Three players Warren Gatland should have picked for the Lions

Capped 27 times by England, the loosehead is highly rated and was in barnstorming form for the Tigers towards the end of last season. Right now, the 'baby rhino' would walk into the team ahead of Mako Vunipola, Rory Sutherland and Wyn Jones.

He revealed he had given himself a pep talk after his Lions snub, quoted by Planet Rugby as saying: "It was disappointing not to be selected for the Lions so I had a word with myself. I accepted that my performances had probably not been good enough.

"It’s not often you get over the whitewash and my last five tries have come from a total of 10 metres."

None of the original three fly-halves selected by Gatland have particularly impressed, making the decision to leave the leading playmaker from the last two tours even more baffling.

He played all 80 minutes of the final three games of the Six Nations, was excellent in all three games and kicked 25 from his 26 attempts on goal. Even aged 36, Sexton looked to have nailed down a spot on his third Lions tour.

Even All Blacks legend Dan Carter was baffled by the decision, and we believe if Gatland had his time again he'd not leave Sexton at home twiddling his thumbs.

He's a test match animal who knows how to control a game, which is something the Lions could do with just about now.

A toe ligament injury has meant Nowell has been limited to a handful of minutes this year for Exeter, which left him too little time to make a statement to the selectors.

However, seeing Rob Baxter pick him ahead of Stuart Hogg for the Premiership final spoke volumes about the Scotsman's form heading into the tour.

A reliable lieutenant for Gatland in 2017, Nowell's versatility would have been very useful in a squad disrupted by Covid more than once.. 

He could have easily found himself in the test XV at fullback or on the wing due to his defensive capabilities and, crucially, his reliability under the high ball.