Warren Gatland’s dream Lions XV from his three tours as coach so far has been named.
The Kiwi, who was an assistant coach when the famous tourists headed to South Africa in 2009, has led the Lions on the subsequent two tours against Wallabies In 2013 and the All Blacks in 2017.
Here’s his Lions dream team of players based on their average ratings from their test appearances across the three tours.
As you’d expect, Wales dominate his XV:
FRONT-ROW:
1. Mako Vunipola (England): Emerged as one of the tour’s great off-the-field characters and an important figure after injuries to Healy and Jenkins. Came to the fore once again in 2017. Prop with the skills of a centre.
2. Jamie George (England): Zero starts for England prior to the tour, George played all three Tests for Lions in 2017. Deserved every ounce of praise that came his way.
3. Adam Jones (Wales): Four years later he saw off the challenge of Dan Cole for the tighthead prop berth with ease and was probably the second name on the Lions Test team-sheet behind Halfpenny. Equalled Willie John McBride’s record of playing in nine consecutive Tests.