RANKED! The Lions 3 best and 3 worst players on the tour so far
Rugby NewsSunday, 11 July 2021 at 13:00
Who has been the British & Irish Lions best and worst players in South Africa so far? RUCK ranks the performances of the most impressive and most underwhelming players.
BEST PLAYERS:
#3. Maro Itoje (England)
Second-row might be the first position where there something close to a nailed-on selection - with Itoje's performance against the Lions in Johannesburg offering a preview of the nuisance he could be to the Springboks come July 24.
#2. Hamish Watson (Scotland)
The Scotland flanker has carried well above his weight on the tour so far - making any pre-tour criticisms that he wasn't big enough to make an impression in South Africa look daft.
#1. Josh Adams (Wales)
Adams has started the campaign in a blaze of form, with his hat-trick against the Sharks and quartet of tries against Sigma Lions following a touchdown against Japan to take his tally to eight. He is also performing well in his general play, too, chasing strongly in all three games.
WORST PLAYERS:
#3. Taulupe Faletau (Wales)
Hasn't turned up on the tour so far with Jack Conan and Sam Simmonds making more impactful appearances for the tourists. There is certainly a lot more to come from the Tongan powerhouse in the next few weeks.
#2. Gareth Davies (Wales)
Took until yesterday against the Sharks to get his first start on the tour. His intercepted pass led to a Sharks try and also had a kick half-charged down. After a poor performance he was withdrawn after just 47 minutes.
#1. Jonny Hill (England)
A bit loose at times so far, with the odd ill-advised pass, from a player who had previously set the bar high. Overall, he has struggled to step up to plate so far with fans initial confusion when the Exeter lock was chosen ahead of Jonny Gray and James Ryan looking justified.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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