Check out our 2021 Lions Draft as our features editor Alan Dymock goes against Tom Hamilton (ESPN), Chris Jones (the BBC) and Charlie Morgan (Telegraph) to pick a Test XV.
What started out as weeks of debate amongst friends has finally turned into a full-blown draft in the style of so many American sports: today we give you Rugby World’s 2021 Lions Draft.
With our own features editor Alan Dymock going up against Tom Hamilton of ESPN, Chris Jones of the BBC, and Charlie Morgan of The Telegraph, each took turns in a ‘snake draft’* to pick players for Test XV for the British & Irish Lions to face South Africa on the upcoming tour.
It wasn’t plain sailing and there was plenty of panic going around, but they did it. Obviously time moves on and since their showdown a lot has changed – earlier in the week we saw the Lions and Premiership reach agreement on player release and we have also sadly lost some players to long-term injury as George North and Joe Launchbury suffered cruel, cruel blows at the weekend.
Despite this, we would like you to let us know which of these teams you prefer with a vote on social media.
Recent injuries aside, which of these Lions XVs is your favourite?
— Rugby World (@Rugbyworldmag) April 29, 2021
Tom Hamilton’s XV
- Mako Vunipola
- Luke Cowan-Dickie
- Zander Fagerson
- Maro Itoje
- Tadhg Beirne
- Sam Simmonds
- Hamish Watson
- Billy Vunipola
- Ben Youngs
- George Ford
- Simon Zebo
- Manu Tuilagi
- George North
- Louis Rees-Zammit
- Anthony Watson
Chris Jones’s XV
- Joe Marler
- Ronan Kelleher
- Tadhg Furlong
- Joe Launchbury
- Courtney Lawes
- Sam Underhill
- Tom Curry
- Caelan Doris
- Conor Murray
- Finn Russell
- Josh Adams
- Henry Slade
- Jonathan Davies
- Keith Earls
- Max Malins
Charlie Morgan’s XV
- Cian Healy
- Jamie George
- Kyle Sinckler
- Iain Henderson
- Alun Wyn Jones
- Josh Navidi
- Justin Tipuric
- Jack Conan
- Ali Price
- Dan Biggar
- James Lowe
- Cameron Redpath
- Robbie Henshaw
- Duhan van der Merwe
- Liam Williams
Alan Dymock’s XV
- Wyn Jones
- Ken Owens
- Andrew Porter
- Jonny Gray
- James Ryan
- CJ Stander
- Josh van der Flier
- Taulupe Faletau
- Tomos Williams
- Johnny Sexton
- Jonny May
- Owen Farrell
- Garry Ringrose
- Hugo Keenan
- Stuart Hogg
So who do you think won the 2021 Lions Draft? You can vote via our supporting tweet – or let us know via rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com
*Simply put, a ‘snake draft’ involves people making single picks in a designated order and when it gets to the end of that order, the last person makes two picks at once and it comes back down the order in reverse.
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