The five most unlucky players in the 2021 Lions squad

However, there is still an unlucky few who will end the 2021 tour without a Test appearance to their name.

Below, we look at who was most unlucky in our expert opinion.

Although he's had the honour and privilege of looking after BIL the Lion, the 20-year-old Welsh wing-wizard will probably go home a little disappointed to have not featured in any of the three tests.

Despite his natural flair and unbelievable speed, Rees-Zammit seems to have been deemed undersized for this tour - although more call-ups are all but certain for the speedster, starting with the 2025 tour to Australia.

Four years ago in New Zealand, the Ireland powerhouse narrowly missed out on a Test appearance despite wearing the red jersey six times during the tour.

The 29-year-old has racked up 221 minutes during which he made 28 tackles and missed three. He deserved his chance this time around.

Despite only making one appearance after being called-up, the English youngster made an impactful debut against the Stormers.

The international rookie who made nine tackles and shone with the ball in hand, producing a trademark goose step late on.

Seven successful conversions have helped push him into the equation to face South Africa with fitness concerns elsewhere at fly-half - but it wasn't to be.

The hooker, who became the first Englishman to captain the Lions since 2009, may count himself as unlucky considering it wasn’t that long ago he was considered the nailed-on starter for England.

George led the tourists and scored twice in a 71-31 warm-up match against the Sharks.

However, it wasn’t enough to earn a squad place for any of the three Tests with Gatland favouring Ken Owens and Luke Cowan-Dickie.

The son of a wrestler, Navidi fought back from injury setbacks in 2020 to become a crucial talisman for Wales this calendar year, but it wasn't enough to convince his former international coach to give him the nod.