Uncapped wonders: The best XV who never played for the British and Irish Lions
With head coach Warren Gatland due to name his Lions squad for this summer's tour of South Africa in 24 hours, Telegraph Sport looks at the best players to have never pulled on the famous red jersey.
With record-breakers and talent aplenty, this side would be a handful.
15. Chris Paterson (Scotland, 109 caps)
The issue for Scotland's second-most capped player and the country's top points-scorer was that he did not offer the same ball-in-hand threat, nor defensive solidity, of some of his rivals. The former full-back was fleet of foot, with a dead eye off the tee, but there were always deemed to be more potent options among his Home Nations rivals.
14. Sean Lamont (Scotland, 105 caps)
Scotland's third-most capped player – famed for his orange gloves – was a physical presence out wide and, after some strong showings in the 2005 Six Nations, it came as a surprise that he was overlooked by Sir Clive Woodward for that year's tour, especially given the size of the travelling party to New Zealand. A dip in form in 2009 saw him lose his Scotland place and with that his Lions dreams were dashed.
13. Mike Tindall (England, 75 caps)
The World Cup winner could barely have done more on the international stage to stake his claim, but the former centre's game was always deemed too limited and conservative for the Lions. He was a dogged, hardy competitor, but Tindall's best rugby always came when the artist to his artisan, Will Greenwood, was outside him.
12. Danny Cipriani (England, 16 caps*)
A little creative licence has been granted, with Cipriani sliding out to inside centre to make way for Jonathan Davies at fly-half, but leaving out either of these precious talents seemed mindless. One of English rugby's most prodigious players, the former Wasps, Sale and Gloucester fly-half – due to join Bath next season – never managed to paint the international rugby canvas with the same panache as he reserved for the domestic game, for whatever reasons. Mark Ring, the skilful Wales centre from the 1980s, was exceptionally unlucky to miss out, too.
11. Simon Geoghegan (Ireland, 37 caps)
An honorary Lion, in truth. After being controversially overlooked for the 1993 tour while one of Europe's form wings, legend has it that the former Irish speedster was bookmarked for a spot on the 1997 tour, only for injury to rule him out at the last minute. “A mad octopus, all arms and legs,” was how the former Bath and London Irish wing was so eloquently described by the late, great Bill McLaren.
10. Jonathan Davies (Wales, 37 caps)
The Welsh prince had many a stupendous day with star-studded Barbarians teams – de facto Lions sides – but he never wore the touring side's red. The playmaking magician was a rare talent who managed to prove his class in both rugby codes, but a switch to rugby league in 1989 meant that he could not be considered for the Lions' final two amateur tours.
9. Peter Stringer (Ireland, 98 caps)
The former Ireland scrum-half was a perfect fit for the squeeze and control of Munster, with his game management to the fore, excelling in Irish teams where his role was to provide the fluid link between forwards and backs. Critics of Stringer always pointed at the lack of ball-in-hand threat, but Stringer had the last laugh as he scooted over for the crucial score in Munster's 2006 Heineken Cup final win.
1. Duncan Jones (Wales, 57 caps)
Alongside his Wales and Ospreys front-row partner and namesake, Adam Jones (no relation), the former loosehead formed part of the so-called "Hair Bear bunch", with the duo's hirsute appearances catching the eye. The duo were mainstays of a purple patch in Welsh and Ospreys rugby, but while Adam went on to Lions glory, the touring side never came calling for Duncan. Still, with 57 caps, he retired as an international of repute.
2. Dylan Hartley (England, 97 caps)
Two little words were all it took for Hartley's Lions dreams to crumble to dust. The 11-week ban that the former England captain copped for telling referee Wayne Barnes to "f--- off" in Northampton's 2013 Premiership final loss to Leicester put the nail in his Lions coffin.
3. Jeff Probyn (England, 37 caps)
The fearsome England tighthead was one of the most revered scrummagers of his era, but it was with Wasps and England alone that he was forced to make his name. A concussion sustained in the 1989 Five Nations meant his spot on tour was pinched by his replacement, the in-form Gareth Chilcott, while Probyn was crazily overlooked for the 1993 tour to New Zealand.
4. Joe Launchbury (England, 65 caps*)
The Wasps captain must have missed out by a whisker in both 2013 and 2017, and his chances for selection in 2021 were cruelly dashed by a gruesome ACL injury sustained on club duty last month. At 30 years of age, however, this year might have been his last hope of Lions glory.
5. Gareth Llewellyn (Wales, 92 caps)
There are stalwarts and there is Llewellyn. In an international career that ran from 1989 to 2004, the former Wales second row retired as his country's most-capped player, an honour which has since been taken on by sundry Welsh legends. Llewellyn, who enjoyed a successful club career with Neath, Harlequins, and Bristol, played at three World Cups for Wales, with many over the Severn Bridge upset that the Welshman was not selected to replace the injured Wade Dooley on the 1993 tour. The Lions management selected a young Martin Johnson instead and, with hindsight, no one could blame them.
6. Chris Robshaw (England, 66 caps)
If effort, commitment and industriousness were the three hallmarks of Lions selection, then the former England captain would have received the call-up in a heartbeat. As it was, when the best of the best from four nations were available, the former Harlequin, now at San Diego Legion, came up just short.
7. Steffon Armitage (England, five caps)
One of English rugby's most underused talents? Perhaps, but the fact he was entirely overlooked for the 2013 tour to Australia – despite the series win – is curious. Armitage, who is currently the captain of Biarritz in the French Pro D2, was the form flanker in Europe at the time, dominating the continent with the Toulon galacticos.
8. Anthony Foley (Ireland, 62 caps)
The Munster stalwart, who suddenly passed away in 2016 while head coach of his beloved province, was unlucky that his golden playing era fell in between Lions tours. Foley was the pride of Limerick, losing two Heineken Cup finals with the Red Army before captaining the 2006 European triumph.
Do you agree with our selections? Who would be your picks for a never-picked Lions XV? Let us know in the comments section below
