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The true Lionhearts

John GriffithsJanuary 16, 2014
Jonathan Davies wings the ball on while on Lions duty © PA Photos
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Which Lions player spent more time on the field than any other player during the summer tour Down Under? Edmond Donovan, Ireland

Jonathan Davies, the Welsh centre, was the only Lion to clock up more than 500 minutes of playing time on tour. Five other tourists - all Welsh - spent more than 400 minutes on the field.

The leading players were:
Jonathan Davies - 503 mins
Alun-Wyn Jones - 448
Dan Lydiate - 439
George North - 435
Leigh Halfpenny - 418
Toby Faletau - 414

The front-rowers Dan Cole (England) and Richard Hibbard (Wales) featured in the most matches, appearing in nine of the ten tour games. Cole came off the bench six times (making three starts) and Hibbard five times (with four starts). Jonathan Davies started most often with six run-ons in his seven appearances.

There were three ever-presents for the Lions in the Test series. Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Jonathan Davies each served the entire 240 minutes.

John Griffiths is a widely respected rugby historian and is the author of several sports books, a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and co-author of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He has provided insight for Scrum.com since 1999.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

Writer Bio

John Griffiths is a widely respected rugby historian and is the author of several sports books, a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and co-author of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He has provided insight for Scrum.com since 1999.

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