Greatest British and Irish Lions XV: Front lock
With the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa complete, Planet Rugby takes a stab at selecting the greatest British and Irish Lions XV of all time.
For the next 15 days, we will pick our favourite players from four nominations per position – if you don’t agree with us you can vote on social media for your dream team.
We have judged our criteria solely on contributions to the Lions in Test matches and there’s a few surprises in store.
With something like 120 years worth of players to choose from, it’s been a tough task but here we go with our number four lock (front jumper).
Nominees
Maro Itoje (England)
Caps: 6
Tours: 2
Points: 0
In South Africa this year, Itoje was voted Player of the Series by his team-mates after three outstanding performances in the second-row against the Springboks.
The Saracens ace was named man of the match in the victorious first Test as the Lions delivered the first blow in Cape Town, winning 22-17.
Although the next two ended in defeat, Itoje was still a standout across both sides while partnering captain Alun Wyn Jones in the engine room.
As one of the rising stars in world rugby before the 2017 tour to New Zealand, much was expected of Itoje in the red of the Lions.
Lesser players could have wilted under such pressure but Itoje thrived, forcing his way into the main team despite being the youngest member of Warren Gatland’s touring party.
He went on to appear in all three Test matches as the Lions came from behind to secure an historic draw against the All Blacks, with the then 22-year-old one of the standout performers.
Best of all, the Itoje Lions story hasn’t yet finished and we believe there’s a lot more to come from the magnificent Maro.
Greatest Lions moment: Third minute of the first Test versus the Springboks in 2021, Itoje’s steal from Siya Kolisi on the line was so fast and so accurate that it spawned a one hour video of opprobrium from Rassie Erasmus.
Martin Johnson (England)
Caps: 8
Tours: 3
Points: 0
A giant of the game in more ways than one, Johnson is widely regarded as one of the greatest locks to have ever played the game and one of the greatest of all Lions.
As a player he famously led England to glory at the 2003 Rugby World Cup and also captained the British & Irish Lions in 1997 and 2001 – the first player to have ever led the elite tourists in back-to-back series.
Johnson began his international career against France in the 1993 Five Nations Championship and called time on his England career shortly after his side’s memorable Rugby World Cup triumph in Australia. An inspirational leader for club and country, only Jason Leonard and Rory Underwood have pulled on an England shirt more times, while Will Carling is the only captain to have led England on more occasions.
He was subsequently called up to the 1993 Lions tour to New Zealand as a replacement and featured in two Tests, famously winning in Wellington. England secured the Grand Slam and a fourth place finish at the Rugby World Cup in 1995 with Johnson at the heart of both campaigns and another Five Nations title followed in 1996.
His leadership potential was identified by Lions coach Ian McGeechan who handed him the honour of leading the tourists to the home of the then world champions South Africa. It was here that Johnson’s reputation took a big step towards legendary status as he steered the Lions to an historic 2-1 series triumph.
Following Lawrence Dallaglio’s brush with the tabloids in 1999, Johnson was given the captaincy of England by coach Clive Woodward and the duo would lead England through their most successful period ever. Six Nations titles followed in 2000 and 2001 and there was little argument as Lions coach Ian McGeechan once again turned to Johnson to lead his squad to Australia.
This time the Lions were edged out 2-1 in an entertaining and thrilling Test series.
Greatest Lions moment: Wellington 1993, when the callow faced Johnson helped himself to three of Robin Brooke’s lineout throws on his Lions debut.
Willie John McBride (Ireland)
Caps: 17
Tours: 5
Points: 3
Although he played 63 times for Ireland in a 13-year international career – 11 times captain – McBride will forever be associated with the British and Irish Lions, with whom he toured five times and won 17 caps. Although he had to play nine Tests before tasting success, he was a key member of two of the most successful tours in history – New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974.
Against the All Blacks he was pack leader. In South Africa three years later he was captain of the team and led his squad to an unprecedented unbeaten tour and a series win. Yet McBride did not pick up a rugby ball until his late teens. But by the time he was 21 he was already a full international and had played his first two Tests for the Lions against the Springboks in 1962.
Originally from Ulster, he was a genial man off the field, regularly disarming hotel managers who were irate at the behaviour of some of the players. But on the paddock it was a different matter, especially on that 1974 tour and the infamous ’99 call’, a signal for the Lions to get their retaliation in first.
McBride retired from international rugby in 1975. Fittingly he scored his only try for Ireland in his last international at Lansdowne Road against France, although his final game would be against Wales in Cardiff.
Inevitably for such a legendary player McBride went into coaching and guided the Ireland team for a period. He also managed the 1983 Lions tour to New Zealand which, it is fair to say, was not as successful as his playing experiences there in 1971.
In 2004, McBride was named Heineken Rugby Personality of the Century by Rugby World magazine.
Greatest Lions moment: There are so many for a man steeped in Lions folklore, but one that sticks with us goes back to 1974, after a night celebrating their series-clinching win in Port Elizabeth. Willie John was berated by an angry hotel manager about the robustness of the Lions celebrations. Willie puffed on his pipe and, in order to defuse the situation, just calmly asked “Well, let’s get down to the important things; is anyone actually dead!?”
Delme Thomas (Wales)
Caps: 7
Tours: 3
Points: 0
Thomas was a powerful lock who represented Wales and the British & Lions during a successful international career in the 1960s and 1970s, during which he also captained his country.
One of the greatest players to come from the Llanelli club, he was capped for the Lions before Wales. A magnificent lineout forward who was capable of playing in the front and second rows, he won seven of his 25 caps in the ’60s. He was capped twice with the Lions in 1966 before making his Wales debut in the game against Australia later than year. He also toured South Africa with the Lions in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971. Played in the Triple Crown-winning game against England in 1969 before going on to win a Grand Slam in 1971 and captain his country.
Thomas also had a significant club career, notably the 1972-73 campaign with Llanelli when he captained them to the league title and also a famous defeat of the touring All Blacks, on the back of an inspiring pre-match speech by Thomas.
Greatest Lions moment: Dunedin 1971, when Thomas replaced the injured Gordon Brown on the morning of the Test and put in something close to a man of the match performance as the Lions won 9-3.
Our pick
This one boiled down to head versus heart. Our head says pick the most uncompromising lock of the professional era, Martin Johnson, but our heart says pick the most uncompromising lock of the amateur era. Both are Lions legends, both are all-time greats but, for our purposes, the greatest front lock in Lions history is the great Willie John McBride.
The Lions' greatest ever line-up
Mark Smith and Adam Kyriacou discuss planetrugby.com's website feature of picking the greatest British and Irish Lions team of all time.