Paul O’Connell favours ‘new, modern second-row player’ ahead of former teammates

“As a second row back in the day, you had to be able to really handle yourself. There was a lot of foul play."

Paul O’Connell has revealed the Lions second row pairing he would like to see in New Zealand next summer, leaving no room for his old sparring partner Alun-Wyn Jones, writes Gavin Spillane.

The former Ireland captain’s decision to omit Jones comes as a surprise considering the two forged an impressive partnership in the scrum and lineout in 2009 and 2013.