Everyone wants to be a selector and British & Irish Lions fans all over the world are showing they are very capable of picking strong Lions line-ups to tackle the Barbarians in Hong Kong and the Wallabies in Australia this summer.
The Lions Official app was launched this week and has gone down a storm with the Lions ‘Sea of Red’ all over the globe with more than 3,500 fans entering the exclusive ‘On The Plane’ competition in the first days.
The competition allows fans to put their favourite players on to the plane bound for Hong Kong and Australia. The best effort, as judged by three-time Lions tourist, and Microsoft ambassador, Will Greenwood will win some great prizes, including the chance to attend the Lions squad announcement on Tuesday, 30 April.
You can check the app every day to see who are the most popular selections for the summer tour. Those first 3,500 entrants had a squad showing eight Welshmen, five Irishmen, two Englishmen and no Scots.
IN were Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll, Leigh Halfpenny, Sam Warburton and Chris Robshaw
OUT were Jamie Roberts, Kelly Brown, Owen Farrell, Dan Cole, Stuart Hogg and Richie Gray
The top three picks to date have been Welsh players – Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Adam Jones, with Brian O’Driscoll, hoping to make it onto a fourth Lions tour, the fourth highest selection. The team changes as more and more votes come in.
'On The Plane' Lions XV (after 1,000 votes)
15 Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues / Wales)
14 George North (Scarlets / Wales)
13 Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster / Ireland)
12 Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers / England)
11 Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues / Wales)
10 Jonathan Sexton (Leinster / Ireland)
9 Mike Phillips (Biarritz Olympique / Wales)
1 Cian Healy (Leinster / Ireland)
2 Rory Best (Ulster / Ireland)
3 Adam Jones (Ospreys / Wales)
4 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys / Wales)
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster / Ireland)
6 Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues / Wales)
7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins / England)
8 Toby Faletau (Dragons / Wales)
Powered by The Official Technology Provider Microsoft, The Lions Official smartphone and tablet app will give fans the chance to stay close to the action down under with exclusive player interviews, in-depth reviews of the venues and the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime British & Irish Lions experience.
Exclusive to the app and enabled by Microsoft, the ‘On The Plane’ feature allows fans can to put themselves in Warren Gatland's boots and select their 1st XV Lions team to board the plane to Hong Kong and Australia.
The winner of the 'On The Plane' competition, chosen by random selection, will be the envy of millions of fans and get to live their Lions dreams by:
- Travelling with one guest to London to attend the Lions squad announcement on Tuesday, 30 April, 2013
- Sitting on the front row next to Will Greenwood as the squad is being announced
- Meeting Warren Gatland and the 2013 captain following the announcement, including a photo opportunity
- Interviewing Will Greenwood to get his thoughts on the squad
- Receiving a Microsoft Surface RT and Red Nokia Lumia 920 so the winner can follow all the latest news leading up to the Tour
Fans can also see which players have been voted the most popular by the Lions supporters and share their selections on Facebook.
To download The Lions Official app use the following links:
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lions-official/id615261041?ls=1&mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sequence.lions
Windows 8: http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-gb/app/lions-official/3332d376-1068-45e6-8b46-4888b6739d9d
Windows Phone: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/lions-official/6c91069f-ba94-4af2-bfc1-7c2bbda318de
