What Liam and Leigh have to do to stop ace Stuart hogging the limelight
IT is easy to forget how high in the sky Leigh Halfpenny’s star was after the 2013 Lions tour to Australia, with one Australian journalist suggesting the Welshman had become the best player in the world.
Player of the series on the trip four years ago, Gorseinon’s ace marksman appeared master of all he surveyed.
“When I saw Leigh playing for the Lions against Australia in that decider I thought ‘oh my God’,” exWales full-back Shane Howarth said at the time.
“Leigh was in danger of being put into the bracket of being a goalkicker and nothing else but I knew there was so much more to his game. “I’ve been watching him throughout his career and was so pleased to see him get the opportunity during the final Test to show how fast and clever a runner he is.
“Name me a better full-back in the world at the moment!”
How is it, then, that Halfpenny is widely seen as being an outsider to start in the Tests for the Lions in New Zealand this summer? Has Stuart Hogg’s form been that outstanding? And might Liam Williams yet come up on the rails to overtake both players?
Questions, questions — but one thing is certain: the two Welshmen have much to work to do overhaul Six Nations player-of-the-tournament Hogg.
Here, former Wales full-back Paul Thorburn assesses whether the Welsh pair can reel in the flying Scotsman. “I think it’s reasonable to assume Hogg is ahead of the others at this point,” said Thorburn.
“He had a good Six Nations, bringing creativity and pace to the Scotland team, qualities that are worth a huge amount in an era when 15 players are strung across the field posing huge challenges to an attacking side.
“It is to difficult for teams to break down defences today, so to have a full-back who can spot gaps and then either go through them or put someone else through a hole is priceless.
“When I played, France had Serge Blanco at No. 15. He may not have been keen on defensive duties but he was a fantastic attacker who could shred any defence.
“But in those days there was more