A total of 42 players were called up to the Lions 2021 squad by Warren Gatland for what proved to be a very unique tour.
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.
Lions 2021 squad ranked:
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.
Embed from Getty Images#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.
Embed from Getty Images#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.