Ever the controversial pundit.
Ever since his return in January following a lengthy injury, Ireland and Leinster hooker, Dan Sheehan, has been in sensational form.
In nine matches since his comeback the 26-year old has scored 12 tries. To put that into perspective, the try-machine, wing-wizard, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, only has ten tries in his last nine games.
To many, Sheehan is considered the best hooker in the world, and one of the most nailed on players for Andy Farrell’s Lions test team to face Australia this summer.
However, controversial pundit, Stephen Jones, reckons that his place in the squad is not guaranteed, due to the presence of three English hookers and a Welshman.
In his weekly column for the Sunday Times, he waxed lyrical about the skills of Sale’s Luke Cowan-Dickie, Saracens men, Jamie George and Theo Dan, and Ospreys player, Dewi Lake.
Jones wrote: “None of this is to deny the excellence of the two Irishmen. But what is certain is that Farrell, who will finalise the team, has one mammoth task to split the hookers.
“Who will he choose? For me, Cowan-Dickie, by a tiny margin, is the best on present form; George is a magnificent leader as well as a remarkable player.
“You would not swap with Farrell and his choosing. Nothing is for certain, but at present the walk-ins by the two fine Irish hookers cannot be guaranteed in any way.”
While competition is stiff, and the depth excellent, it is a fight for the second and third spots on the plane to Oz.
