The Stoop Says Farewell

At the Twickenham Stoop last night Nick Evans said farewell to the home crowd in the way that a player of his calibre should do, by contributing 22 points and delivering a man of the match performance. He wasn’t handed the MOTM award for sentimental reasons, instead it was because he was the individuval that drove Harlequins around the pitch and showed us all his class and longevity in the game. In short he will be greatly missed by the club that he’s called home since 2008. 

Prior to Nick Evans' arrival at The Stoop he amassed 16 caps for the All Blacks between 2004 and 2007. Of course more caps could, and perhaps should, have found their way to him but playing in the era of a Mr D. Carter made that slightly challenging. However New Zealand’s loss was very much our gain as we have been able to enjoy and delight in the fly-half's skills ever since. 

Two key memories are etched in all of our minds when it comes to Nick Evans and Harlequins and they are their winning Premiership Final against Leicester and 'that' drop-goal versus Stade Français Paris in 2008. These are just two of the largest of the big moments that he has had in Harlequins' quarters and there have been countless others. Moments of brilliance and moments when he pulled the strings with total ease  mid-season in the hammering rain. As a result the Premiership team almost always put their best foot foward when  he was on the pitch and there was a noticable difference without him there. The fly-half's familiar and recognisable kicking style always kept their scoreboard ticking with ease and proved - not for the first or last time- the great importance of a high percentage goal-kicker. 

As John Kingston said last night after the match it’s no coincidence that Harlequins’ most successful period in terms of silverware has linked in with Nick Evans’ reign at fly-half. He has been the driver, their glue and their inspiration on the field. 

"I thought leaving New Zealand was hard, but leaving the game I've played since I was eight years old, and professionally for 17 years, is tough. But when you know, you know," said the fly-half earlier this week.  

"This game has taught me everything, showed me things I could never imagine and introduced me to people that are not teammates but family."

Not only are Harlequins losing a tremendous playmaker and one that makes them tick, off the field the changing room will miss a gentleman and a great team player. Before his boots are hung up for good there’s the small matter of a trip to Franklin’s Gardens and I’m sure that the rugby loving fans there will give the fly-half the respect that he deserves when the full time whistle blows. 

I, like so many, hope that Nick Evans next steps remain in rugby at Harlequins and that he transitions into their coaching set-up. The knowledge and understanding that he has, would be a tremendous asset to them and with him already cutting his coaching trade at Wimbledon the signs are positive. 

Read about the importance 
of the Restart Rugby Weekend

Retiring from professional sport is one of the most challenging things, serious injuries during players’ careers and back-to-back injuries test them both physically and mentally. The other great test is handling the transition from playing into the next chapter. Harlequins’ fly-half has a tremendous family unit around him and we hope the opportunity to stay in the game available. As a result of these two things, I personally wish that his transition can be as smooth as possible. Equally Karl Dickson will hang up his boots in a week or so and his future steps are into the world of refereeing.  I’ve no doubt that the scrum-half will progress swiftly up the refereeing ranks and enjoy a second rugby career in that manner. Retirement and the process of retiring is a topic that’s being given much more thought and consideration in recent months and the RPA’s work here is driving the way. As we’re hailing players that are about to retire after over a decade as professional athletes the fact that it’s Restart Rugby Weekend takes on even greater significance. 

Standing on the pitch at the end of last night’s game Nick Evans gave his assessment of the evening and his career at Harlequins. Without question it has been a superb one and once again we saw his tremendous humility and regard for those around him when he said:

“I’m only a little cog in the Quins machine and I couldn't have done anything without my team mates beside me on the field.”

The greatest fly-halves not only shine themselves but ensure that those around them thrive too. From the moment that Nick Evans put on a Harlequins jersey to the moment that he hangs up his last he will have done that. The shoes to fill are large indeed and finding another individual that will excel as much as he has done on the field and give as much to the club off it will be a huge challenge. 

