It may seem some way off at the moment, but it won't be too long before the hype for the Lions rugby tour to Australia next summer kicks into overdrive.
The opening test between the sides is less than 12 months away, with the tourists set to face Joe Schmidt's side in Brisbane on July 19th, 2025. As for the XV that takes to the field for the Lions that day, there is set to be plenty of debate surrounding that matter over the next year or so.
Andy Farrell will lead the team in Australia, with many expecting that he selects an Irish-heavy squad for the trip Down Under. That seems like a fair assumption, especially considering his familiarity with the players and Ireland's status as the best side in the Six Nations over the last few seasons.
Of course, plenty can change by the time next summer rolls around.
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Ireland Rugby Stars Dominate Lions XV Selected By Ex-England Man
We are likely to see countless predicted Lions XVs over the next 12 months, very few of which are likely to nail the team that Andy Farrell will select for that opening test in Brisbane.
Wales legend Sam Warburton shared his team for that game last week, although his decision to go with an England-heavy side at the expense of some Irish stalwarts caused quite a bit of debate.
Former England star Andy Goode has also jumped on the bandwagon, although his side is likely to be more welcome by Ireland supporters.
Writing for RugbyPass, he would select eight Irish players in his Lions XV, including picking Caelan Doris as captain. Here is the team in full:
Backs: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England), Garry Ringrose (Ireland), Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland), Finn Russell (Scotland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland);
Forwards: Ellis Genge (England), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Joe McCarthy (Ireland), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Chandler Cunningham-South (England), Jac Morgan (Wales), Caelan Doris (Ireland) (c)
For those counting, that is eight Irish players, three Englishmen, three Scots, and one Wales star.
That is quite the contrast to Sam Warburton's team, who selected six England players and five from Ireland. He would also leave Caelan Doris out of that side.
Goode would explain why he opted for the Leinster star as his captain:
Caelan Doris completes the back row, is possibly the easiest pick of all and would be my captain as things stand after he led Ireland to victory over the Springboks in Durban last week.
The 26-year-old doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses, raises his game for the big occasions and is now showing real leadership qualities too.
Quite a few pundits have suggested that Caelan Doris will captain the Lions next year, with the 26-year old looking likely to take over the Ireland captaincy duties next season.
If Ireland were to have eight players in the team for the opening test, you get the sense that not too many rugby fans from this part of the world would complain.
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