"Barrel-chest of a shot putter" - Bill McLaren ranked top 5 all-time Lions - Ruck

“Barrel-chest of a shot putter” – Bill McLaren ranked top 5 all-time Lions

Legendary commentator Bill McLaren took on the daunting task of picking his greatest British & Irish Lions of all time for a book in 1998.

A tribute to the special spirit of the British Lions rugby team, with a history of Lions tours and pen portraits of the sixty greatest Lions players since 1971.

Playing for the British Lions has been the ultimate accolade for any Home Union rugby player, ever since the first Lions tour to South Africa in 1910. In his capacity as a rugby commentator on national radio and television for more than 35 years, Bill McLaren is the ideal person to uncover the magic and pride in putting on a Lions shirt and playing in the world’s most famous rugby touring side.

The book features McLaren’s personal portraits of the 60 greatest Lions players. Below are his top five.

Bill McLaren’s Dream Lions is a special tribute to the unique spirit of the British Lions, a quality that has won the admiration of rugby followers around the world.

Bill McLaren Top 5 all-time Lions

#5. Jeremy Guscott (England)

McLaren said: “He burst onto the scene with elegant, smooth acceleration, superb judgement of angle and distance, and subtle body balance in swerve and pace change, that were to decorate his career as one of the most gifted centres to ever play the game.”

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