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Andy Farrell has now picked his British and Irish Lions squad to face Australia this summer.
After months of conjecture about who should make the cut, here is my verdict on every player making the plane Down Under.
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Ellis Genge (England)
I had him scraping onto the plane before the Six Nations. Now he is probably my starting loosehead. He offers leadership, mongrel spirit and will be a great tourist.
Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
A crowd favourite. The midweek boys will love him. If he stays fit, he could earn a Test cap. He is one hell of a ball-carrier who will love Australian conditions.
Andrew Porter (Ireland)
He was everyone’s shoo-in as a Test starter six months ago. Now he will want a flying start to reaffirm his claim. He remains one heck of a player, but is one of the Irish lads dented by Leinster’s and Ireland’s disappointment.
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Andrew Porter needs to bounce back after recent disappointments with club and country - Getty Images/Lionel Hahn
Zander Fagerson (Scotland)
I have always loved this man as a player. He is another who will love the Australian conditions. He is an elite ball-carrying and handling prop.
Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
They were always taking him, even if he only returned to action shortly before the squad was announced. His credit in the bank is deservedly high.
Will Stuart (England)
The back end of the Six Nations and some big occasions with Bath mean Stuart is looking good for a Test start. He handles, he carries. He does everything.
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Will Stuart’s performances in the Six Nations caught the eye - Getty Images/David Rogers
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Ronan Kelleher (Ireland)
A consistent performer behind the best hooker in the world, which says it all.
Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
With Peato Mauvaka out injured, he is the best hooker in the world. He delivers huge impacts every time he plays.
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Dan Sheehan will have been a shoo-in for Andy Farrell for some time - PA/Evan Treacy
Luke Cowan-Dickie (England)
Sometimes all it takes is one tap-tackle, like Cowan-Dickie’s spectacular effort on Blair Murray in Cardiff, to stick in the mind of a coach. He has done a great deal more, of course.
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Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
Will have been nervous before selection, chiefly because of his yellow card against France – a moment that might have made him a risk – and Leinster’s loss to Northampton. A big, ball-carrying second row who whacks things.
Maro Itoje (England)
What an honour to be captain. I thought he had a huge Six Nations for England and has two tours behind him. He is someone Jim Telfer would call a Test-match animal.
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Maro Itoje boasts significant Lions pedigree - Getty Images/David Rogers
Ollie Chessum (England)
This man has a lot of credit in the bank and will squeeze into the Test reckoning with a good performance in the first game on tour.
Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Whether at 4, 5 or 6, he has to play. He is an incredible ball-player and competitor.
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Tadhg Beirne was part of the touring party to South Africa four years ago - Getty Images/Stu Forster
Scott Cummings (Scotland)
Just back from a fractured arm. Without that injury, his selection would have been far more comfortable. With it, it will have been a tense wait. He is a big lump who lamps people.
James Ryan (Ireland)
I thought he would make it in 2021 when he was omitted by Warren Gatland. Because of injuries, this year looked less likely. This inclusion is testament to his class and work rate as well as familiarity with Farrell.
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Ben Earl (England)
Could play across the back row and might well earn three Test caps, whether he has six, seven, eight, 21 or 22 on his back.
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Ben Earl could have a big role owing to the injury to Caelan Doris
Jac Morgan (Wales)
I imagine he was an outside shot for the captaincy, which is an incredible effort for someone representing a Wales team who have not won a game in almost two years.
Tom Curry (England)
Almost man of the match in every England game he played this last Six Nations. On a Lions tour, the conditioning staff will look after him.
Henry Pollock (England)
Had to go. A good European Cup has been the springboard for a lot of players down the years and has got him on the plane.
Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
It is a huge compliment for him to have emerged from the scramble of outstanding opensides. His class over a long period is now perhaps taken for granted.
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Josh van der Flier has produced consistently at the top level over a numbers of seasons - Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
Jack Conan (Ireland)
There are plenty of sixes and sevens here. Conan, who was a Test starter three times in 2021, has got here because of his quality at the base of the scrum.
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Alex Mitchell (England)
Jack van Poortvliet’s injury on the eve of the 2023 World Cup presented Mitchell with a chance and he has never looked back. Over the past six weeks, he has been playing rugby like Lionel Messi. It is all in slow motion for him.
Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
You remove the mercurial talent that is Antoine Dupont, and there is no better scrum-half in the world than Gibson-Park.
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There was perhaps no surer pick than Jamison Gibson-Park - Getty Images/Adrian Dennis
Tomos Williams (Wales)
It is not Williams’s problem that Wales have struggled. Stick him in a good team and he is a great player.
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Finn Russell (Scotland)
Right now, he is still the Test No 10. I am not just trying to play fantasy rugby but, jeez, I would like to play in a midfield with him.
Fin Smith (England)
Even if he goes on to achieve extraordinary things, he will look back in 50 years’ time at these past four months and say “wow”.
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Fin Smith has had a sensational season for club and country - Getty Images/David Rogers
Marcus Smith (England)
Versatility, credit in the bank and a point of difference with his running game. He might be beginning the tour aiming for the 22 jersey, but stranger things have happened.
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Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
Sometimes, the less you play, the better you get. He was an immense presence in 2024 before injury struck.
Huw Jones (Scotland)
He just makes line breaks and scores tries against the very best teams in the world. What an asset.
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Robbie Henshaw offers a wealth of Lions Test-match experience - Getty Images/Ashley Vlotman
Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
Has an outside break and is tough and physical. I think he could be a really good Test-match 13.
Bundee Aki (Ireland)
Owns the gain line against any opponent in the world, which is pretty handy.
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Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
Try-scoring instincts, speed and power; it is difficult to see how he does not start a Test match, despite his recent injury.
Tommy Freeman (England)
Just in a remarkable purple patch. If he were a cricketer, we would be saying he is seeing it like a beach ball.
Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
He would be my starting full-back and I think Toulouse would have beaten Bordeaux if he had played. He is a massive presence and any fly-half would love having him out the back.
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Blair Kinghorn is firmly in the mix to be a Test-match starter at full-back - Getty Images/Andy Buchanan
Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
There was a stage when I could not have considered him not going. But after returning from his Olympic adventure, he has not quite rediscovered his top level. That reminds me a bit of Iain Balshaw in 2001, who went anyway because of what he was capable of.
James Lowe (Ireland)
Has a booming left peg and causes mischief and havoc out wide; a basketballer on the left wing.
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There have been few more consistent players as James Lowe in the northern hemisphere - Getty Images/Massimo Insabato
Mack Hansen (Ireland)
One of Farrell’s favourite players, so it is no surprise that an ankle injury has failed to rule him out.
Elliot Daly (England)
Loads of experience, 60-metre penalties, time on the ball and versatility. That ability to cover multiple positions is huge. I wish he was in the 2001 squad. Then I would not have had to play so much that my ankle fell off.
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