At this stage, we’ve seen the videos and pictures.
Leigh Halfpenny is going on the 2017 Lions Tour.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTE77OzjGgU/?taken-by=leighhalfpenny&hl=en
Simon Zebo is not, but he’s focused on the most important things in life:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTE4O91jldT/?taken-by=simonzebo
An indifferent couple of years with Toulon and Wales has meant little to Lions head coach Warren Gatland and the fullback is off to face the All Blacks. Zebo, who has played No.15 with class and cutting edge for Munster and Ireland over the past two years, looks set to tour America and Japan with his country.
Former Ireland and Lions flanker Stephen Ferris stated, on The Hard Yards [from 12:00 below], that he could not recall a Halfpenny bust or line break of note from this season. That sparked some interesting comments from Ronan O’Gara.
https://soundcloud.com/thehardyardssportsjoe/episode-12-lions-squad-reaction-champions-cup-preview-and-andy-powell-antics
O’Gara, who represented the Lions on three tours, believes Halfpenny now stands a very good chance of starting at fullback in the Test Series against New Zealand.
“Obviously people won’t forget how he kicked against Australia, in really pressurised Test Series. He was impeccable.
“I’d say he has got the nod on that because his playing and kicking performances for Toulon and Wales are not where they were.”
He added, “Some of the kicks he has missed, you’d expect Leigh Halfpenny to kick, because I watch him closely. But it could be, and I’ve seen Warren comment on it, a big point of difference for the Lions – they feel they have better goal-kickers.”
O’Gara joked that Halfpenny was lucky that the Instagram post confirmed he was getting selected, rather than missing out. He remarked:
“It poses the question, if they’e recording, do they know what the outcome is going to be?… Wouldn’t you love if his name wasn’t being called out and it was like everyone abusing Gats, like, ‘My boy Leigh has done it all his life!’“
Former Leinster and Ireland winger Shane Horgan says he was ‘really disappointed they didn’t bring Zebo’ or Ireland’s best back of the Six Nations, Keith Earls. Speaking to SportsJOE at the launch of Heineken Rugby Club’s The Stadium Shuffle, Horgan declared:
“It is not like Halfpenny’s goal-kicking has been immaculate and his all-round game has been consistently poor. I can’t see the case for him going apart from semi-blind loyalty to a fella that has done well for Warren Gatland in the past.”
Halfpenny is not a popular choice in Irish rugby circles then, to say the least.
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