The 11 players Warren Gatland described as 'nailed on' Lions in 2019

by Rugby Rucker

Saturday, 13 March 2021 at 13:01

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byRugby Rucker

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Speaking to the BBC, Warren Gatland reeled off the names of 11 players who were in pole position to start for his Lions against new world champions South Africa.

WALES

Josh Adams (Wales)
Aaron Wainwright (Wales)
Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)

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SCOTLAND

Stuart Hogg (Scotland)

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ENGLAND

Anthony Watson (England)
Jamie George (England)
Tom Curry (England)
Manu Tuilagi (England)
Owen Farrell (England)
Maro Itoje (England)

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IRELAND

Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)

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LATEST COMMENTS

Exhooker29-10-2026
Typical discrimination against the girls.
Exhooker26-10-2026
How many carries did Pollock have, seem to stand off a lot.
Mayben55426-10-2026
ban him! The URC fans were up in arms about Jan Hendrik Wessels "nut grab". With the same amount of evidence more aor less. He should be banned
Exhooker22-10-2026
LPM is the way to go for the future. Too much crash ball, slowing the game down and causing penalties to be awarded. Let's see trhe game opening up
RRfan1022-10-2026
The decision to bench Kildunne makes sense as she is fast,quick thinking, but and could easily make a difference in the second half having watched the team play without her.. Molony-Macdonald has probably cost them 2 games with her disallowed try attempts and wasted team efforts to get her there.
KiwiRooster18-10-2026
Phil Vickery certainly did not make a healthy decision at 50+yo. To get shredded like this, one has to get all the water out of his system. Typically, people who achieve this to the extreme like he did use chemically or pharmaceutically induced diuretic which carries severe medical risks such as kidney failure. If I recall, Jonah Lomu himself transitioned into an amateur bodybuilding career after quiting professional rugby and I suspect he would have used diuretics himself. If you have ever had kidney stones past your 40s which is quite frequent with the lesser calcium absorption that comes with age, you would know the last thing you want to do to your body is starve it of water. Hydration is key if you want to last and kidney disease are no joke, they will kill you in one of the most unpleasant, nastiest ways possible. "Looking good" does not mean you are healthy and in this case I would say it does not even look good. To me the example to follow is Ritchie McCaw. He lost weight via a more natural process of cycling and preparing for a run across the South Island of New Zealand. Running marathons just like body building is not a great idea for longevity but preparing for the occasional cross country run is a great idea. McCaw looks sharp, he has lost the weight that was necessary for his rugby career but unecessary for his joints and his new career as an helicopter pilot. To me, he made the right move, the healthiest move. Body building is to be avoided at all ages. Never mind those who tell you it is natural, it never ever is.
s1john17-10-2026
Well I am at it, when you list tallest players you also exclude 6ft 10 Derwyn Jones.
s1john17-10-2026
How on earth have you left out 110m olympic hurdler Nigel Walker from the list. I guarantee he was faster than Christian Wade
APJones15-10-2026
It's only a song , more of a chant I suppose always associated with English rugby . No problem .
Whelker13-10-2026
What a horrible sight

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