A 23-year-damaged-down Martin Johnson made his British and Irish Lions debut after handiest one England cap.
Jeremy Guscott scored a strive in a Lions Test in opposition to Australia lower than two months after his England debut.
Keith Earls changed into correct 21, with two Eire caps to his name, when he toured South Africa in 2009, while league converts John Bentley and Jason Robinson came from left area to illuminate Lions excursions in 1997 and 2001 respectively.
Who will also simply be a surprise different – or bolter – when Warren Gatland selects the Lions class of 2021 on Thursday?
Sam Simmonds
The European player of the year. The Premiership’s main strive-scorer. A key cog in Exeter’s double-winning crew. Nevertheless apparently no longer correct sufficient so that you might possibly possibly add to his most most modern England cap in 2018.
Simmonds’ omission from Eddie Jones’ plans has turn into one of English rugby’s most authentic speaking aspects. Might perchance perchance possibly Gatland engage a irregular notion?
Simmonds, 16st 2lbs and 6ft big, is no longer if truth be told a tidy-sized wait on row. Nevertheless he is compact sufficient to lever into breakdowns bigger males can’t. And he has trip to burn.
The most leer-popping instance changed into in November’s capture in opposition to Harlequins, when Simmonds burst by a hole on halfway, swerved outdoors the corpulent-wait on and properly-known his rating with a nonchalant shrug.
On South Africa’s company ground, with some extent to point to, might possibly possibly perchance he be an ace in the hole for the Lions?
Kieran Hardy
The 25-year-damaged-down scrum-half has made handiest three Test starts for Wales, but will also simply need been the man in possession of Wales’ creep-the-parcel 9 shirt but for an untimely hamstring hurt in a improbable strive-scoring showcase in opposition to England.
The Scarlets scrum-half is a mercurial, shimmering runner with a nose for a hole in the perimeter defence.
Plan to the British and Irish Lions squad would cap a outstanding rise. Fewer than four years in the past, Hardy changed into taking part in in the English 2d-tier Championship as he struggled to gain game time sooner than Scarlets crew-mate Gareth Davies.
Ben Youngs’ decision to engage away himself from consideration for the tour will also proceed the Lions coaches much less properly-staffed than expected at 9 as properly.
Danny Care
Care admits the probability of him being in contention for the Lions tour at the originate of the season gave the impression amusing.
The Harlequins scrum-half gained the final of his 84 England caps in opposition to Japan in November 2018.
Nevertheless for the reason that turn of the year and a alternate of head coach at Quins, Care has rediscovered the finest form of his career.
The 34-year-damaged-down specialised in the ‘finisher’ function for the length of the latter part of his England career, stretching play and darting by holes as gamers drained and condo spread out.
Might perchance perchance possibly Gatland believe a the same function in his final probability to tour with the Lions?
John Cooney
One other scrum-half, one more man who has found himself left in the worldwide cold.
Cooney has struggled to convince both Joe Schmidt and, now, Andy Farrell that he is payment more than the occasional cameo off the bench for Eire.
Nevertheless he changed into Ulster’s megastar man in the early part of 2020 and, after a brief submit-lockdown dip, has resumed that form in the past few weeks.
Lions coaches Gregor Townsend and Steve Tandy were obtainable at Welford Toll road on Friday night to peek Ulster lose aid a watch on of their European Field Cup semi-final after Cooney departed with a head-knock early in the 2d half.
As properly as canny fortify lines, trip and footballing ability, Cooney is moreover a authentic goal-kicker.
Cameron Redpath
This will be one from left area, but centre is one of the most areas – along with scrum-half – the assign there are places up for grabs.
Cameron Redpath has made handiest one global look. Nevertheless what an look it changed into.
The 21-year-damaged-down centre strolled by Scotland’s first capture at Twickenham in 38 years, making the step as much as the Test area explore easy.
He changed into averted from taking part in any more part in the Six Countries by a neck hurt but has lately made his comeback for membership facet Bath, the assign his agility and trip give him the impression of constantly being in condo.
His father Bryan gained 60 caps for Scotland as a scrum-half but never toured with the Lions.
Simon Zebo
Out of specialize in, out of ideas?
On the final weekend before Lions different, Simon Zebo did all he might possibly possibly perchance to engage the Lions selectors’ eyes.
Taking part in in Paris’ membership derby the 31-year-damaged-down Irishman sliced between two Stade Francais defenders before throwing a complicated wait on-of-the-hand offload to ship Teddy Thomas into the nook.
Zebo can play corpulent-wait on as properly as flit, changed into a preferred vacationer when called as much as the 2013 outing to Australia and hyperlinks properly on and off the pitch with Racing 92 crew-mate Finn Russell, who looks a bound in the park to gain the 2021 outing.
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