‘A little cog’ in his own words, ‘a legend’ in his Director or Rugby’s words and one of the best international players that has arrived on these shores and graced us with his presence in the Aviva Premiership competition. 

One Month To Go - #PremSnaps

Today it’s exactly one month before the 15th Premiership Rugby Final and to mark the occasion the team at Premiership Rugby are launching a unique competition that I wanted to share with you. 

As you all know I enjoy adding my own photos to Out On The Full and this season Premiership Rugby are holding a photography competition to celebrate the upcoming final. The categories are open to professionals and amateurs like you and I and all entries are going to be judged by industry experts. 

As Premiership Rugby’s Communications Director Paul Morgan explain the images don't have to be the very best action shot in the world, instead they can showcase other elements of the Final:

“This competition is designed to celebrate the best of the Premiership Rugby Final, where the judges are looking for one single image from one of the last 14 Premiership Rugby Finals.

“We aren’t necessarily looking for a great action shot from a match but rather a picture that captures the spirit of the Premiership Rugby Final and makes the day such a special occasion.”

Personally I’ve loved taking images at the Premiership Finals each season, including trophy shots when the teams showcase their elation having achieved the ultimate domestic goal. In terms of the competition at hand the three shortlisted professional entries will be invited to the Premiership Rugby Awards ceremony in London on 17 May while winner of the amateur competition will win a separate trophy and two tickets with full hospitality to the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final on 27 May at Twickenham Stadium.

I know that there are a lot of you that love to take a snap or two at matches so why not take a punt and pop your image into the competition?! As they always say you have to be in it, to win it and who knows you could be a Twickenham Stadium enjoying full hospitality for the finale of this domestic season. 

Entries should be sent by email to photography@premiershiprugby.com by noon on Tuesday 9 May and all photographs submitted will be shared on social media with #PremSnap as part of the publicity for the competition!

All that’s left for me to say if get snapping or peruse through your back catalogue and submit your picture now! 

If you need some inspiration then take a look back through the Out On The Full Flickr account as it contains my snaps from a whole host of matches last season and before. Good Luck!

European Reflections - Semi-Finals Weekend

What a weekend of European Rugby! Personally I thought that all four semi-finals across the Champions and Challenge Cup were enthralling games. 

While I saw some people complaining that Munster versus Saracens at the AVIVA was boring I beg to differ because I couldn’t take my eyes off the contest. In Lyon, Clermont Auvergne and Leinster were embroiled in a classic of a different kind while over in the Challenge Cup we had niggle in La Rochelle and heartbreak for Bath in Paris. The weekend just gone had something for everyone and I’m already counting down the days before the two finals at BT Murrayfield. 

It is in Dublin where I’ll commence this reflection and it wouldn’t be fair to Saturday’s winners if I didn’t start with a word or two about them. Just when you think that Saracens have impressed you enough they seem to take it up another notch and I sat there quietly applauding the way that they managed the intensity of the atmosphere at the AVIVA Stadium and kept such a firm hold of the match itself. 

Saracens are the best club team in Europe, I think that few would dispute that statement based not only on their semi-final outing but on their European season as a whole. Once again in Dublin they combined ferocious and physical defence with an unrivalled kicking game and created points- scoring opportunities. While they weren’t quite as clinical as they should have been in the first-half their defence held resolutely firm and when flicked the switch in the second it went from 6-3 to 16-3 in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. 

Together Richard Wigglesworth and Owen Farrell drove the agenda and the latter is certainly my vote for this season’s European Player of the Year. Following the game Mark McCall praised the backbone of their victory - their defence - while Rassie Erasmus conceded that the reality is that Saracens are 10-20 points better than his team right now. That wasn’t a slight on Munster's players in the slightest, it was a nod to just how dominant Saracens are in Europe right now. 

Switching over to match in Lyon and it was a very different game but nevertheless  another corker. The manner in which Clermont started certainly took me by surprise but like so many the question mark as to whether they could continue at that rate was always present in my mind. 

