After over 100,000 votes, rugby fans pick their all-time British & Irish Lions XV - Ruck

After over 100,000 votes, rugby fans pick their all-time British & Irish Lions XV

Barry John or Jonny Wilkinson? Martin Johnson or Paul O’Connell? Gareth Edwards or Matt Dawson?

The British & Irish Lions tour South Africa in 2021, where players will look to etch their names into history.

But who would make your all-time British & Irish Lions XV?

Over the past few weeks 107,172 of you have picked your favoured players from the shortlist selected by a panel of Guardian experts.

Fullback: JPR Williams (Wales) – 72%

Runner-up: Gavin Hastings (Scotland) – 10%, Jason Robinson (England) – 10%

He went on only two Lions tours, in 1971 and 1974, and the mark he left on both is still remembered fondly to this day. As a result he has one of the most impressive Test records with the Lions of any player, winning five Tests, drawing two and losing just once. To come away as a winner from two different series is a remarkable feat.


Winger: Gerald Davies (Wales) – 21%

Runner-up: JJ Williams (Wales) – 19%

Davies was a British and Irish Lion in 1968 and 1971, one of a raft of Welsh players alongside Barry John, Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams to enter into the folklore of both the Lions and Wales. Davies also served as the team manager for the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa.


Outside-centre: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) – 43%

Runner up: Will Greenwood (England) – 4%

Probably the best player ever produced by Ireland, O’Driscoll was Lions captain on the ill-fated 2005 series that saw his tour cut short in a controversial manner. His cutting runs in Australia four years previous were instrumental in getting the series win. He toured again in 2009 and 2013. This made him only the third player in 125 years of Lions history to go on tour four times.

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