Nick Cain gets out his crystal ball and the form book to pick his 2017 Lions

Courtney LawesTwo years from now the Lions will be in the midst of a three Test series against a side that has usually proved to be their nemesis.  On their last tour in 2005 – which, remarkably, is their only expedition to the ‘land of the long white cloud' in the professional era – they were whitewashed three nil.  However, the Lions will be desperate to build on their triumph in Australia in 2013, and, if they can win the first Test (scheduled for Saturday, June 24) they will be in prime position to emulate the class of 1971 by becoming the second tour party to win a series in All Black country.
Our aim here is to pick a Lions team, but to make it a worthwhile exercise it's important to recognise that two weeks can be a long time in rugby union, let alone two years. So, picking a prototype 2017 Lions Test side to take on New Zealand in their own backyard is a shot in the dark. However, what we can do is to take stock of what a Lions side this summer would have looked like – and see what pointers it gives us looking ahead.
1. Cian Healy (Leinster & ) 2017 tour age: 29
The Leinster loose-head is recuperating from surgery to repair a disc in his neck but is expected to be ready for Ireland's challenge.
At his best Healy is the most dynamic ball-carrying prop in Europe. He also gets through a mountain of work in defence and has become a rock-steady scrummager, as he proved opposite Dan Cole in Ireland's win over England in Dublin.
The pressure is on from Mako Vunipola, who is developing as a gain-line breaking prop with a huge work rate, and one whose scrummaging has improved out of sight since he plugged the gap at loose-head during the 2013 Test series against the Wallabies.
2. Rory Best (Ulster & Ireland) 2017 tour age: 34
The Lions are stuck at hooker for the moment, because while Best was the most accomplished Test No.2 in Europe this season, the Ulsterman will be almost 35 by the time of the tour.
If you could construct a hybrid out of Best and England's Tom Youngs you would have a hooker to take on the world. The beauty of Best is that he is old school in that he can hook – as in strike for the ball – and has become almost failsafe as a line-out thrower, whereas Youngs is a force of nature in the loose but still has work to do on his specialist skill set.  Youngs prefers to push rather than strike, and his line-out throwing is sometimes errant. Fix that and he will be in pole position – although Jamie George's barnstorming end to the season for Saracens suggests bigger things to come.
The heavy-duty Lions 2013 first-choice Richard Hibbard cannot be discounted, although the Welshman had only a middling first season with Gloucester, and nor can his fast-improving Ospreys rival, Scott Baldwin. With that many contenders, taking a risk on Dylan Hartley looks doubtful.
3. Dan Cole (Leicester & England) 2017 tour age: 30
Looked like a force reborn after returning to the Leicester and England line-ups following a long lay-off after neck surgery. On Six Nations form alone he came second in the tight-head rankings to 35-year-old Irishman Mike Ross   – however the Lions would be pushing their luck banking on a player of Ross's vintage in New Zealand. Bath's David Wilson will also come into the reckoning, as will the new Welsh hope Samson Lee.
However, past history tells us that footballing props who can scrummage are worth their weight in gold so if Kieran Brookes (Northampton) and Henry Thomas (Bath) continue making headway, the Premiership duo will be hard to ignore.
4. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys & Wales) 2017 tour age: 31
He's done the hard yards for the Lions and has the kudos of being a winning Test captain after taking over from the injured Sam Warburton to clinch the 2013 series.
He is a tried and tested lock and with his experience and impressive track record is likely to be among the first names on the team sheet.
Plenty of competition with the English contingent of , Dave Attwood and Ed Slater pressing their cases.
5. Devin Toner (Leinster & Ireland) 2017 tour age: 31
The Leinster lighthouse has shone brightly for Ireland in their back-to-back Six Nations title successes and his line-out work has been peerless.
Toner has developed into an all-rounder with a high work-rate in the loose rather than just a line-out target. That said, if you want to build a driving maul, then there are few things better than having a main support beam of 6ft 11ins and almost 19st (120kg) to construct it around.  Other candidates include the young Scot, Jonny Gray.
6. Courtney Lawes (Northampton & England, above) 2017 tour age: 28
The versatile Saints man has played at blindside before, but this is the main positional switch in the selection of this Lions pack because England use him mainly at lock. Offensive defence is crucial to success against New Zealand and Lawes is one of the few tacklers in the Northern Hemisphere who hits as hard as the Southern Hemisphere head-hunters.
He brings a balance to the back row as a towering line-out option – which is important if Billy Vunipola is at No.8. He's also an effective carrier at close quarters and has the mobility to operate out wide too.
Dan Lydiate is a specialist 6 and brings a different defensive asset as a chop-tackler, but he's not as conspicuous ball-in-hand as Lawes despite his classic backhand pass against France. When it comes to work-rate Peter O'Mahony and are hard to beat, but if you are looking for a bolt from the blue it has to be the young Saracens blindside Maro Itoje.
7. Sam Warburton ( Blues & Wales) 2017 tour age: 27
Due to Welsh club-country contractual disputes and injuries the 2013 Lions captain had a truncated season, but when he was called upon to produce the goods in the Six Nations he delivered. Warburton has the openside prerequisites of being fast, fit and fearless, and that puts him in a position to compete as an effective loose ball scavenger against all-comers.
