Here’s how Ireland’s 11 Lions players compares to previous squads
Warren Gatland on Wednesday ended weeks of speculation by naming his squad for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour.
Gatland selected 16 players from RBS 6 Nations champions England, 11 from Ireland, 12 from Wales and only two from Scotland for June and July's trip to his native New Zealand.
Here, Tom White assesses how that compares to the make-up of recent Lions squads and recaps how they fared against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand on their last two tours of each nation.
2013
Australia
Sam Warburton (Wales)
Warren Gatland (Wales coach, nationality New Zealand)
England 10 players, Ireland 9, Scotland 3, Wales 15.
England 20 appearances/9 starts, Ireland 14/11, Scotland 1/0, Wales 29/25.
Wales' back-to-back Six Nations champions - Grand Slam winners in 2012 - provided 15 of the 37-man squad and more than half of the players in the starting line-ups under their established coach and captain. Full-back Leigh Halfpenny was the chief inspiration for a 2-1 series win and a record 41 points in the deciding third Test. Coach Gatland and captain Warburton remain in charge for 2017.
2009
South Africa
Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
Ian McGeechan (Scotland)
England 8, Ireland 14, Scotland 2, Wales 13.
England 15 appearances/12 starts, Ireland 21/16, Scotland 1/0, Wales 24/17.
Ireland had won the Six Nations Grand Slam, matching the feat of Wales the previous year, and both nations were well represented as England slipped to third in the pecking order. South Africa won the series 2-1, with Morne Steyn's match-winning penalty from his own half in injury time of the second Test ultimately proving decisive.
2005
New Zealand
Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
Clive Woodward (England)
England 20*, Ireland 11, Scotland 3, Wales 10.
England 28 appearances/19 starts, Ireland 16/11, Scotland 1/0, Wales 18/15.
Woodward kept faith with many of his 2003 World Cup winners, but suffered a 3-0 series whitewash. Wales' Gareth Thomas took over the captaincy after O'Driscoll was controversially spear-tackled out of the tour two minutes into the first Test.
* Jonny Wilkinson was added to the squad as a 21st England selection, having initially been included on a list of players to join the squad subject to proving their fitness.
2001
Australia
Martin Johnson (England)
Graham Henry (Wales coach, nationality New Zealand)
England 18, Ireland 6, Scotland 3, Wales 10.
England 32 appearances/25 starts, Ireland 9/9, Scotland 4/3, Wales 12/8.
England's back-to-back Grand Slam winners dominated the team-sheet, led by captain Johnson two years before he marshalled his country to global success. He was the first man to captain the Lions twice, an achievement now matched by Warburton. Prop Tom Smith was the last Scot to start a Lions Test, making the XV in all three games in a series won 2-1 by Australia.
1997
South Africa
Martin Johnson (England)
Ian McGeechan (Scotland)
England 18, Ireland 4, Scotland 5, Wales 8
England 27 appearances/22 starts, Ireland 9/8, Scotland 8/8, Wales 8/7
The last time Scotland were not the nation least represented - they had five players to Ireland's four and eight starts to Wales' seven. The Lions won the series 2-1, largely thanks to the kicking of Neil Jenkins - a member of the 2013 and 2017 coaching staffs.
1993
New Zealand
Gavin Hastings (Scotland)
Ian McGeechan (Scotland)
England 16, Ireland 2, Scotland 7, Wales 5
England 32 appearances/31 starts, Ireland 3/3, Scotland 6/6, Wales 5/5
Rory Underwood's try helped the tourists win the second Test but they lost the series 2-1. Eleven players started all three matches, with Mike Teague in the second Test the only Lions replacement used.
AVERAGES
England 14, Ireland 10, Scotland 3, Wales 12
England 26 appearances/16 starts, Ireland 15/12, Scotland 2/1, Wales 21/16
England 15, Ireland 8, Scotland 4, Wales 10
England 26 appearances/20 starts, Ireland 12/10, Scotland 4/3, Wales 16/13
