Lions squad verdict: the forwards

See also Lions squad verdict: the backs

Dan Cole

What a unit – one of the best scrummagers in world rugby, even if the English pack did get schooled in the Six Nations against Wales

Cian Healy

Another prop whose name had been pencilled into the Lions squad list for some time, although he blotted his copybook somewhat with a stupid stamp on Cole in the Six Nations

Gethin Jenkins

A wonderfully mobile front rower (and I’ll take any excuse to repost a video of him humiliating Ronan O’Gara) whose Six Nations performances demonstrated his relative weakness, the scrum, was not really anything of the sort

Adam Jones

One of the players of the Six Nations – simply immense. Who’d have thought this was the guy who used to have to be replaced after 25 minutes every match?

Matt Stevens

Stevens is bit of a dodgy selection, and not simply because of the fact he served a two-year ban for cocaine. One of Warren Gatland’s small handful of eyebrow-raising picks

Mako Vunipola

The big New Zealand-born prop with a Welsh accent may have only played nine times for England, but he has shown huge potential, and is nowhere near as raw as his 22 years might suggest. Still, another slightly surprising call-up

Dylan Hartley

Completing the trio of English front-rowers who may have been slightly lucky to have bagged themselves a ticket, Hartley is possibly the one player who prevents me (now living in Northamptonshire) from adopting the Saints as my new local team

Richard Hibbard

Another player who came on leaps and bounds during the Six Nations, Hibbard was exemplary for large stretches of the tournament – typified by his huge hit on Joe Marler in the Wales-England game and the only try of the game against Scotland

Tom Youngs

It will be nice for Mr and Mrs Youngs to watch both their sons on a Lions tour

Ian Evans

Apologies if I start getting a bit repetitive, but Evans was yet another Welshman who did nothing wrong whatsoever in the Six Nations

Richie Gray

Back from an injury suffered against Wales, Gray is not quite the player of a couple of years ago (or maybe we’re just used to him by now)

Alun Wyn Jones

Many people suggested Alun Wyn as a possible captain, and you could see where they were coming from. Physical, dominant and fearsome, he remains an integral part of the Welsh pack

Paul O’Connell

Another who was mooted as a possible captain, O’Connell has showed for Munster in recent weeks – notably in the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Harlequins – what an amazing asset he is

Geoff Parling

It feels like Parling, who fully deserves a seat on the plane, has been around on the international scene for ages (not in a bad way), but he only made his England debut just over a year ago. Mind, he’s no spring chicken at 29

Tom Croft

No arguments about Croft’s place on the tour – although if he hadn’t been admonished of spitting in Leigh Halfpenny’s face (not least by the Welsh fullback himself) it might well have been a different story

Toby Faletau

Seems to divide opinion. Welshmen say he is amazing, Englishmen that he’s terrible – in my admittedly limited experience. Still, we (as Welshmen) are right

Jamie Heaslip

Prior to the Six Nations, he would have been a shoo-in to head Down Under, but, like the rest of the Irish team, a lacklustre tournament meant he slipped down the pecking order in the final reckoning

Dan Lydiate

A simply brilliant player of the tournament in the 2012 Six Nations who has been picked entirely on reputation rather than form. Let’s see if that pays off for Gatland. Worth watching the clip below, by the way, just to hear how many times in one match Eddie Butler and Jonathan Davies say “Oh, Dan Lydiate”, before chuckling to himself

Sean O’Brien

Apparently O’Brien and Lydiate will be keeping each other company with farming chat, which will go down a treat with their teammates

Justin Tipuric

A phenomenal performance against England has usurped Chris Robshaw – once an odds-on favourite to be Lions captain – from the squad entirely. He deserves his place, but does Robshaw deserve to have missed out?

Sam Warburton

Back on an upward trajectory after a run of injuries and a worrying dip in form. Amazingly, Sam our Captain was about 33-1 to skipper the Lions just before Wales-England. The only curious thing is why, after his performances against Scotland and England when the pressure was off because he wasn’t captain, he should be leading the Lions?