Lions 2013: Jonny Wilkinson out but Sam Warburton is captain


Product of Kelvinside Academy and former Hawk Richie Gray makes Lions Squad

Lions boss Warren Gatland has picked Ireland's Jonny Sexton and England's Owen Farrell as his two fly-halves.
Analysis

Ian Robertson
BBC rugby union correspondent
"Sam Warburton was always likely to be the choice of the coach Warren Gatland as captain.

"Myself, I would think experience is massive on a tour like this and Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll have that Lions experience.

"If you look at the squad, the big surprise I think is prop forwards Matt Stevens and Mako Vunipola both being selected. They are not in the England squad as first choice all season but they are going on the Lions tour.

"I would certainly have taken Jonny Wilkinson. They are going with only two fly-halves and that seems a massive risk."

England captain Chris Robshaw also fails to make the 37-man squad.
England front rowers Dylan Hartley, Mako Vunipola and Matt Stevens, Scots duo Stuart Hogg and Sean Maitland, and Ireland's Conor Murray all tour.
In total, there are 15 Welshmen, 10 players from England, nine from Ireland and three Scots.
Lions coach Gatland said he had "huge respect" for Warburton, who he appointed as Wales captain in 2011.
"For the last two or three years, he has been the most successful captain in the northern hemisphere," added Gatland.
"It's a fantastically strong squad but if I think about naming the team tomorrow, Sam would be one of the players in there. He leads from the front."
Warburton said he had known he would be captain for "nine or 10 days".
"It's been the hardest secret I've ever had to keep, but I kept it in," added the 24-year-old. "It's unbelievable, it's an accolade which very few people can achieve. To be able to do this is an honour."
Wales supply four back rowers, with Justin Tipuric, Toby Faletau and Dan Lydiate joining Warburton and Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip on the plane.
England second row Geoff Parling tours ahead of fellow England lock Joe Launchbury, while there is no third fly-half option, as the likes of Grieg Laidlaw, James Hook and Billy Twelvetrees all missing out.


Captaincy an unbelievable honour - Warburton
Gatland added: "We've looked at the last few weeks in terms of performances. We've had a number of players who have come back from injury.
"The benchmark for a lot of the squad was the Six Nations and then looking at some club form and assessing whether there was the same physical intensity to draw comparison and then finally make the selection of those players.
"If you look at previous tours, there are six to eight players who always get injured. There will be a key group of players who will potentially be called up."
Lydiate and Scotland second row Richie Gray both make the cut, despite injury-hit seasons.
Gatland said he would not take France-based players because of their club commitments, and Welsh prop Gethin Jenkins only tours because he is leaving Toulon at the end of the season and will be released for the whole tour by the Heineken Cup finalists.
Lions squad for 2013 tour

Backs: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Sean Maitland (Scotland), George North (Wales), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Manu Tuilagi (England), Owen Farrell (England), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales), Ben Youngs (England).
Forwards: Dan Cole (England), Cian Healy (Ireland), Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Matt Stevens (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dylan Hartley (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Tom Youngs (England), Ian Evans (Wales), Richie Gray (Scotland), Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland), Geoff Parling (England), Tom Croft (England), Toby Faletau (Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Sam Warburton (Wales).

This article was originally posted on 30-Apr-2013, 11:03 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 30-Apr-2013, 13:13.