Former Ireland international Alan Quinlan has left England lock Maro Itoje out of his second-row for the Lions this summer.
“I am picking Jonny Hill in the second row because I think he is a great player,” Quinlan told On The Ball.
“Some of the English players have been judged harshly. They were poor in the Six Nations, but there is mitigation around that with a lot of Saracens players not having played matches.
“If Alun Wyn Jones isn’t captain, then it is Itoje and Jonny Hill in the second row.
“Obviously Jones is captain, so he has got to start. That may change, Warren Gatland said that at the beginning when he announced the captaincy as well, but ideally you want your captain starting all three Tests.
“The reason I am going for Jonny Hill is because Itoje’s form in the Six Nations wasn’t great. He is a superb player, he is world-class, and he is someone who will inevitably play well in the warm-up games before the first Test.”
Alan Quinlan’s Test XV for the Lions:
BACK-THREE:
Stuart Hogg; Louis Rees-Zammit, Duhan Van Der Merwe
CENTRES:
Elliot Daly, Robbie Henshaw
