Four England Players Who Should Feel Seriously Wounded By Warren Gatland’s Controversial Call-Ups

British and Irish Lions boss Warren Gatland has faced much criticism in the last couple of days after it emerged he was calling up six additional players to his Lions squad to ensure that his Test match 23 would not face playing in either of the remaining midweek games.

While the idea is not a bad one, it was the six he selected that has caused unanimous consternation among Lions fans, including former coaches and professionals. Choosing to take advantage of the geographical proximity of the Wales and Scotland squads, currently on tour in the Pacific Islands and Australia, respectively, Gatland has named four Welshman and two Scots.

The call-up of Cory Hill (lock), Kristian Dacey (hooker), Gareth Davies (scrum-half), Tomas Francis (tighthead), Finn Russell (out-half) and Allan Dell (loosehead) has raised eyebrows as accusations of Gatland choosing convenience over merit, a fact that the Lions boss admitted to on the official Lions website.

“Bringing in these players from an identical time zone, who can hit the ground running and step straight in rather than having to adjust following long-haul travel will help us manage players before the 1^st Test, give us quality training numbers to prepare properly as well as offering us options for selection for the Chiefs match.”

While there is some sense to this on paper, when you consider those who just missed out on selection for the initial 41-man squad, there is a genuine sense of frustration among fans that there were far better options available to Gatland in the positions be has chosen to seek cover for.

Those options include,

Mike Brown

The England full-back was considered very unlucky not to make the initial Lions squad back in April, having lost out once more to Stuart Hogg and Leigh Halfpenny. Now, with Hogg having returned home following his facial bone injury, Gatland has looked to Elliot Daly and Jared Payne for cover at No.15.

Brown is currently touring Argentina with the England squad and would provide specialist cover for the Test matches.

Joe Launchbury

Like his compatriot Brown, Launchbury was probably the most surprising omission from the squad in April. One of the top operators in the Six Nations, he is currently on tour with England and is match fit.

With Courtney Lawes recovering from a head injury, suffered against the Highlanders, Gatland could well do with Launchbury in his squad.

Dylan Hartley

The England captain missed out to Jamie George for the third Lions pick at hooker having had something of a mediocre Six Nations campaign.

The 31-year-old is, however, an experienced operator who would bring real tenacity and leadership to the squad, should he have been called up this weekend.

Danny Care

The scrum-half is known for his speed and abilities to ghost through opposition defences. Following the withdrawal of Ben Youngs from the tour squad, Gatland decided to pick Greig Laidlaw over the Englishman as cover.

Now, with another scrum-half being called up, the logical choice would have presumably been Care.

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While those who were selected by Gatland will certainly give their all and make the most of the opportunities presented to them, it is a fact that some of these would not be considered first choice starters within their own national setups.

To see them receive the call-up from Gatland simply because they are near must surely be a source of frustration for the England players touring a mere plane ride away.

So far, to their credit, all four have held their peace.

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