It's nine months away yet but we are entering into that most glorious of seasons - Lions test team prediction season. Content, people, content! The potential for outrage is endless. It's so exciting.
Fair play to the Daily Telegraph for laying out their Lions test team so early. And for giving us so much to work with in the outrage department.
The Telegraph's rugby correspondent Mick Cleary is of the view that Ireland will only have one player on the starting XV, that being Jack McGrath. The national breakdown is: England - 7 players, Wales - 5 players, Scotland - 2 players, Ireland - 1 player.
Here's how Cleary's team lines out.
15. Stuart Hogg 14. Anthony Watson 13. Jonathan Davies 12. Manu Tuilagi 11. George North 10. Owen Farrell 9. Rhys Webb
1. Jack McGrath 2. Dylan Hartley 3. WP Nel 4. George Kruis 5. Alun Wyn Jones 6. Maro Itoje 7. Sam Warburton 8. Billy Vunipola
The last time Ireland had such a paltry representation on the starting XV for a Lions test was in 1993 when Nick Popplewell started every game.
You might remember that Ireland spanked England in the final game of that year's Five Nations. Ned Van Esbeck was excitedly predicting that several more Irish players had booked their place on the plane that day.
A few days later, the squad was announced. A grand total of two Irish players were picked.And it probably would have been only one had Mick Galwey not played so well against England.
Geoff Cooke and McGeechan were evidently of the opinion that Ireland's 17-3 thrashing of England did not wipe out the memory of the previous season when Ireland were whitewashed.
Predictably, Van Esbeck exploded in fury in his Irish Times column on the team.
At least it was better than four years earlier when Ireland had zero players in the starting team for the 2nd and 3rd tests of the '89 Australian tour.
Brendan Mullin started the First Test but was dropped after the Lions got crushed.
