The now-balmy English summertime does not normally offer much to talk about in the way of Northern Hemisphere rugby. Many of the summer’s Sevens tournaments are wrapped up, and the home nations’ respective tours of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and the Pacific islands are done and dusted.
All eyes are turning towards the start of the Aviva Premiership and the Pro 12, but there is, however, an event that looms large on the sporting horizon. No, not the Olympics, but the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, which rugby fans can all agree is a far more entertaining prospect than whatever happens in London this summer.
While it may seem like a long way off – the Lions first outing against the Barbarians in Hong Kong takes place little under a year from now – make no mistakes, the British and Irish Lions’ brass will already be looking at candidates for the Lions tour, and it ultimately comes down to form.
The autumn internationals and the Six Nations are of paramount importance in terms of Lions selection and you can expect many of the eventual tourists, including some of the men I am about to analyse, to have laid down their markers in the upcoming months, whether they be regular starters or fringe prospects.
England:
For many of England’s lions hopefuls’, separating themselves from their counterparts in Wales, Ireland and Scotland should be their main objective this autumn. Players such as Chris Ashton, Courtney Lawes and Tom Croft – the latter two both returning from injury in time for the upcoming domestic and international season – will likely make the team, but despite their recent successes the England team are still somewhat experimental and there are several England players who need to have a strong autumn in order to secure a lions place.
Ben Foden & Mike Brown
To put it simply, these two will be competing for the England number 15 shirt throughout the domestic season and in England training camp, and whoever wins it will more than likely be the full back invited on the Lions tour.
Both are a reliable presence under the high ball, are deft with the ball in hand, and have a knack for scoring tries. Both will be given ample opportunities to shine, but Foden will emerge as the Lions’ preferred option. Leigh Halfpenny and Rob Kearney are the expected incumbents, with the former sharing Foden’s ability to play on the wing. Brown is good, but Foden offers Lions’ selectors more options.
Ben Morgan
Anglo-Welsh number eight Ben Morgan finds himself in a sticky situation of sorts. Although he performed admirably in the Six Nations and in Englands tour of South Africa, proving to be a talented and robust presence at the breakdown and in the scrum, and a better-than-expected ball carrier.
He will need to maintain his good form throughout the Pro 12 season as well as during the QBE internationals, but Morgan also needs to push himself as a major presence in the England set up. The reason for this? He is in an incredibly crowded number eight picture that features Ireland’s Jamie Heaslip and Peter O’Mahoney and Wales’ Toby Faletau and Gareth Delve, and could easily get lost in the pack in the absence of a string of stand-out performances.
England play Fiji on November 10th, Australia on November 17th, South Africa on November 24th and New Zealand on December 1st.
Scotland:
Despite being the only northern hemisphere side to claim a major scalp down under, beating Australia 9-6 in Newcastle, New South Wales, it is almost a foregone conclusion that short of a Six Nations title, Scotland will send the fewest Lions tourists out of all the home nations. However, Andy Robinson’s squad still has some bright spots and several players could force their way into the touring party.
Richie Gray
Excuse the pun, but Richie Gray is almost a lock to make the Lions team.
Gray has been one of Scotland’s brightest spots, in a pack that features previous Lions tourists Euan Murray and Ross Ford, over the past year. On his current form there is no doubt that he will be picked but he will need to maintain it over a gruelling autumn schedule in order to secure his spot. His new coach at Sale, Bryan Redpath, has recently stated in an interview with The Scotsman that ‘reputation counts for nothing’. This is equally true with the Lions.
Much like England’s Ben Morgan, Gray faces tough competition due to the abundance of world-class performers at his position. Ireland have Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell, Wales have Alun Wyn Jones, and England have an abundance of quality second row options in Tom Palmer, Courtney Lawes and Geoff Parling. Gray’s youth may make him an enticing prospect but he still has much to prove this autumn.
Tim Visser
If you need an example of how to make an impact on a rugby debut, look no further than Tim Visser.
The 2012 Pro 12 Player’s Player of the year made his much-anticipated debut for Scotland after three years of residency (Visser is Dutch and only became eligible after this period) against Fiji in June, and marked his debut with two tries in a 37-25 victory.
