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Sam Warburton's British & Irish Lions 23 has some major omissions
By Ian Cameron
Former tour captain Sam Warburton has made some wild selections in his latest British & Irish Lions selection.
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The Welshman- who captained the tour in 2017 before retiring early from the game – has chosen an England and Scotland-heavy selection despite the fine form of Ireland in recent seasons.
“I am selecting players who did not feature this summer, but I am also drawing on my experience of the 2013 tour there,” Warburton writes in his piece for The Times. “I know that the general handling ability of players has improved a lot since then, but I am picking the side that will stay true to the words of head coach Warren Gatland, who said back in 2013: “We have to batter them up front.”
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The starting XV includes Blair Kinghorn at full-back, with Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe on the wings. The midfield pairing consists of Robbie Henshaw and Sione Tuipulotu, with Ireland’s Bundee Aki nowhere in sight.
England’s Marcus Smith and Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park form the half-back partnership, with Finn Russell on the bench.
In the forwards, Saracens No.8 Ben Earl starts, with Jac Morgan at seven and Ollie Chessum at blindside.
“It was a tight one at No 8, because I think you’ve got three great eights at the minute. Wainwright played extremely well in the summer. Caelan Doris is obviously Ireland’s captain, but I’ve gone for Ben Earl. He is simply world class and because Chessum is at six you do not have to worry about him and Morgan not being particularly tall men.”
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Warburton lumped for Joe McCarthy and George Martin who combine in a youthful if ultra-physical second row, with British & Irish veteran Maro Itoje dropping to the bench.
“In the second row I’ve gone with two big enforcers, George Martin and Joe McCarthy. These two always have a massive impact on any game. They provide serious weight in the scrum and they can both lineout jump and lift.”
The front row features Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong.
The replacement bench includes Dewi Lake, Andrew Porter, Archie Griffin, Maro Itoje, Caelan Doris, Alex Mitchell, Finn Russell, and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Warburton’s inclusion is expected to bring experience and leadership to the squad.
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Notable omissions: Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose, Josh van der Flier, Tadgh Beirne, Jamie George, Tom Curry, Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, Manu Tuilagi, Freddie Steward, Josh Adams, Liam Williams, Tommy Reffell,
Sam Warburton’s British and Irish Lions 23
STARTING:: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Ollie Chessum, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 George Martin, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Ellis Genge
REPLACEMENTS: 16 Dewi Lake, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Caelan Doris, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Finn Russell, 23 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
I would pick the entire Irish team plus a few Englishmen on the bench with the South African boerewors at 11.
Aki has been the best 12 in the world in the last year and a half. Best player of the 2023 RWC by a length.
Not picking him to start is just weird and inexcusable. The likelihood, that Andy Farrell would play anyone over him bar injury converges to zero.
Aki is one of the few walk-in starters for whom there simply isn’t a like for like equivalent.
If these guys haven't won pressure games, at least they don't have a history of choking as favourites. May as well give them a go rather than turning to people who have already proven how they handle the pressure is underwhelming? These guys could do better
If somebody was asked to pick a lions team not on this summer but previous form etc. This is still not it. The form team has been Ireland, form players for club and country have been Irish. That's a team a darts fan would pick. Stunned