The real test of Franck Azema’s men was when Leinster were back within touching distance and had the momentum in their favour. Clermont’s of old would have cracked at that point and instead this squad had more of an element of composure about them. That said had Dan Leavy’s disallowed try stood I could be writing a very different article about Clermont right now. Would they have continued to hold off Leinster’s efforts had they not been given that breathing time? Who knows?

In this match we saw players excel as individuals, potentially more than at the AVIVA Stadium where it was more about the collective as opposed to the individual. At the top of that list were a trio of Clermont players David Strettle, Camille Lopez and Morgan Parra. The first showed his full box of tricks and looked utterly electric in the Lyon sunshine. Clermont’s fly-half illustrated to us that the art of the drop-goal isn’t dead and that it should be utilised much more within the modern game. While Morgan Parra looked more composed than we’ve seen him in European play-offs before and his partnership with Lopez is a key driving force for Clermont Auvergne. 

I cannot finish reflecting on the weekend’s European semi-finals without popping a few thoughts down about the two losing sides. Both Munster Rugby and Leinster Rugby have turned heads this European season for a number of reasons and the duo look set to prosper for years to come given the age profiles of their squads and the relatively short time that they’ve spent together. 

Munster have dealt with the tragic death of Anthony Foley in a manner that has left us all in awe of their bravery. On the field they’ve found their form and style as the season  has progressed and it is one that will continue to grow with time. The spine of Munster’s team - their 8, 9 and 10 - have been superb and there’s no questioning the fact that Conor Murray was greatly missed at the AVIVA Staidum. 

When it comes to Leinster Rugby equally Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster have really ironed out how they want the province to play and the dividends are now being showcased week after week. Joey Carbery has emerged from being a relatively unknown academy player to an individual that opponents have to do a lot of homework on while Garry Ringrose also has talent in spades. Both he and Brian O’Driscoll aren’t fond of the comparisons that are made between the two of them but when the young centre scores tries like he did in Lyon how can you not discuss their similarities?

Guess which player the top tweet is about!? 

Personally I expect both Irish provinces to use this European season as a springboard for future success and it wouldn’t surprise me if one won the competition in the next few years. 

It was a captivating European weekend in the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup also delivered its fair share of drama and action. The time between now and the two finals will pass in an instant and then it will be the turn of BT Murrayfield to host Europe’s showpiece event. 

To borrow one of Ugo Monye’s phrases ‘the rugby romantic’ side of me would have loved to be sitting here and talking about a Munster versus Leinster Final in the Champions Cup and Gloucester Rugby versus Bath Rugby Final in the Challenge Cup. However the two finals that will take place on the 12 and 13 of May will make for intriguing viewing and  most certainly will finish the 2016-17 European season in style.

European Champions Cup Final

Saturday, 13 May - ASM Clermont Auvergne v Saracens 

17:00 KO - BT Murrayfield

Sky Sports / BT Sport / beIN Sports / FR2

European Challenge Cup Final

Friday, 12 May - Gloucester Rugby v Stade Francais Paris

20:00 KO - BT Murrayfield

Sky Sports / BT Sport / beIN Sports / FR4

England Squad for Argentina - A Focus On Youth

“We have focused particularly on youth because we want to find players who are going to be better than the 16 players who are going on the Lions tour. We have looked at trying to discover the best young talent in England and see how we can bring them through. To win the World Cup, we need to have the best talent; that is our ultimate destiny.”

Those were the words of Eddie Jones as he announced his squad to take to Argentina for a two-Test series. Just like yesterday’s Lions announcement he turned heads with his selection decisions because while we all knew that some younger players would be included on this tour, it’s fair to say that none of us foresaw the number being quite so high. 

Eddie Jones’ focus on youth has meant that a number of ‘more established’ players are not in the picture and that has sparked plenty of comment on social media. Of course the Australian won’t give two hoots about that and the fact of the matter is that he knows what those left out can do already and he wants to dive even further into England’s talent pool.

