Ten Welsh will make the Lions squad now

British & Irish Lions have confirmed they intend to tour South Africa this summer. If it does take place, there will be a lot of Wales players on the trip.

Wales’ experienced players have really delivered in this tournament. The spine of the team – Ken Owens, Alun Wyn, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau, Dan Biggar, George North and Liam Williams all stood up when it mattered on the big stage. There could be at least ten or 12 Welsh Lions in my opinion.

There could also be a few more Scots than usual after that win in Paris, but from a Welsh perspective I think it’s vital Wayne is given meaningful summer tour fixtures to work with.

Wales are scheduled to play in Argentina. I don’t think that will happen because of Covid.

Whatever happens, it’s vital Wales have the chance to give more exposure to their younger players in June and July. That will be crucial ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

This summer would give guys like Callum Sheedy, James Botham, Jarrod Evans and Kieran Hardy plus several others the chance to impress. We could also see Ellis Jenkins return to Test rugby. How good would that be after his lengthy spell out with injury?

The future of Welsh rugby is promising, but we cannot afford to stand still because these young players have to keep on developing.

Like I said, if it wasn’t for the brilliant displays of the hugely experienced Wales players in this Six Nations, Wales would have been nowhere near the title.

These guys won’t be around forever and Wayne will know that. That’s why developmental summer tours in Lions years are so important.

For example, when Wales played Tonga and Samoa at the same time as the 2017 Lions tour, Wyn Jones made his Wales debut. Four years on, he has a very good shout of being a Lion himself. That shows what these tours can do.

I’ll be very, very interested to see where and who Wales end up playing, but for now that can wait. I hope the players enjoyed a beer to celebrate winning the Six Nations because it would have been well deserved.

They’ve made a country proud and given us something to smile about after a tough year.