A total of 21 players from the Guinness PRO12 have been selected for the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand this summer.
It marks the third tour in succession that the Championship has provided the most squad members in the original party for the Lions following on from a tally of 27 in 2009 and 24 in 2013.
In total seven clubs from the 10 teams who represent Ireland, Scotland and Wales have received call-ups: Leinster Rugby (5); Ospreys Rugby (4); Munster Rugby (3); Scarlets (3); Ulster Rugby (3); Glasgow Warriors (2); Cardiff Blues (1).
Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues) has been chosen as captain for the second tour in succession which means that the last four British & Irish Lions tours have been led by a captain from a team in the Championship (Paul O'Connell, '09 & Brian O'Driscoll, '05).
Below you will find selected Opta statistics for the four Ospreys players chosen for the tour:
Dan Biggar
• 33 Carries
• 3 Clean Breaks
• 52 Tackles
• 3 Turnovers Won
• 2 Offloads
Rhys Webb
• 255 Metres
• 9 Clean Breaks
• 4 Try Assists
• 51 Tackles
• 3 Turnovers Won
Alun Wyn Jones
• 64 Carries
• 10 Offloads
• 64 Tackles
• 3 Turnovers Won
• 4 Lineout Steals
Justin Tipuric
• 85 Carries
• 7 Breaks
• 10 Offloads
• 142 Tackles (2 missed)
• 14 Turnovers
Opta statistics for the remaining PRO12 representatives
BACKS
Jonathan Davies (Scarlets)
• 302 Metres
• 12 Defenders Beaten
• 6 Offloads
• 43 Tackles
• 3 Turnovers Won
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby)
• 10 Offloads
• 11 Defenders Beaten
• 5 Turnovers Won
• 95% Tackle Success
• 40 Carries
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors)
• 4 Tries
• 584 Metres
• 9 Clean Breaks
• 16 Defenders Beaten
• 5 Try Assists
Conor Murray (Munster Rugby)
• 5.2m Avg Gain per game
• 2 Try Assists
• 2 Turnovers Won
• 6 Clean Breaks
• 168 Metres
Jared Payne (Ulster Rugby)
• 3 Tries
• 453 Metres
• 4 Try Assists
• 11 Offloads
• 9 Clean Breaks
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster Rugby)
• 3 Try Assists
• 90% Goal Kicking success
• 1 Try
• 18 Tackles
• 23 Carries
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors)
• 8 Tries
• 634 Metres
• 20 Clean Breaks
• 29 Defenders Beaten
• 3 Try Assists
Liam Williams (Scarlets)
• 109 Carries
• 793 Metres
• 8 Clean Breaks
• 9 Offloads
• 6 Turnovers Won
FORWARDS
Rory Best (Ulster Rugby)
• 44 Carries
• 55 Tackles
• 94% Tackle Success
• 3 Turnovers Won
• 87% Throw Success
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby)
• 54 Tackles
• 100% Tackle Success
• 23 Carries
• 2 Offloads
• 2 Turnovers Won
Iain Henderson (Ulster Rugby)
• 99 Carries
• 133 Metres
• 6 Offloads
• 73 Tackles
• 12 Turnovers Won
Jack McGrath (Leinster Rugby)
• 26 Carries
• 66 Metres
• 2 Clean Breaks
• 50 Tackles
• 2 Turnovers Won
Sean O’Brien (Leinster Rugby)
• 37 Carries
• 129 Metres
• 3 Offloads
• 22 Tackles
• 3 Turnovers Won
Peter O’Mahony (Munster Rugby)
• 83 Metres
• 43 Carries
• 55 Tackles
• 6 Steals
• 4 Defenders Beaten
Ken Owens (Scarlets)
• 58 Carries
• 89 Tackles
• 6 Turnovers Won
• 92% Throw Success
• 67 Metres
CJ Stander (Munster Rugby)
• 111 Carries
• 305 Metres
• 3 Clean Breaks
• 8 Offloads
• 4 Turnovers
Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues)
• 35 Carries
• 50 Metres
• 67 Tackles
• 4 Turnovers Won
• 12 Lineouts Won