Having A No.7 who is a menace at the breakdown is an essential component if the Lions are to upstage New Zealand in the area of the game they like to think they own, and Warburton, who will be in his prime, should have the ability to fracture the All Black supply lines and disrupt their flow.
Sean O'Brien offers a more heavy-duty presence, whether carrying it up or competing at the breakdown, while Justin Tipuric is like-for-like cover for Warburton.
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens & England) 2017 tour age: 24
There was very little separating Billy Vunipola and Jamie Heaslip over the season, but with the Leinster and Lions Test incumbent turning 33 before the tour and NZ's Kieran Read at his best when it's fast and loose, it may be time to change the guard.
The thunder-thighed Vunipola is ideally equipped to give the tourists momentum, although his cousin, Taulupe Faletau, may have other ideas.
Faletau is a gifted footballer and athlete, but he tends to drift in and out of games more than Vunipola. However, using the English-Tongan to do the softening up before unleashing the Welsh-Tongan could be dynamite.
Conor Murray9. Conor Murray ( & Ireland) 2017 tour age: 28
His precision, whether passing or kicking, made him the pick of the Six Nations scrum-halves. The accuracy of Murray's aerial bombardment against England was central to the Irish win over England in Dublin.
He should be fit after his medial knee ligament injury for Ireland's World Cup warm-ups, and the combination of tactical nous and combativeness that he brings will be essential to their progress. One of his likely rivals is Ben Youngs, but Rhys Webb and Greig Laidlaw will also want to make a noise.
10. Jonny Sexton (Leinster & Ireland) 2017 tour age: 31
With the experience of the 2013 Lions triumph and two World Cups under his belt Sexton should be at the height of his powers in New Zealand, and if he and Murray both manage to stay fit their Irish 9-10 partnership will mean the tourists can hit the ground running.
Sexton is a wickedly accurate tactical kicker and a crafty distributor, and as long as he retains enough running speed he will present NZ with multiple threats.
England's George Ford will also be in pursuit of the jersey. Nor will Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar be a willing support cast.
11. Liam Williams ( & Wales) 2017 tour age: 26
The Scarlets full-back/wing has given Wales a new counter-attacking weapon this season, and, although his World Cup campaign is now in limbo following foot surgery, if he picks up where he left off his creativity and guile will trouble NZ.
Having forced his way into the Wales side for the Six Nations at Alex Cuthbert's expense, Williams proved his worth with some exceptional performances.
There is no shortage of suitors for this wing berth with Lions veterans like Cuthbert and Tommy Bowe eager for a last hurrah and young guns such as Craig Gilroy and Jack Nowell eager to make their mark.
12. Jamie Roberts (Harlequins & Wales) 2017 tour age: 30
Having been a Lions midfield linchpin in 2009 in South Africa and 2013 in Australia, Roberts has the sort of elite Test know-how that money cannot buy. After spending most of his club career with Cardiff Blues, the doctor has not had the battering he could have expected elsewhere, and nor was he over-used during his two year stint at Racing.  His move to Harlequins could invigorate him, but should he stumble, then Manu Tuilagi, new Irish discovery Robbie Henshaw, and Welsh super-sub Scott Williams will be primed to step in.
Jonathan Joseph13. Jonathan Joseph (Bath & England) 2017 tour age: 26
Joseph will have second season syndrome to contend with after the World Cup but even so it will be hard to erase the vapour trail he left over the 2015 Six Nations. His elusive footwork and searing pace lit up the tournament and established England as the top try scorers, and he is an outside-centre with the gas to burn the Kiwi speedsters.
Whether he gets ahead of Jonathan Davies, who has money in the bank having established himself as a new Lions star against the Wallabies, is in the lap of the gods after the Welshman's World Cup-ending cruciate ligament injury playing for Clermont recently.
Davies should have time to get back to his best in good time for the trip to New Zealand but the Lions cannot afford to ignore Joseph's attacking flair. Those also in the hunt for selection are Ireland's former Kiwi Jared Payne and Glasgow's barnstorming Mark Bennett.
14. George North (Northampton & Wales) 2017 tour age: 25
With wings of the size and power of Julian Savea ranged against them the Lions will want to meet fire with fire, and North gives them that luxury as long as he manages to make a full recovery from his concussion issues.
However, the giant Welshman will be a marked man following his fireman's lift of Wallaby full-back Israel Folau in Australia two years ago, because New Zealand do not spurn many opportunities to leave a psychological calling card. Wings with North's physique are a rarity, but, two seasons into the future flyers like Ireland's Simon Zebo and England's Anthony Watson will have added international experience to go with their outstanding speed.
15. Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon & Wales) 2017 tour age: 28
Halfpenny is a match-winning Test goalkicker, and that world class attribute is essential to the Lions.
Take into account that the compact Welshman is also a tremendous sweeper and you have the explanation for him keeping such rich talents as Rob Kearney, Stuart Hogg and among the fullback support cast.
His ability to make pressure kicks which keep the scoreboard clicking over is Wilkinson-like, while his fielding of the high-ball has been peerless this season. He has been criticised in some Welsh quarters for a reluctance to counter-attack, but for the Lions he has shown that he has counter-attacking speed and agility to spare. A player to cherish.

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