Five stars pushing for spot in Warren Gatland’s Lions squad
Rugby NewsSunday, 07 February 2021 at 18:03
WARREN GATLAND has a huge selection headache ahead of him as he picks his British & Irish Lions squad for the 2021 Lions tour.
The head coach has until the end of May to cut his wealth of talent down to just 35 names.
While the likes of Stuart Hogg, Maro Itoje and Alun Wyn Jones are seemingly assured of a place in the squad, there is huge competition for the remaining plane tickets.
Here, we look at five players who significantly boosted their chances during the opening weekend of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations.
Hamish Watson
A stalwart of the Scotland back-row, Watson has popped back on the radar through a stunning return to form for Scotland. The flanker was a major force in this historic win against England at Twickenham, making telling contributions in both attack and defence. A class act.
Robbie Henshaw
Ireland's best player in Cardiff. Key to the away sides try at the end of the first half, the powerhouse carried 18 times for 116m and made six tackles - despite missing 10 minutes of the game for a Head Injury Assessment. Probably the most in form centre around at the moment.
Louis Rees-Zammit
Wales again struggled to get the ball to the Gloucester winger, who has only seen the ball a handful of times in his fledgling Test career to date. However, when he did get it, he moved like lightening and finished in the corner in remarkable fashion. Gatland will like what he's seen of the youngster so far.
Jonny Gray
The Exeter Chiefs man produced a towering performance for his country and forced the likes of Maro Itoje into rare mistakes. A statement showing from a Lions candidate.
Wyn Jones
With England's Mako Vunipola out injured, Jones proved himself to be the most dynamic loosehead from across the home nations. He carried really well, making an impressive 44m from 10 carries with ball in hand and held his own against Andrew Porter. Deserved his Man Of The Match award, and definitely enters the race for a place on the Lions tour.
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