“What I am always looking to do is improve the squad and I feel that these young guys can take our squad to another level. There is no reason why those other players can’t come back into it, but like any player that’s not in the squad, there’s work to do on their game and they’ve got to be desperate to improve it.”

With his comments about finding players that are better than those that have gone on the Lions tour, and by excluding some of the Premiership's more experienced individuals, England's head coach is again keeping them all feeling uncomfortable. We’ve heard him say on so many occasions how he wants his players to never get comfortable because they deliver more when they are on edge and here is another prime example of that. 

For the 16 uncapped players contact time, and touring, as part of Eddie Jones’ senior squad must be a daunting prospect. Today was Nick Isiekwe’s 19th birthday, he was born in 1998 - yes I feel very old writing that - and yet in a short time he, and others, will find themselves under the intense scrutiny of England's coaching staff. The step from training and playing at Premiership level to International level is a big one and it will be sink or swim time for them. In that regard the message from their head coach is clear, don’t go into yourselves instead come into my set-up and thrive:

“What I want these young guys to do is not wait for the senior players to ask them to do things. I want them to come into the squad and push the envelope. These Curry boys, I only had to watch them play once. You could see they have got something about them. I want them to come in and raise the intensity of training. I want them to be the new energy in the team. The only thing the senior players ought to ask of them is to tone it down.”

When I asked further about his expectations for the squad as soon as they come together to prepare for the Barbarians he focused on the mental side of things and these individuals' psychology: 

"It’s not good enough to be picked for England, the only thing that’s good enough when you get picked for England is to win. These players have got to develop, if they haven’t got the winning mentality for England then they need to develop a mentality for England, and our aim to go on tour is to win 2-0.”

While Argentina will be looking to take a big scalp in June I'm of the opinion that that this England squad does have the ability to go over there and deliver the series victory that their head coach demands of them. Yes the balance is tipped in the favour of youth however with that  often comes a fearless mindset as player embrace the opportunity ahead of them and don't think too much about it. Dylan Hartley's leadership will be vital as will the actions of the senior players in the squad, the tour will develop their leadership capabilties too and look to bridge the leadership deficit that Eddie Jones often talks of. 

Within England's four year cycle the upcoming tour represents a unique opportunity to play this hand for the benefit of the squad in the longer term. While I fully expect that the criticism of Eddie Jones' decision to leave out certain individuals like Christian Wade to continue run at the end of the day the decision has been made and he really does know what he's doing! 

Personally I'm tremendously excited to see what this squad can do at Twickenham before their Tests overseas and I think that it's quite a bold, and exciting move. To finish this opening comment piece - more from today's announcement will follow - I'll leave you with Eddie Jones' definition of ultimate success from this summer's tour:

“If I can develop three or four of these guys better than the Lions guys it will be an enormously successful tour, that’s what we are looking for.”

England Squad for the Barbarians and Argentina

Forwards: Will Collier, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Curry, Tom Curry, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Dylan Hartley, James Haskell, Paul Hill, Nathan Hughes, Nick Isiekwe, Joe Launchbury, Matt Mullan, Chris Robshaw, Sam Underhill,  Harry Williams, Tom Wood

Backs: Mike Brown (vice-captain), Danny Care (vice captain), Joe Cokanasiga, Nathan Earle, George Ford (vice captain), Piers Francis, Sam James, Alex Lozowski, Harry Mallinder, Joe Marchant, Jack Maunder, Jonny May, Henry Slade, Denny Solomona

British & Irish Lions - Warren Gatland on...

As always with squad announcements some key talking points arose from the list of 41 players that Warren Gatland has selected to take to New Zealand. 

The omissions of Dylan Hartley and Joe Launchbury both caused plenty of discussion across the country as did the number of Scots included north of the border. Here's Warren Gatland's thoughts and views on those three topics, as well as the insights he provides regarding his thinking about Owen Farrell, is he in as a fly-half or a centre? 

