Lion Hunting #4 - The Front Row

Loosehead Prop

Ireland's Cian Healy is the best option at the moment at loosehead prop. He is one of the best props in the loose that you will find. He is powerful both in attack and defense and has excellent handling skills for a prop. He also gets some good groundwork done at the breakdown. The question mark has always been over his scrummaging but this has much improved over the last year or so and he has shown that he can compete with the best scrummagers in the game.

Healy just edges out Gethin Jenkins for my starting spot. Jenkins is not the player he once was but he is still a very solid backup option. A possible problem with Jenkins may be his lack of game time at club level as he is second choice behind Andrew Sheridan at Toulon. For this reason and his well earned reputation as one of the best scrummaging looseheads in the world Sheridan is another good option here. Even though he is playing regularly in the Top 14 but he may suffer from a lack of recent international games. Alex Corbisiero is the best scrummager of thenloy and must be considered because of his excellent recent form for England.

Starting : HealyBackup : Jenkins, Corbisiero

Tighthead Prop

The tighthead position has two main candidates: Dan Cole and Adam Jones. Jones is a very experienced campaigner but I'm going to go with Cole on this one. There's a reason he's keeping the outstanding Castrogiovanni out of the Leicester side. Like Healy he is equally proficient in the scrum and in the loose. In particular he is very good at using his large frame to get over the ball at the breakdown.

Other candidates are Euan Murray and Mike Ross. Both are decent scrummagers but a bit limited compared to Cole and Jones so a starting spot may be beyond them squad selection is a very real possibility.

Starting : ColeBackup : Jones

Hooker

Hooker is one of the harder positions to pick because there are a few players of pretty equal calibre. Dylan Hartley is tough and dynamic.
He would definitely add a rough edge to the side were he to start. Unfortunately, Hartley does have a streak of indiscipline and is rather inconsistent. this could count against him. England's other hooker Tom Youngs had a very impressive Autumn series and looks an exciting prospect but his lack of experience could be a problem. He will need a good Six Nations to be considered for a starting spot.

Rory Best has been the most consistent hooker over the last year. He's been crucial to everything good about Ireland and Ulster. His throwing is much improved but can still sometimes be his Achilles' heel. Richardt Strauss is definitely the bolter of the bunch. He may have only just gained qualification to play for Ireland but he has been impressing for Leinster for a few years now and was excellent for Ireland in the autumn. He is dynamic, powerful and mobile and could be the best hooker available to Gatland come the Summer but I wouldn't pick him just yet because he is still, like Youngs, unproven at international level but after the Six Nations he could well be my man.

Ross Ford has been very good for Scotland recently. He has an excellent all-round game and is a very solid and credible option. Wales have been swapping their hookers round of late and none of them have stood out. As of now Matthew Rees (in my opinion Wales' best hooker) wouldn't make the plane and given that there are four very strong candidates for this position it'll take something remarkable for this to change.

Starting : BestBackup : Hartley, Strauss

Tighthead

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia