While we have been digesting Warren Gatland's 41-man Lions squad on this side of the world, over in New Zealand they have been waking up to the news and now know exactly who has been chosen to try and conquer the All Blacks over three tests.
The headlines here have centered around the decision to name Sam Warburton as captain, the omission of Dylan Hartley, and the fact that all three of Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony, and CJ Stander made the cut, those are not necessarily the dominant narratives in the New Zealand media.
From looking at the country's two biggest sources for rugby news, The New Zealand Herald, and Stuff.co.nz, there is appears to be a mixed reaction to the announcement. While most think it's an evenly balanced and strong panel, there is also a suggestion that Scotland have been rudely snubbed.
NZ Herald: Lions name team to tackle All Blacks
The Report in the NZ Herland begins by suggesting that Gatland did a good job of picking a balanced squad.
Big pats on the back will be coming for Warren Gatland after he unveiled a Lions squad that has equal parts conservatism, boldness, adventure and graft.
He's picked a captain he knows and trusts and one with previous experience and with the exception of the Scots, who were expecting next to nothing after such an outcome had been heavily flagged, Gatland has balanced his nationalities in proportions that should prevent accusations of favouritism.
Tadhg Furlong was then singled out for praise in discussing the strengths, and possible weakness of a Lions test team:
Does he have the players at his disposal to beat the All Blacks in two tests in their own backyard? And that's where it gets a little harder to be so enthusiastic about the Lions.
They certainly have a lot of bases covered. There's no question they are going to be able to scrummage. Tick that one now.
Irishman Tadhg Furlong put a bit of heat on the All Blacks last November and looks well equipped to anchor any scrum from tighthead.
Then comes and acknowledgement that the lineout will be another strength as will the partnership of Murray and Sexton, but the lack of creativity in the backline was raised as a point of potential difficulty:
Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton are an experienced halfback pairing who will run a tight and organised ship and Owen Farrell will barely miss a goal while he's here.
It all looks so good for the Lions, except for one missing piece perhaps- their squad lacks creative, intuitive footballers with the skills and imagination to ignite their attacking game?
Their midfield options look exceptionally dry: functional sorts who will bang up the middle and take a bit of tackling. Being direct is fine, but it's not enough in itself to really trouble the All Blacks.
You can read the reasoning behind those points in the full article here.
Stuff: British and Irish Lions defend lack of Scotland players in 41-man squad
The shortened headline 'Factions threaten Lions' expands into the above, and is an argument that Scotland have been slightly hard done-by and that could cause a rift in the squad.
On paper, Warren Gatland has selected a quality British and Irish Lions squad capable of playing a diverse brand of rugby and seriously challenging the All Blacks. But his decision, and that of Lions management, to include just two Scots threatens to create factions and erode harmony before the tourists even board the plane to New Zealand in June.
But arguably the biggest talking point came with Galtand selecting just two Scottish players - fullback Stuart Hogg, and American-born wing Tommy Seymour. For the first time since the initial Lions tour in 1908, not one Scottish forward made the cut; lock Jonny Gray likely to be most aggrieved. More New Zealanders - Jared Payne the surprise call-up - were included.
Also flagged as a possible issue was not just the lack of Scots in the team, but also in the coaching staff, as there will be no representative from the Scotland setup present in New Zealand.
Eleven Irishman and 16 from Eddie Jones' England team which recorded 18 wins in a row will also make the trip.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Lions management has no Scottish representation after Gregor Townsend turned down an approach from Galtand. Cue resentment, and questions about whether the squad provides an accurate reflection of northern hemisphere rugby.
Pulling four nations together in one large group is always a troublesome task for any Lions coach. Players talk. Loyalties are tested. It doesn't get any easier when one country is already seething at being largely overlooked.
Could squad harmony be an issue due to there only being two Scottish players? You can read the rest of the article here.
Stuff: Mark Reason: Ignoring the Scots when picking the Lions squad is a tactical error
Rugby columnist Mark Reason believes that Scotland deserved to have more players named in the squad and feels that they will rightly be very upset at the squad announcement.
There will be outrage north of the border and it is hard not to find sympathy for them. Gatland picked 22 forwards and not one of them a Scotsman, despite a pack that was mightily competitive throughout the Six Nations Championship. It is a tactical error and one that will threaten the union of sections of the Lions support.
One of the main reasons for this stance is the performance of the Scottish pack against Ireland and Wales during the Six Nations.
Rugby is the game that has always only known one Ireland, a mighty unifier of men and causes. But what to make of this? Scotland, the team that beat both Wales and Ireland in the Six Nations, cut adrift in the North Sea. Is it significant they did not have a representative on the main coaching and selection panel. They may well think so.
You can read the rest of Reason's reasoning in the full article here.
A lot of sympathy for the Scots, should Vern Cotter/Gregor Townsend's men be better represented? Get in touch and give us your view.
There is of course also a focus on the naming of Ben Te'o and Jared Payne in the squad as both men were born in New Zealand. The two were somewhat of a surprise in Gatland's squad, and the opinion over there is that having a strong knowledge of the area they are touring gave both men a big help in being selected.
