Speaking to Wales Online as an ambassador for The Hundred, Shane Williams agonised over who should start on the wing for the Lions with Louis Rees-Zammit missing out.
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
- 14. Anthony Watson (England)
- 11. Liam Williams (Wales)
Williams said: “The easiest one for me is that Stuart Hogg has to be at 15. He’s an integral part of what the Lions are all about and is the form full-back in world rugby.
"I’m a big fan of Watson – he’s been there and done it before. As has Liam Williams,” said Shane, who played for Wales 87 times over an 11-year Test career.
“If they were playing tomorrow and you wanted a proven Test team, Anthony Watson and Liam Williams would be playing.
“That means you leave Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit out. That’s a very difficult choice for me because I’ve been writing up those boys for the last two years.
CENTRES:
- 13. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)
- 12. Owen Farrell (England)
Williams said: “Even though Farrell hasn’t been playing particularly well for England, he is still a big occasion player.
“With him at 12 alongside Dan Biggar, that could do some real damage.
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Dan Biggar (Wales)
- 9. Conor Murray (Ireland)
Williams said: "I think Dan Biggar starts at 10. Along with Farrell, defensively, Dan is the best fly-half in the world.
He’s got a fantastic kicking game – he can kick against where the ball is coming from, he can kick into open space, he’ll put a bomb up and catch it himself.
“That, in itself, is one of the best skills you can have in rugby because you make 40 yards just from one effort.
“Northampton has brought a bit more out of Dan. He takes the ball flat to the line more than he used to. He used to be a very deep 10 but he now has a more attacking game about him, he’s got a great offloading game too.
“Generally, all round, he’s one of the best 10s in world rugby. He was a great player when I played alongside him but I look at him now and think I’d have really loved playing with Dan now because he’s adapted his game.”
On the scrum-half position, Williams said: “It’s probably someone like a Conor Murray, who has got that experience having played in a number of Lions tests.
“He won’t have his old faithful in Johnny Sexton alongside him but Biggar is a carbon copy of Sexton. I’m sure they’ll work perfectly well together.”
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