I would have gone for Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes in my 23 on present form but, because they are out of international rugby, have not included them.
Loose-head prop was a tricky one and, if the Lions were facing South Africa, I may have gone for Joe Marler’s scrummaging, but I have always liked Ellis Genge for his leadership qualities and his work in the loose, both in terms of ball carrying and defensive line speed. Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong were probably the two easiest picks, and I’ve gone for Maro Itoje at lock simply because I think he is a big-game player — just see his performance in the World Cup semi-final against South Africa.
James Ryan has added more physicality to
