Lions 2021: All 40 players ranked from the worst to best

For some, the past six weeks has cemented their status among the world's best players, while others will reflect on missed opportunities.

After losing the opening Test, the world champions bounced back to claim the remaining matches as the Lions will head home licking their wounds.

So, just what did each of these.tourists contribute?

Scroll through the gallery and let us know if you agree with RUCK's verdict.

N/A: Justin Tipuric (Wales) & Andrew Porter (Ireland) - Both suffered injuries before the tour, meaning neither made it to South Africa

#40. Rónan Kelleher (Ireland) - The Ireland hooker was called into the squad the same time Alun Wyn Jones returned, being somewhat overshadowed. He failed to make a single appearance.

#39. Gareth Davies (Wales) - The Wales and Scarlets scrum-half headed into the 2021 tour hoping to impress, but failed to perform in the warm-up matches. It's no shock that Conor Murray and Ali Price have been ahead in Gatland's No. 9 pecking order.

#38. Zander Fagerson (Scotland) - The 25-year-old Scotland and Glasgow Warriors prop started the tour late due to a back spasm, not helping in his bid to add more than 120 minutes to his tour - during which he scored one try.

#37. Jonny Hill (England) - The 27-year-old has racked up 240 minutes on this tour, achieving a 75 per cent tackle success with 24 made and eight missed.

#36. Josh Navidi (Wales) - The son of a wrestler, Navidi fought back from injury setbacks in 2020 to become a crucial talisman for Wales this calendar year, but it wasn't enough to convince his former international coach to give him the nod.

#35. Jamie George (England) - The hooker, who became the first Englishman to captain the Lions since 2009, may count himself as unlucky not to be involved in any of the tests considering it wasn’t that long ago he was the nailed-on starter for England. George led the tourists and scored twice in a 71-31 warm-up match against the Sharks.

#34. Rory Sutherland (Scotland) - Inconsistent throughout the tour. Fans will be wondering why Joe Marler and Cian Healy were overlooked for the squad.

#33. Taulupe Faletau (Wales) - The back rower’s exclusion from the Lions side for the first Test with South Africa came after a fragmented run-in to the series during which he played bits of games here and there. Disappointing by his high standards.

#32. Elliot Daly (England) - Concerns about his poor pre-tour form proved to be correct as he failed to perform in any of the tests.

#31. Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales) - Regarded among the best young wingers in the world ever since his meteoric rise at Gloucester, Rees-Zammit failed to live up to the reputation and didn’t feature in any of the test matches. Probably left out due to his size, which is so disappointing considering his electric pace.

#30. Sam Simmonds (England) - All of the pre-tour hype following his record-breaking haul of tries during the 2020/21 Premiership season seem to have completely faded away. Hopefully, this will still act as a kickstart to his international career with a recall from Eddie Jones hopefully coming this Autumn. Offered nothing in the third test.

#29. Wyn Jones (Wales) - World-class scrummager. Returned from injury just in time to play a crucial role for the tourists in the first half of the third test.

#28. Iain Henderson (Ireland) - Four years ago in New Zealand, the Ireland powerhouse narrowly missed out on a Test appearance despite wearing the red jersey six times during the tour. The 29-year-old has racked up 221 minutes during which he made 28 tackles and missed three. He deserved his chance this time around.

#27. Liam Williams (Wales) - Came into the team to bring defensive safety in the third test but ended up being rinsed by Cheslin Kolbe. He'll be more fondly remembered for his exploits in New Zealand four years ago.

#26. Owen Farrell (England) - A series to forget for the uninspiring England captain. Outshone by his junior Marcus Smith, it will be very interesting to see if he remains in Eddie Jones plans moving forward starting with the Autumn Internationals.

#25. Anthony Watson (England) - For someone regarded as a world-class winger, showed very little evidence of it.

#24. Adam Beard (Wales) - The Welshman displayed his physicality since coming in as cover for Alun Wyn Jones and his maul defence against South Africa A was particularly noteworthy. Very unlucky not to feature in one of the tests.

#23. Chris Harris (Scotland) - Consistent in both attack and defence, Harris was unlucky to lose his place following the second test.

#22. Stuart Hogg (Scotland) - His early tour was disrupted by isolation. Did alright in the first test but flopped in the second.

#21. Dan Biggar (Wales) - Missed kicks in all of the tests. Failed to spark the team, but was a warrior throughout.

#20. Ken Owens (Wales) - Found redemption in the third test, scoring a crucial try and being inch perfect with his lineout throws.

#19. Bundee Aki (Ireland) - The powerhouse proved to be a great tourist and he didn't let anybody down on the field.

#18. Marcus Smith (England) - Despite only making one appearance after being called-up, the English youngster made an impactful debut against the Stormers. The international rookie, who made nine tackles and shone with the ball in hand, producing a trademark goose step late on. Seven successful conversions have helped push him into the equation to face South Africa with fitness concerns elsewhere at fly-half - but it wasn't to be.

#17. Duhan van de Merwe (Scotland) - He offered a physical presence in the warm-up matches but with the speed, agility and kicking game of the Springbok back three, the tests proved a difficult learning curve.

#16. Kyle Sinckler (England) - Despite having not originally made the squad, Sinckler has been in excellent form out in South Africa.

#15. Mako Vunipola (England) - The loosehead has grown into the tour and played a starring role off the bench as the Lions won the first test.

#14. Conor Murray (Ireland) - Mixed bag throughout the tour but box-kicked well when he was on the field.

#13. Hamish Watson (Scotland) - Any suggestion the Scot is too small – which really shouldn’t be taken too seriously if you’ve been watching international for the last two years – have been completely dismissed.

#12. Finn Russell (Scotland) - A player who has been hurt by the isolations due to Covid and injury since the Lions arrived in South Africa. Flashed a lot of his potential against the Sigma Lions, and impressed for the Lions in the third test.

#11. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland) - The versatile lock/blindside has looked comfortable in a red jersey and has brought a presence at the breakdown that the Lions have missed in matches without him.

#10. Luke Cowan-Dickie (England) - The Exeter hooker has offered his trademark physicality, whilst also prospering with his set-piece basics.

#9. Josh Adams (Wales) - The wing has been in clinical form scoring eight tries in the warm-up matches and defensively has coped well with his responsibilities.

#8. Tom Curry ( England) - Scary that he's still only 23. He could realistically go on two more tours. Absolute powerhouse, but disappointed a bit in the third test.

#7. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) - The Irishman was unfortunate to pick up an injury on arrival in South Africa but rallied back to start all three tests. A bit quiet in the finale.

#6. Ali Price (Scotland) - Set a distinct tempo in the first test, meaning eyebrows were raised when he was dropped in favour of Conor Murray for the second match.

#5.Jack Conan (Ireland) - One of the breakout stars of the tour, the powerhouse carried and tackled ferociously whenever he was on the pitch.

#4. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) - What can you say? The inspirational leader recovered from a dislocated shoulder to play and play well in all three tests against the Springboks.

#3. Courtney Lawes (England) - Man of the match in the victorious first test, Lawes came from nowhere to be one of the Lions' more impactful players. Was very unfortunate to have conceded the tour-deciding penalty.

#2. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland) - The tighthead continues to look every inch the best front-rower in the world. He’s contributed equally in the loose and at the set-piece.

#1. Maro Itoje (England): World-class. The English lock has been in excellent form at the set-piece and he has been one of the few Lions forwards to consistently succeeded in clearing out and living with the physicality that the South African players brought.