15 interesting facts about the Lions XV, including Farrell's name change and Leicester reject - Ruck

15 interesting facts about the Lions XV, including Farrell’s name change and Leicester reject

We now know the names of all the players starting to for the British & Irish Lions today, but we bet you didn’t know all of these interesting facts.

Meet the team!

15. Stuart Hogg: In 2012, following his Scotland debut, he discovered he was a distant relative of George Best. A close relative of Best recognised the link after seeing Hogg play on television.

14. Louis Rees-Zammit: At 12 he was told by Cardiff Blues he wasn’t good enough to make it as a pro rugby player , while at 16 and studying at Hartpury College he was told he’d never win a Wales cap Yet at 18 he had scored five tries in his first three starts for Gloucester and by 19 had played in four Tests for Wales.

13. Chris Harris: In June 2013, while still playing in National League One side Tynedale, Harris scored a try for England Counties XV against Belgium. The centre is Scottish qualified through his Edinburgh born grandmother

12. Owen Farrell: He was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year.

11. Josh Adams:  He made his first and only Scarlets appearance in the Anglo-Welsh Cup defeat to Cardiff Blues in 2014 before being released as a teenager

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