Looking for Lions

Mike Blair: A dark horse for the captaincy?

The British and Irish rugby season is drawing to a close, and while all the players no doubt began their seasons focused on the tasks ahead, a greater prize awaited some 35-odd at the end of the season: a British and Irish Lions tour place.

Now the day is nigh! Four weeks have elapsed since the end of the Six Nations, four weeks in which many players have been rested, which has made changing the set-up from what we had before an invidious process at best.

But all have now played a couple of times since the international tournament came to an end, and the Heineken Cup quarter-finals exposed some extra big-match temperaments to help us in our thoughts.

The call for the Lions tour squad will be made next Tuesday, so there is still one more weekend.

But after all that, and with time getting short, to say the least, for players to impress and secure a touring spot: here is our guess at the Lions tourists for June 2009 - with justification below!

Backs: Lee Byrne, Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Luke Fitzgerald, Leigh Halfpenny, Mark Cueto, Thom Evans, Shane Williams, Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin, Brian O'Driscoll, Stephen Jones, Toby Flood, Ronan O'Gara, Mike Phillips, Harry Ellis, Mike Blair (captain).

Forwards: Ryan Jones, Jamie Heaslip, Martyn Williams, David Wallace, Joe Worsley, Stephen Ferris, Paul O'Connell, Simon Shaw, Alun Wyn Jones, Steve Borthwick, Adam Jones, Euan Murray, John Hayes, Ross Ford, Jerry Flannery, Lee Mears, Gethin Jenkins, Andrew Sheridan.

Send us your predicted party of 35!

How it works:

We have selected in red a group of 27 'tour certainties', two full-backs, three wingers, three centres, two fly-halves, two scrum-halves, two number eights, two opensides, two blindsides, three locks, two tightheads, two hookers and two looseheads.

The number of actual tourists is likely to be 35, so eight of those marked as 'Standby tickets' on here will also travel, and there are hints below as to whom we might be considering. As McGeechan himself said, those last eight or ten names are the hardest.

Also, the name that appears first in red is not necessarily the number one choice for a starting Test spot. We are, at this stage, only trying to guess the squad, not the Test team - that will come once the party has been selected!

Thus, as per the list below and for those among you who would like to speculate a little more precisely, the Test full-back could be either Lee Byrne or Rob Kearney. Let the bar debates begin!

Notes: There is no substitue for a big occasion. Geordan Murphy and Rob Kearney both proved their worth for Leicester and Leinster respectively while Delon Armitage failed to lift himself above a lackadaisical performance from London Irish in the European Challenge Cup. Chris Paterson also slips down the list, but we think he'll probably go anyway for his experience and utility value.

Notes: Tommy Bowe is pretty much a shoo-in, but the other spots are wide open. Both Luke Fitzgerald and Leigh Halfpenny did their chances no harm with their Heineken Cup performances, while we have a sneaky suspicion that McGeechan could take Thom Evans as his jack-in-the-box player. Mark Cueto's silly suspension counts against him, but he is very close to a tour spot as well, as is Shane Williams. Plenty of competition here, someone is going to be very disappointed

Notes: More interesting choices to be made here. The top three are fairly certain, certainly in the case of BOD and Shanks, but Roberts will have to cross his fingers that his abrasive style plays into McGeechan's tactical thinking. Beyond them there are a couple of interesting choices: D'Arcy with his experience but little game-time over the past couple of years? Max Evans to back up brother Thom? Riki Flutey with whom Geech is familiar? The youthful versatility of Keith Earls as a surprise pick? We think it might be Evans and Flutey as front-runners there...

Notes: The top two are dead certs, but will there be a third? If there is, it would have to be someone who could double up as a centre, taking three out-and-out fly-halves is a bit of a waste. That narrows it down to Flood, Hook and Cipriani, of whom Flood is undoubtedly the form player at the moment.

Notes: There is absolutely no question that this is the most competitive position in the squad at the moment. Peel, Blair, Phillips, Ellis, Care and O'Leary all have legitimate claims. Geech is likely to take three. Both Phillips and Ellis have the strength to front up to a big Bok side, while the other spot is between Blair and Peel as Care's indiscipline rules him out. We are opting for the Scot - and this is a possibility overlooked by many: with so many Welsh and Irish in the side, choosing a captain from one of those sides could be disruptive after all the competition between the two countries. But Scotland's loyal, devoted and hard-grafting leader Blair could be the dark horse for that race perhaps? If his scrum-half style fits into Geech's tactics...

Notes: It's still Jones and Heaslip, with Powell possibly as a physical back-up option. Nick Easter would not have the pace to cope with Pierre Spies, Juan Smith and Schalk Burger. Denis Leamy might though.

Notes: Wallace and Williams are the starters, with Worsley as a possible back-up, but both Williams and Worsley are getting on a bit and can be exposed with pace. This area is not a strong one for the Lions, especially with Tom Rees out injured. Alastair Strokosch has a chance here.

Notes: Tom Croft is a certainty as far as we are concerned, as is Stephen Ferris. As back-up, James Haskell is a possibility, of course, there's always the chance Ryan Jones can fill this slot as well, as can Denis Leamy and Alastair Strokosch who could play either side.

Notes: Paul O'Connell is a certainty - for the captaincy, according to many - but the others are in an interesting mix. Nathan Hines offers physicality on every level (we quite like the idea of he and Bakkies Botha squaring up to each other) while Simon Shaw is one who has been there, done that, as far as touring SA and winning as a Lion is concerned - as many of you spotted last week in Loose Pass, well done! Steve Borthwick brings a lo tof experience and leadership, Donncha O'Callaghan a mountian of hard yards, and Alun Wyn Jones brings an athleticism that no other lock here has. So what to choose? O'Connell, O'Callaghan, Jones, Borthwick and Shaw is our pick for the squad.

Notes: Adam Jones has done enough, as has Euan Murray. John Hayes and Phil Vickery are fighting for the other spot, and we're handing it to the Munsterman by dint of a slightly more impressive disciplinary record and an improvement, even in his late years, in his scrummaging.

Notes: Jerry Flannery makes the cut, as does Scotland's Ross Ford. If three are to go, Lee Mears is best of the rest, he could be the best full stop, but just seems not to be trusting himself at the moment.

Notes: Gethin Jenkins and Andrew Sheridan are obvious choices, with Marcus Horan as back-up. A shame Allan Jacobsen's chances were ended by injury.