1997 hero Jeremy Guscott reveals to skysports.com who he would have in his British & Irish Lions XV.
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Hero of the 1997 tour with his unforgettable series-clinching drop-goal in the decisive second Test in Durban, Jeremy Guscott knows what takes to win a Lions tour to South Africa.
With eight Lions caps, as well as 65 for England, to his name, Guscott is well-placed to pass judgement on who should be on the plane this summer when the Lions head back to South Africa some 12 years on.
With only four weeks to go before Lions coach Ian McGeechan names his squad to take on the world champions time is running out for the home nation hopefuls to impress.
Speaking exclusively to
skysports.com ahead of the crucial final round of RBS Six Nations matches, Guscott opened up on who he thinks has impressed during this year's championship and also revealed his first-choice British & Irish Lions XV on current form. You can have your say on Jeremy's Lions team by using the feedback form at the bottom of the page.
So who has caught Jeremy's eye during the Six Nations Championship?
JG: Mike Blair, who I think has played particularly well in the Six Nations, Tom Shanklin has played well, Delon Armitage, Paul Sackey, Joe Worsley, Stephen Ferris of Ireland, Luke Fitzgerald of Ireland. But people who have performed well (in the Six Nations) aren't necessarily going to go.
Those are the people I think have performed well in the Six Nations, although it's been quite patchy in terms of teams playing consistently well, not just individually but also as a team. It's not going to be easy for the selectors, although they've had the whole of the season and the autumn as well when Wales played well at the end. But in truth, the opening weekend of the Six Nations when Wales beat Scotland and Ireland beat France, I almost think a lot of the squad can be based on those two performances unless England can continue in the vein of last weekend (when they beat France).
And who would make Jeremy Guscott's British Lions XV:
15 - Lee Byrne
14 - Tommy Bowe
13 - Brian O'Driscoll
12 - Gavin Henson
11 - Shane Williams
10 - Jonny Wilkinson
9 - Mike Phillips
8 - Jamie Heaslip
7 - David Wallace
6 - Tom Croft
5 - Paul O'Connell (capt)
4 - Simon Shaw
3 - Euan Murray
2 - Ross Ford
1 - Gethin Jenkins
JG: If I was to name a pack it would be, Euan Murray on the tighthead, Ross Ford at hooker, Gethin Jenkins at loosehead, Paul O'Connell in the second row with Simon Shaw along with David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip and Tom Croft in the back row - if people tell me that a pack like that can't compete with the best South Africa has, I would say they must be supporters of lacrosse or something!
In the backs, my ten would be Jonny Wilkinson if he's fit. Full-back would be Lee Byrne, my wingers would be Shane Williams and Tommy Bowe, centres would be (Gavin) Henson and (Brian) O'Driscoll. Fly-half would be Wilkinson if he's on the Tour, Stephen Jones if not, and my scrum-half would be Mike Phillips.
Paul O'Connell would be my skipper. You could have gone with someone like O'Driscoll, but he was captain on the last Tour and it didn't go well for him. Not just for that reason though, I just think it would be good for him to concentrate on being a player as he captains his country already, he could just concentrate on playing his best for the team this time around and not worry about the captaincy.
Jeremy Guscott spoke to skysports.com in his capacity as a British Airways ambassador for the Lions Tour. British Airways is the Official Airline of the British & Irish Lions Tour. To book your seat on the plane to South Africa simply visit www.ba.com.