The flying Dutchman has been the Pro 12’s leading try scorer for three consecutive seasons, no small feat given that Shane Williams and Tommy Bowe both call the Pro 12 home, and it is clear that he is one of the more potent try scorers in domestic rugby in the Northern Hemisphere.
The key for Visser in terms of Lions selection is to translate his exceptional production for Edinburgh onto the international stage. No disrespect to the pacific islands, but Visser is yet to play any of the southern hemisphere’s ‘big three’ and strong performances will go a long way to disprove any claims that he is just a one-hit wonder.
Scotland play New Zealand on the November 11th, South Africa on November 17th and Tonga on November 25th.
Ireland:
Ireland, along with Wales, will likely provide the bulk of the touring party. They are strong in most positions, with a solid pack consisting of standouts Rory Best, Cian Healy, Donncha O’Callaghan, Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip, and backs Jonathan Sexton, Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney. While Ireland’s ‘golden generation’ have been criminal underperformers at international level, the fact that they hold such a title suggests that there is enough talent to build a Lions squad around them.
Brian O’Driscoll
One such player, even at the advanced age of 33 years old, is Brian O’Driscoll. Ultimately unless he picks up a serious long-term injury and ends up missing the autumn tests, a large chunk of the domestic season, and the six nations, O’Driscoll is as close to a certainty as any player in Britain and Ireland can be.
The reason why the mercurial O’Driscoll is on this list is because he faces stiff competition for another spot on the team. Its captaincy. Other than Wales’ Sam Warburton there are no realistic candidates for the job. Since being handed the Wales captaincy Warburton has been nothing short of brilliant, but on their recent tour to Australia, he was manhandled by David Pocock. Sure, Warburton was not 100% fit, but I doubt his ability to direct the flow of three pivotal test matches whilst fighting an unrelenting world-class opponent in Pocock.
Step forward Brian O’Driscoll.
His credentials speak for themselves, with an illustrious career at the helm of Ireland, and more recently captaining Leinster as they became a dynasty of European rugby. Despite recent periods of underachievement from Ireland, O’Driscoll’s importance is made far clearer when he is absent. Look at the 2005 Lions team and Ireland at the last six nations. BOD’s qualities as an experienced leader and battle-hardened veteran of three Lions tours make him the ideal captain for the tour to Australia.
Ireland play South Africa on November 10th and Argentina on November 24th.
Wales:
Wales’ tour to Australia this summer was arguably the most important of the summer internationals. Somewhat concerningly Wales had a sneak-preview of the Australian side and came away thoroughly beaten. Warren Gatland is expected to be the head coach of the Lions next summer, and he will probably bring with him a large contingent of Welsh coaches and players. As with Ireland, Wales will likely contribute the largest amount of players to the squad and like Ireland there are many players whose current form will have them already pencilled in for spots on the tour. But within the Welsh squad there are many position battles which will have an impact on the final selections for the Lions squad.
Gareth Delve
Despite making only eleven appearances for Wales in six years, Gareth Delve is surprisingly in contention to make an appearance on the Lions tour. Replacing the injured Toby Faletau, Delve was brought into the Wales team this summer and performed commendably.
Delve needs to establish regular playing time with Wales over the course of the autumn and the Six Nations in 2013, but fortunately for him his form throughout the past Super 15 season more than warrants consideration by Warren Gatland. Ironically, the very reason for his recent good form, his playing for the Melbourne Rebels, is arguably his biggest obstacle. In Australia he is arguably ‘out of the picture’ for Wales, and perhaps a move to Toulon, as was rumoured in 2011, may have increased his chances of being selected for Wales and by extension the British and Irish Lions.
But opting to stay in Melbourne could also be advantageous for Delve. He recently told the Western Mail that he hopes his ‘decent knowledge’ of Australian rugby will make him an attractive option to Lions selectors.
Delve will have to outperform Ryan Jones – whose career is undoubtedly in its twilight – and Toby Faletau. Faletau himself has been touted as a potential star for the Lions, and has performed exceptionally well for wales since his debut in June 2011. However, Delve has outperformed Faletau in their respective domestic competitions, and with Stirling Mortlock retiring, Delve is in line to become the Rebels’ captain. There are of course limited spots for back-row forwards, and whoever secures the Welsh number 8 job will likely be the one to go on tour.
Wales play Argentina on November 10th, Samoa on November 16th, New Zealand on November 24th and Australia on December 1st.
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