MX23RW : Sunday, December 29 17:31:49| >> :600:1890924:1890924:

Keith Wood: 'British and Irish Lions squad will mainly be Welsh'

Wood: 'Lions squad will mainly be Welsh'
© PA Photos
Former Ireland hooker Keith Wood believes that the British and Irish Lions squad will feature a high proportion of Welsh players.

Former Ireland international Keith Wood has said that he expects the majority of the British and Irish Lions squad to come from Wales.

Warren Gatland is due to name a 37-man squad on Tuesday ahead of the 10-match tour of Australia in June and July.

The retired hooker told BBC Sport: "I think there will be an awful lot of Welsh. I don't know how tied down it is to 37 and it has proved to be a movable feast after such declarations in the past.

"There will be a lot of Welsh guys in there, because barring the first half against Ireland [in the 2013 Six Nations] when defensively they were absolutely out to a lunch, Wales have played the best rugby and shown great skills. I think there will be a big chunk of Welsh there.

"Rory Best will go with the Lions. He is a class act. He struggled in the Six Nations with his lineout which hasn't been a flaw in his game He will get there and then it becomes an incredible battle to try and make sure he has the number two jersey."

Wales flanker Sam Warburton is the favourite for the captaincy.

ID:81811: cacheID:81811:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2110:
Written by
Sian Cowper
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Rory Best
Read Next:
Best: 'We want to end losing run'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Cardinals
9-13
Rams
6pm
Jets
@
Bills
6pm
Panthers
@
Buccaneers
6pm
Colts
@
Giants
6pm
Titans
@
Jags
6pm
Raiders
@
Saints
9.25pm
Packers
@
Vikings
9.05pm
Dolphins
@
Browns
6pm
Cowboys
@
Eagles


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!