not back, ones that influence or change games and don’t wait for something to happen.
Being a Lion is exceptional, a class apart, with the ability to perform at their best away from the comforts of home. That is the difference between getting the call or not.