Dylan Hartley

In the build up to this squad announcement the intense competition for places always meant that highly experienced and capable individuals were always going to miss out. Now we know that one of those is England’s captain and here’s the Lions head coach's perspective on that decision:

“We had some lively debate and Dylan is very unlucky in terms of not going, but if we'd selected Dylan you'd be saying Jamie George, Ken Owens or Rory Best. We didn't select Rory Best and there was uproar in Ireland over that selection. Dylan has done a great job for England since he has captained the team. 

“There's no doubt that or leadership qualities. He brings a competitiveness to the tight forwards and we discussed that, do we need that from a tight forward. There was a long discussion about that and a debate. 

“At the end of the day we felt we couldn't leave Jamie out. There's a potential for him to keep improving. He's done a good tings coming off the bench and is playing well for Saracens. We felt there's continued improvement in him as a player and that Rory and Ken had great Six Nations. There was always going to be a tough call and someone was always going to be disappointed. There were was long and lively discussion.”

Joe Launchbury

Since day dot we've also known that the spots for locks on the plane were going to be some of the toughest to select and Wasps' captain couldn't have done anything more to try and book one. 

“Again, it’s the same thing. Joe is unlucky, and we had a discussion about the second-rows. In terms of the second-rows, we weren’t going to leave out Alun Wyn Jones or Maro Itoje. They were nailed on for us. Iain Henderson has done an exceptional job for Ireland. He called line-outs that day [Ireland against England] and did a very good job. 

“We just discussed the differences between Courtney and Joe. Different players and having the discussion here now if we’d left out Courtney Lawes, you’d be asking the same question: ‘why did you leave out Courtney Lawes and what’s the difference?’ Joe Launchbury is very, very unlucky and again there was a long discussion about second-rows, and the depth and the quality that we’ve got in those positions.”

Scottish representation

One of the first splits that so many look at following a British & Irish Lions squad announcement is the breakdown by nation. Once again after Wednesday's squad the ‘lack’ of Scots has produced a bit of uproar north of the border however Warren Gatland was clear that nationality didn’t come into selection decisions:

“That was a thing – take the nationality out of it, let’s put all the players in contention in the positions and discus that. Go through the pros and cons of the players and forget about nationality. 

"At the end of the day, we just felt we’d looked at the footage, we’d done our due diligence, looked at the game in Twickenham. There’s no doubt that Scotland have done very well. They will be aggrieved and disappointed about that. They performed exceptionally well at home and probably the greatest strength that Scotland have had is probably their collective performance. 

The head coach added:

“We’re not playing at home. We’re playing away from home. Scotland haven’t been to New Zealand since 2000, and we’re playing the best team, back to back world champions, in their own back yard. So we have to perform away from home, and that’s going to be paramount for us.

Owen Farrell - 10 or 12?

As fly-half at Saracens and a centre for England it's abundantly clear that Owen Farrell can deliver the highest possible standards in both positions so the key question for the British & Irish Lions head coach had to be just where the Saracen fits into his thinking:

“We’ve picked Owen as a 10. I think there’s going to be a lot of competition in that position, the thing is people are saying either Johnny Sexton or Owen Farrell is going to play but don’t discount the competitiveness of Dan Bigger. He isn’t going to lie down and that’s what we want. But it could be a scenario where we end up with the best players on the field and if the best players end up being Johnny Sexton or Dan Biggar at 10 and Owen Farrell at 12 then we’ll do that. We’re confident we know that Owen Farrell can do that job for us, he’s done it for England. 

“There’s no doubt of that three players defensive ability, we’re confident that New Zealand are going to come down that channel at us and one of the things that Owen Farrell does bring is line speed defensively at 10, it’s a strength of his game that he’s got an edge about him – they’ve all got an edge about them – but he’s got an edge about him.

