Stuart Hogg, Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Taulupe Faletau … these are all players that look certainties to be included in the next Lions squad, due to be named by Warren Gatland.
But what about the less obvious picks? Every Lions tour seems to have at least one ‘bolter’, a left-field selection that very few expected or saw coming even with all the hype that accompanies squad announcements nowadays.
The bookies fuel the speculation by offering odds on which backs and forwards will make the cut, and these markets are currently headed by Farrell, at an unbackable 1/20 and England team-mate Itoje at 1/0, respectively.
Both of those players are also second and third in the betting to be the next Lions captain, behind the world’s most-capped player, Alun Wyn Jones.
Here, we select the odds-on and odds-against picks, as laid by Paddy Power, that we feel offer the best value in each category,
Forwards
Wyn Jones (4/6)
The Wales prop eclipsed higher-profile loose-heads such as Mako Vunipola and Ellis Genge in the Six Nations. Jones carried and tackled hard and more than held his own at scrum-time, an area that had been a concern for Wales pre-tournament, as well scoring in the win over Scotland. Could have edged ahead of Rory Sutherland and Cian Healy in the pecking order.
Peter O’Mahony (4/1)
The Munsterman’s Six Nations may have been over-shadowed by the red card he received against Wales, which led to him missing three games, but it’s hard to fathom out why O’Mahony is such big odds to feature in a second Lions series. The 31-year-old captained the Lions in the first Test against New Zealand in 2017 and is still arguably the best lineout back-row forward in the world, a quality the Lions will need to do well against such a big side as the Springboks.
Backs
Louis Rees-Zammit (4/6)
The 20-year-old is firmly in contention to become one of the youngest players to play a Lions Test in South after a stunning first year in international rugby. Rees-Zammit finished his Six Nations campaign as joint top-scorer with four tries and was inches away from scoring a couple of more. He looks certain to be one of Warren Gatland’s picks on the wing, along with team-mate Josh Adams, England duo Anthony Watson and Jonny May and Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe.
Keith Earls (6/1)
Warren Gatland took eight back-three players to New Zealand in 2017, so if the wingers named above and Stuart Hogg and Liam Williams are selected at full-back, that leaves one spot to fill. While Rees-Zammit’s inclusion would signal Gatland’s faith in youth, Earls would bring a mountain of experience and versatility, not to mention supreme rugby intelligence and athleticism. He has played in jerseys 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 for Ireland, although latterly, his time in Test rugby has been spent on the wing. Earls made the Lions trip way back in 2009, when he was an Ireland rookie, and had a difficult time by his own admission. He would love the chance to redeem himself and put his hand up with a series of string displays in the Six Nations.
