As the dust settles on three seismic Tests between the British & Irish Lions and the All Blacks in New Zealand, centre Jonathan Davies has been crowned the man of the series.
The Welsh centre won after a vote within the squad - and most experts believe the players got it right.
"The Welshman sewed up the players' player of the tour gong following a vote in the wake of Saturday's series-decider," says Charlie Morgan of the Daily Telegraph. "And the third Test had undoubtedly showcased the qualities that earned Davies the respect of his squadmates in New Zealand."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Davies was huge in attack and defence, says Morgan, and there could be more to come.
"Having turned 29 in April, Jonathan Davies is one of a handful of players including Sam Warburton who have a chance of completing the Lions set by touring South Africa in 2021… He has proved himself as a 'Test match animal' - to use Sir Ian McGeechan’s phrase - at the heart of two unbeaten series. History, and his teammates, will certainly remember him."
Davies is the highest scoring Lion in a ranking by the Daily Mail, scoring nine out of ten for his performances. He gave the tourists "a complete visionary performance in both attack and defence", says the paper.
The rugby writers at The Times are also unanimous in naming Davies as their player of the series. Among them is former All Black Andrew Mehrtens, who says the Welshman brought "penetration, aggressive defence, and skill in an area where the All Blacks consider themselves to be the world leaders".
In The Guardian, Nick Evans, another former New Zealand star, also picks Davies. "He came in under the radar, he was against inexperienced centres but he was the dominant centre throughout the tour. In contact his evasion skills were excellent, he’s got a brilliant left foot and he looked like a real leader out there."
However, there are other candidates, with Sam Warburton winning over Andy Bull and Maro Itoje getting the nod from Robert Kitson and Gerard Meagher.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
-
Sport shorts: British & Irish Lions announce 2021 South Africa tour fixtures and Roger Federer will feature on Swiss coin
Speed Read Ten things from the world of sport on Wednesday 4 December
-
Sam Warburton retires: tributes for Welsh rugby star
In Depth The Lions captain has called time on his career at the age of 29 after more than 20 major injuries
-
South Africa vs. England third Test: teams named for Cape Town
Speed Read England head coach Eddie Jones selects Danny Cipriani for the Newlands clash
-
Warren Gatland: I’m done with the Lions, I hated the New Zealand tour
Speed Read British and Irish Lions seek a new head coach for 2021 tour of South Africa
-
British & Irish Lions officials angered by Sean O’Brien’s criticism
Speed Read Irish flanker has caused a stir by slamming the Lions coaching set-up
-
Sean O’Brien blames Lions coaches for not beating the All Blacks
Speed Read Flanker says British & Irish Lions could have won 3-0 against New Zealand
-
Jonny Sexton joins the list of stars who played through the pain
In Depth The Lions fly-half isn't the first to keep on going even with an injury
-
All Blacks vs Lions: Honours even as epic final Test ends in a draw
The Week Recommends Tourists cling on against the world champions in another nerve-shredding encounter as the series ends 1-1