"We’ve looked at that from a defensive point of view, we’ve looked at how he plays there for Saracens. I think he sees himself as a 10 and knows he can do a job who can do a job at 12 and there’s not many players around who’ve got those sort of capabilities and are able to do that, obviously Dan Carter was one.”

British & Irish Lions Squad 2017 - Initial Reaction & Thoughts

A little after noon today the waiting was over as John Spencer formally announced 2017 British & Irish Lions squad that Warren Gatland and his coaching team have selected to go to New Zealand. 

Of course this morning details had emerged about Sam Warburton taking on the role of the captain but despite the intense speculation over the past few days until other squad members’ names were read out players' nerves across the country would have been jangling. The reactions that we’ve since seen across social media are of pure elation and joy while tonight those that missed out will be hurting. All season long we’ve heard about how players weren't thinking about New Zealand yet Billy Vunipola openly shared it a few weeks ago the real story and the fact that it will have been weighing on everyone's minds therefore tonight the announcement will sink in and all should rightly be extremely happy. 

So what of the squad itself? Well clearly Jared Payne and Ross Morarity are the two names that have caught so many off guard and now we all know that the Jamie Roberts rumour was a red herring as Ben Te'o will be one to provide that option of direct running in the mid-field. This time a few months ago who would have thought that Kyle Sincker's name would be announced by John Spencer? But, he's certainly going to be a key part of the mid-week plans and Graham Rowntree expanded on the prop's inclusion:

"Energetic, angry young man. I like the way he plays the game. He's got a very abrasive edge in his game -- but we need to keep it the right way. We need him doing the right things and not to get distracted. He is exactly the type of player we need to take to beat the All Blacks.”

Another head-turning area were the selections made at hooker and as we all know now England’s captain will now be available to Eddie Jones for their tour to Argentina. Dylan Hartley’s exclusion is an area that a man that knows him well - Steve Borthwick  -elaborated on: 

"It's one of those positions where we are absolutely spoilt for choice with the options we have. We discussed at length about it. Dylan has been a tremendous leader for England in the last period of time and is playing well, but the key for us was getting the right mix of players. 

“The three we have come we believe give us the right mix of strengths. Jamie's set piece and his running game, Ken Owens' form in the Six Nations was tremendous, Rory Best's competitiveness, his leadership his work at the set piece. So we believe the three we've picked have the mix we need for what we want to do in New Zealand.”

The words that Steve used there about ‘the right mix of players’ are ones that many would do well to remember as they turn to their keyboards in rage and fire out vitriol on social media.  The centres, locks and back row forwards were the areas that sparked the ‘heated and lively debates’ that Warren Gatland mentioned during the announcement and the permutations could have been cut many different which ways. Just remember that while we all have our favourites - personally I 100% would have included George Ford over Dan Biggar - now it is about providing this squad with our collective and unequivocal backing to facilitate going on the toughest tour in Lions history. 

The final name announced was that of Sam Warburton and while his selection as captain wasn’t a surprise after the morning's pictures on social media I'm surprised at some of the negative reaction to his appointment. A short time after the live press conference had finished I declared my opinion about it on social media and it went as follows; 

‘Led the way brilliantly in 2013 & I've no doubt that Sam Warburton will be a first-class captain again.’ 

It’s fair to say that this short post was slammed by quite people yet I stand by my words wholeheartedly and here’s why. Captaining the Lions is unique and leading the Lions on a tour to New Zealand requires experience as much as anything else. The Welshman knows the demands that will be placed upon in role, not just on the field but from a media perspective as well. He has the respect and trust of those around him - players that know him hail him to be a tremendous team-mate, bloke and leader - alongside this he has the trust and respect of Warren Gatland and a number of the coaches that are back from 2013. This relationship between head coach and captain in particular is vital and England's success is a prime example of this due to the relationship Dylan Hartley and Eddie Jones and the same will arrive from the Warburton and Gatland dynamic. As ever the back row forward spoke honestly and openly when asked appointment and his decision-making process:

“I said yes straight away. It was an easy decision. Obviously people are wondering why I wasn’t Welsh captain but now I’m Lions captain.It all goes back to just making sure you are playing well. I didn’t feel comfortable being Wales captain for the Six Nations. I didn’t feel I was playing my best rugby. I would find it difficult to lead a bunch boys out when you are not hitting your straps. That’s the one thing I always prioritise as captain.

