How the Lions XV would look with Eddie Jones in charge

What would an Eddie Jones Lions XV look like? The Aussie has achieved much of what was expected when he took charge of England back in 2015.

In his autobiography, Eddie Jones – My Life and Rugby, he revealed that he had a desire to take charge of the Lions during their tour to South Africa.

Front row

Hooker is one of the positions where the Lions are truly blessed for options. England's Luke Cowan-Dickie continues to perform to the highest standards, while Wales' Ken Owens has been one of the form number twos in the world of late.

We think Jones would take both players and it would be a tough call to split the pair for a starting spot, however Cowan-Dickie just gets the nod thanks to his greater try-scoring record and obvious pre-existing working relationship.

At prop, the choices are almost endless, but we think Jones would go with the tried and tested Mako Vunipola - a veteran of two Lions tours and someone who has featured heavily for England in recent years.
Mako would get the nod at loosehead prop, but tighthead is a bit more open, with the likes of Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler fighting for the number three shirt with England, so we're going for Ireland star Tadhg Furlong.
The 28-year-old is in close to career-best form, and even caught the eye with a remarkable step against Scotland last weekend. While not a 'big minutes' prop, his ability to provide more than just a battering ram would appeal to Jones' style, plus his prior experience in a Lions shirt from 2017 would go in his favour too.

Maro Itoje is a certain pick for Jones, the 26-year-old has been a cornerstone of England while Jones has been in charge and would likely be set for his second Lions tour.

On the other side, Jones is the most capped rugby union player of all time and a figurehead of experience who we think Eddie Jones would trust to lead the side.

The England boss has often been at odds with the Wales icon, calling out his attitude to referees - a claim Alun Wyn Jones laughed off - (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43005763) but there is an underlying mutual respect between the two, with Jones picking out his namesake as a man England should watch (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/25/jamie-george-recalled-for-england-six-nations-match-against-wales-rugby-union) when two two sides met in February.

Jones also selected the 35-year-old as 'one of four captains' of the Lions (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39347452) when quizzed on his thoughts four years ago.

Curry would have been just 11 years old when Alun Wyn Jones went on his first Lions tour way back in 2009, but the Sale Sharks superstar has already established himself as a firm Jones favourite and his Six Nations form has only backed up Jones' faith in his ability, which makes us confident he would get a Lions call from his national team boss.

The number seven shirt would be up for grabs, but we have gone for Sam Underhill with Eddie Jones in mind.

Finally, we think Jones would do well to overlook Taulupe Faletau were he in charge for the Lions tour later this year.

The 30 year old is one of the world's best in his position and has been in fine form once again in 2021. Jones is a long-time admirer of Faletau, he lauded his performances at the 2015 World Cup while he was in charge of Japan, calling the two-time Lions tourist the best Number 8 in the competition.

Owen Farrell is a certain pick as Jones' long-trusted England captain. Whether he would feature at centre of fly half is up for debate, but that now leaves the scrum half position.

Ben Youngs has been a long-standing fixture in the number nine shirt under Eddie Jones and would be a strong contender for the real Lions' scrum half spot.

The likes of Tomos Williams, Ali Price and Conor Murray would be unlikely to trouble Youngs' grip on the position under Jones and, while we are backing Danny Care for a trip with the Lions this year, Jones' fractured relationship with the Harlequins legend would likely stand in his way.

Centre has proven to be a difficult position to nail for Eddie Jones to nail in recent times, with Henry Slade - often criticised for his defensive work - the only regular alongside a fly half / centre figure such as Owen Farrell or George Ford in midfield.

Jones' long-term loyalty to players is well known, and if he could stick with one pair, we are certain he would. That's why we've gone for the Ireland pair of Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw if we were in his shoes.

Ringrose, probably Ireland's best attacking talent, is an upgrade on Slade at 13, while Henshaw has shown up well in midfield for Andy Farrell's side of late. Their pre-existing connection for Ireland make them a good fit under a Jones-led Lions side.

The Lions' back line this year could well be an all-Welsh affair, but Jones is a known admirer of a more tried and tested winger, so the likes of fresh-faced Louis Rees-Zammit would likely miss out in favour of England's current wing stars.

But full-back has been a position of change for Jones' England recently, so the ever-reliable Scotsman Stuart Hogg could well be in with a shout, but it would be hard for Jones to overlook Liam Williams, especially on the back of his recent efforts against England.