England legend picks surprise Wales star in Lions squad as teammate misses out
England legend Will Greenwood has selected a surprise Wales player in his British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia this summer.
The 2003 World Cup winner has picked a 37-man squad after the first round of Six Nations action, with most of the selections unsurprising. The likes of Maro Itoje, Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu all feature in the proposed squad, with Ireland star Caelan Doris named as captain and England's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso selected as a wildcard.
Unsurprisingly, given Wales' current torrid run of form, just three members of Warren Gatland's squad feature in Greenwood's selections - which include 13 Irishmen, 12 Scots and nine Englishmen.
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Few could blame the former centre for those proportions, with it widely accepted that Wales will struggle to get more than a couple of representatives on the plane to head Down Under this summer unless there is a substantial turnaround in fortunes. Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams are seen as the two most likely Welsh candidates for selection, however, and Greenwood has indeed included them in his squad.
Praising Morgan's fine individual performance in Friday night's 43-0 defeat in Paris, the former Harlequins and Leicester Tigers man said: "The flanker delivered a remarkable performance against France, standing out above the rest. His work-rate on both sides of the ball make him an asset to any side."
As for Williams, Greenwood added: "This kid could push for a Test jersey. He has changed Gloucester. Wales supporters will be hoping he can do the same for them."
Other Welsh names seen by various pundits as having an outside chance of making it into the Lions squad include Dewi Lake and Dafydd Jenkins - who have both captained Wales in the last year - as well as Aaron Wainwright and James Botham.
However, when it comes to the second row, Greenwood has gone for a Wales international that is not Jenkins, opting for the experienced Will Rowlands instead. The 33-year-old Racing 92 lock has 37 international caps but struggled to assert himself physically against France despite a committed performance.
But Greenwood saw enough in his opening round display to pick him ahead of Jenkins, as well as the likes of Ireland's James Ryan and England's Ollie Chessum.
"Big, powerful and plenty of experience, too," he wrote. "Even in defeat to France, Rowlands showed the qualities of a proper Test match operator."
Rowlands fits in alongside Itoje, Scotland's Scott Cummings and Ireland duo Tadhg Beirne and Joe McCarthy in Greenwood's second row.