“But I have been really pleased with my form and the way I am playing since the start of the Six Nations. That made the decision to say yes to the Lions captaincy a lot easier. “As a player I have to feel I deserve my place in the Lions team. If I felt deep down I wasn’t playing well and just scraping into the squad, I would have said I don’t think I am the right person to do it (the captaincy). I wouldn’t have been in the right frame of mind.”

I could continue for many more paragraphs but I'll resist doing so in this article and instead just say that this just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the reaction that I’ll be bringing you at Out On The Full to Warren Gatland’s squad. There's so much more detail that I'll be diving into in terms of the specific coaches' viewpoints, Warren Gatland's opinion and much more so watch out for it all at Out On The Full over the next few days before we dive into the Champions Cup semi-finals. 

For now I’ll leave you with a little reminder of the 41-man squad and say this.. Warren Gatland’s British & Irish Lions squad is one of the strongest selected in history and while they will be facing the back-to-back world champions with a less than ideal itinerary I maintain that they can do what many people believe is impossible and return with a series victory. 

2017 British & Irish Lions Squad

Backs: Dan Biggar (Wales), Elliot Daly (England), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Own Farrell (England), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Jonathan Joseph (England), Conor Murray (Ireland), George North (Wales), Jack Nowell (England), Jared Payne (Ireland), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Tommy Seymour (Scotland), Ben Te'o (England), Anthony Watson (England), Rhys Webb (Wales), Liam Williams (Wales), Ben Youngs (England).

Forwards: Rory Best (Ireland), Dan Cole (England), Taulupe Faletau (Wales), Tadgh Furlong (Ireland), Jamie George (England), Iain Henderson (Ireland), Mauro Itoje (England), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), George Kruis (England), Courtney Lawes (England), Joe Marler (England), Jack McGrath (Ireland), Ross Moriarty (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Peter O'Mahony (Ireland), Ken Owens (Wales), Kyle Sinckler (England), CJ Stander (Ireland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Mako Vuniopla (England), Billy Vunipola (England), Sam Warburton (Wales).

British & Irish Lions Squad Announcement - Preview

So here we are, it’s the eve of the British & Irish Lions squad announcement and the waiting is almost over. I've lost count of the number of squads that I've read and the number of hats that have been thrown into the ring! However at the end of the day it comes down to one final selection meeting that will take place today and then that's it, decision made.

Since Warren Gatland's appointment there have been 15 autumn international matches and 14 RBS Six Nations encounters that included the home nations. Alongside those matches we've all watched countless PRO12 and Premiership clashes as well as the European competition. In short the Kiwi has had plenty to digest and also will have taken a good look at New Zealand's outings alongside the new Super Rugby season. Back in November at Canterbury's official shirt launch Warren Gatland told me that when he arrived at the decision making point players' prior Lions experience would play a part in his thought process:

“I think the same applies [continuity of faces], not just from a coaching point of view, but maybe for some of the squad as well. With players that have been on previous tours their form has got to be important, but there might be a player who you look at that’s been on previous tours and was a regular Test starter then but at the moment there are one or two others that are better than him. He could still be really good to come as an experienced Lions player that’s been on past tours and would be great for some of the youngsters and as a mid-week player.”

In this regard you’d put individuals like Cian Healy or Dan Cole as examples. Now I’m not saying that either are shoe-ins for places on the plane however when you think about the conversations that Warren Gatland will have had with his coaching team, experience is an element that will have been taken into account and may sway a head-to-head decision one way or the other. 

