Legendary back-rower Sam Warburton has picked his stunning Lions pack to beat South Africa in his latest column for
The Times.
'Selection is fascinating and fantastically difficult. Until you sit down and think, “Right, they’re playing tomorrow, now what is the team going to be?” you don’t realise how hard a job it is.' wrote Warburton who captained the Lions in 2013 and 2017..
'Now I am out of it, I can have a go at selecting and so here is the pacl I think will be picked in the first Test this summer, presuming everyone is fit.'
With no Scottish or Welsh players making his front eight, the forwards in his selection comprises of five Englishman and three Irishmen.
DID YOU KNOW? Sam Warburton had a trial with local club Cardiff City at the age of 14 but chose to concentrate on rugby instead
FRONT-ROW:
- 1. Mako Vunipola (England)
- 2. Jamie George (England)
- 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
DID YOU KNOW? Sam Warburton is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
SECOND-ROW:
- 4. Maro Itoje (England)
- 5. James Ryan (Ireland)
"What about my captain? It is between Farrell and Itoje. It is such a close call. Both are definite starters (Farrell will be at 12 if not 10) and it makes perfect sense for an Englishman to be captain because most of the squad is likely to be English. I think it will be Farrell but, if I were making the decision, I would pick Itoje."
BACK-ROW:
- 6. Tom Curry (England)
- 7. Sam Underhill (England)
- 8. Taulupe Faletau (Wales)
DID YOU KNOW? He has an older twin brother, Ben, who played at semi-professional level with Glamorgan Wanderers RFC and is now a physiotherapist for the Cardiff Blues
