When is lions captain announced

Talks of it being favourtism. More replies 4 down. Comment posted by Sam , at 5 May Sam. As a Scot I'm targeting players in the squad tomorrow. Reply posted by bagman, at 5 May bagman. More replies 19 down. Comment posted by xenosys, at 5 May xenosys The closer it gets to selection time, the less I think Sexton will probably go. He could have made a serious case for selection against La Rochelle, but he wasn't available.

He spends far too much getting wrapped up in cotton wool by Leinster and Ireland for those big games, only to not be fit for them. Ronin The North replied: I wouldn't be surprised to hear in the not too distant future, that Sexton is retiring from all levels of rugby.

Way too many HIA failures in the last few years. It would be a hanger to his health to include him in this squad. He has been a great servant to the game, but his health and well being must be a priority. Going by six nations form there should be fewer English players on the tour than any of the other home nations. Reply posted by jmw, at 5 May jmw.

If he picks purely on the basis of the last 5 international caps these players have received, there will be very, very few England players in the squad. It would be an odd way to pick a squad though. This is an objective article The miracle of Bristanbul replied: I keep rereading this article and it makes less and less sense.

Does nobody proof read these before being published? Comment posted by Chiefballboy, at 5 May Chiefballboy. I hope he picks the players on form and not simply by reputation. More replies 10 down. There have been some pretty dire England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales teams in the past. However they had, individually, outstanding players in their ranks.

Where countries finish in the 6N is less important than we think. Gatland is a good judge, rest easy my friends! Reply posted by Kherosguns, at 5 May Kherosguns. Kherosguns replied: unfortunately Gatland does not apply that thinking when it comes to Scotland. Comment posted by U, at 5 May U A lot of people have mentioned Sam Simmonds could go on the tour.

My only concern with him is that he hasn't played test rugby in over 2 years and there is a big jump from club to international test rugby with some very good club rugby players not carrying that forward for their country Generally don't understand why Jones doesn't pick him. Did he dent his car in the training ground or something. Reply posted by Blott, at 5 May Blott. More replies 1 down.

Comment posted by having my say, at 5 May having my say. One thing for sure, Gatland is going to lambasted whichever squad is selected. Will there be any bolters? Which fly-half will miss out on selection? Here's all you need to know ahead of Thursday's big announcement Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player.

Gatland and his coaching staff will unveil the man touring squad on Thursday, as well as reveal who will captain the invitational side as they aim to avenge the series defeat of There will be plenty of reaction in our live blog and on Sky Sports News throughout the day on Thursday, and at 6pm there will be a Lions Announcement Special on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Arena - as well as our dedicated YouTube channel - where the newly appointed Lions captain will join coach Gatland in giving their thoughts on the upcoming tour.

In the tight five there is plenty of debate around whether Alun Wyn Jones should be there. Some point to his leadership credentials after he captained Wales to the World Cup semi-final in and the Six Nations title this year, while others say there are second rowers who are currently in better form. It's unclear whether Gatland will look to utilise Maro Itoje or an in-form Tadhg Beirne in the number six jersey to bolster his lineout options, or employ two fetchers at flank to help boss the breakdown against a hefty Springbok back-row that is likely to feature Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen.

Head coach Warren Gatland has selected 21 forwards and 16 backs and the players were not been told beforehand, finding out along with the rest of the world. There are plenty of big talking points, like the captaincy, which has been handed to Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones after leading his country to the Six Nations title in the spring.

Even then though, Jones may not be guaranteed a starting berth in what is naturally a highly competitive squad pooling the resources of the four nations. That just about does it for our live coverage of the British and Irish Lions squad announcement.

As often proves true, the prognosticators were almost entirely wrong, with a number of curveballs thrown by Warren Gatland and his staff and plenty to digest among the 37 names. Until then, however, farewell, and do stay safe and well. Thank you for joining us! Louis Rees-Zammit is the most junior tourist this time around, two years younger than Maro Itoje was when he was the youngest in Rugby Union.

By Evan Bartlett. Sign up to The Score and get in-depth analysis on all 20 Premier League clubs, every Monday morning Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem. More from Sport.