Now as you’d expect by the day before a squad announcement there have been a few reports about players that are believed to be missing out. Joe Launchbury, Jonathan Joseph and George Ford are three names that arrived on Tuesday's back pages and online across The Times and the BBC and if those reports do turn out to be true then I have to say that I'll be surprised on the decision about the two Bath players in particular. Joe Launchbury is the ultimate athlete yet he's in a position of such great strength that whichever way you cut the lock selection cloth some outstanding Test players won't be on the plane. 

Of course we all know that injuries may play a part before the opening Test on Saturday 24th June and those that aren't selected tomorrow could very well find themselves in a Lions jersey this summer. Let’s be clear here though, none of us want to see an individual that is announced tomorrow get injured and not be able to play their part because British & Irish Lions selection is the ultimate honour however it is part of the game of rugby and history shows that it is likely to happen.

Over the past few weeks there’s been much discussion of ‘bolters’ in particular individuals that perhaps haven’t even played international rugby yet or aren’t currently in international set-ups. While I have enjoyed the debates raging around as much as the next person I can’t see any true bolters getting a seat on the plane. Why? Well, let's just remind ourselves that this is a tour to New Zealand! It’s an obvious but very pertinent point. If this tour was heading to South Africa then I think there would have been room for manoeuvre however this squad announced tomorrow will be playing the world leaders, the benchmark, the standard setters. As a result I think that players have to have proven themselves on the most intense of stages and that means at international Test level. Some of the 'bolters' mentioned the likes of Denny Solomona and Christian Wade are excellent finishers and fine, fine wingers but if you look at those out wide that have played recently in the Six Nations and back in the autumn they provide just as much of a threat and are tried and tested in the international cauldron. 

When Warren Gatland was announced into role back on September 7th the external viewpoint of this tour was that it was an ‘impossible task’ however Ireland’s victory in Chicago altered that perspective considerably. My view has always been that with the talent available a tour victory is possible despite the lack of preparation time and it coming off the back of a long, hard season. I believe that the best of the home nations will be a force to be reckoned with and that will be shown tomorrow in the quality of the squad that is announced and equally through the players that miss out. 

Another element that is a key point in potential success is that Warren Gatland and a number of his coaches have done this all before. They know the difference between this British & Irish Lions tour and a normal international tour and crucially the head coach himself is acutely aware of the nuances of the New Zealand the rugby landscape and the traditions of the country. Please don’t underestimate the value of this because this detailed understanding of what’s in front of them will be a vital element to a successful tour.

One other rather important thing that we will find out tomorrow is the British & Irish Lions captain and it goes without saying that this selection is vital. The squad dynamic is set by the captain, the leadership on the field must be exceptional and the person selected needs to be able to handle their own game, those around them and the external pressures on the squad. Clearly the odds closed on Sam Warburton a little while ago and like so many others I'm of the opinion that as long as he feels comfortable that he can deliver on the captaincy and maintain his impressive form I believe that he's the right man of the job. In this case experience counts and the respect he'd have from the rest of the squad alongside the his existing relationship with Warren Gatland and a number of the other coaches will count for a huge amount. 

The British & Irish Lions is the pinnacle of Northern Hemisphere rugby, it gets you like nothing else and tomorrow every single player in contention will be feeling the nerves. Some may have heard whispers but until tour manager John Spencer says their names on stage none will feel certain that they have a place on the plane - bar the appointed captain!

Warren Gatland's squad will turn heads, some will be up in arms at his decisions in certain areas but remember that the Kiwi is in charge for a reason. He knows the British & Irish Lions, he knows New Zealand and he will have a clear idea in his mind of the type of rugby that he wants them to play to prevail on the most challenging tour in British & Irish Lions history. For now there's nothing left to do but wait, it's going to be a tremendously exciting day and keep an eye out here for all of the reaction from the announcement. Until tomorrow…