Good question, Mr Gatland. I expect you know the core of your side already. Most would expect it to be formed of your own Welsh players, so no surprises...perhaps.
Gatland is no rosey eyed loyalist. The strong foundations he has built in this Welsh squad have been based on a lack of such emotion. Players who failed to perform heard it in no uncertain terms. Ryan Jones, one of the players of the 2012 6 Nations, had to bounce back from being stripped of the captaincy, then seeing that young buck Faletau emerge from relative obscurity to become Wales' bolt on starting No 8. The canny Kiwi coach will also remember some of the Lions lessons of the past. Most painfully, Woodward learned that attempting to reassemble the 2003 WC winners in Lion skins was doomed to failure.
The starting Welsh XV may well form the core of the Gatland Lions pride, but some of those big names will need to look over their shoulders. Can any coach afford to leave such players as Heaslip, Ferris, Best, O'Brien, Sexton and Kearney of Ireland on the touchlines ? Foden, Tuilagi and Croft ?
For what it's worth, at this ridiculously early stage, here goes my Lions starting XV - Jenkins, Best, Jones, Gray, Charteris, Lydiate, Warburton (c), Heaslip, Phillips, Sexton, Roberts, Tuilagi, North, Halfpenny, Kearney.
Croft for Gray, O'Brien for Lydiate, Foden for Kearney, Healy for Jenkins after 60 mins.
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