The Lions - We're Doomed, Doomed I Tell You

WELL - Gartland has spoken, the 2013 British & Irish Lions touring party has been named and I confidently predict: "We're doomed, doomed I tell you".

Everyone who had a try at naming the squad felt Gartland would remain within his comfort zone and pick as many of his Welsh squad as he could get away with. I also felt he was leant-on by the Sky paymasters, with their overwhelming English bias and thus the final squad with 15 Taffs and 10 Ruperts came out.

Only three Scots is a disgrace and, hard though it is to criticise a national treasure: if that's the best we can do - Andy Irvine should, if he will not resign, be de-selected from being the SRU's man on the Lions inside. He did us few favours by agreeing to this squad.

Six Nations form, and even more so Pro12 form ought to have had Ryan Grant nailed-on for the number one jersey in the tests. He's not on the flight, but Matt Stevens is - FFS, Gartland was a front rower and he makes that decision, amazing - he must definitely have taken too-many taps on the head back in NZ.

Against that, big Richie Gray is probably a lucky boy inasmuch as Gartland has selected largely on reputation, but, he has time on his side, unlike Paul O'Connell, who is so-far over the hill as to be practically back on the flat. Big Doncha Ryan must be fuming at seeing the old man on the plane before him, after the season he's had at the touchlines. And what about Rory Best, who has had a brilliant season for both Ulster and Ireland and isn't going - in many ways that's a worse decision than not picking Grant. Watch for Dylan Hartley doing something monumentally stupid in Oz - guaranteed.

Gartland said current club form played a part in his decision-making. If that's really the case, most of the Taffs wouldn't, indeed shouldn't be there - so atrocious has their club form been.

It's a bad squad, badly-selected and, if the Aussies have even half their normal go about them, the Lions will be caned and Gartland's reputation rightly tarnished.

Still, I feel, if we have a good summer series against Japan, Italy and South Africa, the 2014 Six Nations could be good for Scotland - at least we will be less psychologically scarred than the other three nations.