A 12-STRONG PANEL put together by The Guardian and Observer newspapers today named Welsh scrum-half Gareth Edwards as the finest Lion in history today.
The judges included Bill Beaumount, Phil Bennett, Finlay Calder and Eddie Butler and they deemed birthday boy Willie John McBride second in the all time list, just ahead of Martin Johnson in a top 50 tinged with nostalgia.
Brian O’Driscoll is 10th on the chart, three places behind Mike Gibson. Ireland’s top five is completed by Keith Wood – the top hooker at number 17 – and Tony O’Reilly at 21.
In all, nine Irishmen made the grade. The same number as Scotland while England and Wales each had 16 representatives.
Here’s the top 15, to see the full top 50 visit The Guardian.
