Scrum-halves and Fly-halves

 Scrum-halves and Stand-offs

Next, I will give my opinion on the Lions' selection of scrum-halves and stand-offs. This has proved to be a competitive pick, with numerous players regularly performing. As per the last posts, I will follow the structure of the 2021 tour, therefore I will be choosing 3 scrum-halves and 3 stand-offs.

Scrumhalf

My first selection and our starting number 9 will be Jamison Gibson Park. Gibson Park has made 35 appearances for Ireland, since qualifying on residency grounds. Gibson Park previously represented Māori All Blacks internationally, before switching allegiance. Gibson Park is currently playing for Leinster where he has made 136 apps, scoring 150 points.





My second selection is Scotland’s number 9, Ben White. White has made 22 appearances for Scotland, scoring 4 tries. He qualifies to play for Scotland on ancestry grounds after making 11 appearances for England U20. White has recently switched to Toulon, following London Irish ceasing to exist, and he has been in excellent form.

Our final scrumhalf is Alex Mitchell. The England scrumhalf has been in excellent form for Northampton Saints. To date, Mitchell has made 123 appearances, scoring 230 points. Despite only making 15 appearances for England, Mitchell has established himself when fit as England’s first choice.

 

Stand-offs

My starting stand-off will be Scotland co-captain Finn Russell. Russell is Scotland’s main man, having made 80 appearances, and scoring 382 points. Russell has previously been on two Lions tours- in 2017, and 2021, making 3 appearances across both tours. Since moving to Bath, Russell has established himself as one of the best stand-offs in the world.





My next selection is Irish stand-off Jack Crowley. Since Johnny Sexton retired, Crowley has established himself as Ireland’s first-choice stand-off. Despite only being 24, Crowley has a decent bit of experience—having made 58 appearances for Munster and 15 caps for Ireland.

My final stand-off is Marcus Smith. The Filipino-born, English international has been excellent for Harlequins. Smith has made 165 appearances for the Quins, scoring 1505 points.  Smith also brings the ability to cover at full-back. Smith was previously called up to the 2021 Lions tour, making 1 appearance. 

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