Lions Squad Announcement LIVE

After a week of rumours & supposed leaks, Warren Gatland has unveiled his 41-man squad to take on the All Blacks this summer. The squad consists of 16 English players, 12 Welsh, 11 Irish & 2 Scots.

There were a few surprises in the backs, with Kiwi born Jared Payne getting the nod due to his versatility. Ben Te'o has also been included and adds some bulk to the backline. Other notable additions include Tommy Seymour & Jack Nowell who both deserve their place. Simon Zebo & Mike Brown miss out.

In the pack, there was bad news for England captain Dylan Hartley & teammate James Haskell. Peter O'Mahony's man of the match performance against England sees him rightfully included alongside Munster teammate CJ Stander. Joe Marler gets the nod over Healy and Launchbury can consider himself very unlucky to stay at home.

FULL SQUAD:

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

Forwards: Rory Best, Dan Cole, Tadgh Furlong, Jamie George, Iain Henderson, Maro Itoje, Alan Wyn Jones, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler, Jack McGrath, Ross Moriarty, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony, Ken Owens, Kyle Sinkler, CJ Stander, Justin Tipuric, Mako Vunipola, Billy Vunipola, Sam Warburton (CAPT)

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