Sir Ian McGeechan leaves Owen Farrell out of his British & Irish Lions XV

Sunday, 20 June 2021 at 16:24

byRugby Rucker

Lions legend Sir Ian McGeechan has named the starting XV he would select to play against the Springbok in the opening Test.

The 74-year-old was a player in South Africa on the victorious Lions tour of 1974, one of the greatest of all. He was coach of the victorious Lions tour in South Africa in 1997, another expedition that ranks in the highest echelon of rugby adventures.

He was coach again in South Africa in 2009, when his squad played some magnificent stuff, but went down 2-1 to the world champions.

In the last 46 years, the Lions have toured South Africa four times and McGeechan was heavily involved in three of them. You couldn’t hope for a better travel-mate.

Check out the full starting XV below.

BACK-THREE:

15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
14. Anthony Watson (England)
11. Liam Williams (Wales)

CENTRES:

13. Chris Harris (Scotland)
12. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)

HALFBACKS:

10. Finn Russell (Scotland)
9. Conor Murray (Ireland)

McGeechan said: ""Finn has matured. He sees things so quickly. He's the most varied attacking kicker that we've got in the northern hemisphere. He's brave, he makes his tackles, and if there's any daylight at all he will find it."

FRONT-ROW:

1. Wyn Jones (Wales)
2. Ken Owens (Wales)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)

SECOND-ROW:

4. Maro Itoje (England)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)

McGeechan said: "Jones is the natural captain. I think on and off the field he would be by some distance the natural leader that you would want there."