Lions squad: Hogg, Sutherland and Harris will tour South Africa
Three players from our region have been selected for the British and Irish Lions Squad to face South Africa this summer.
Warren Gatland named his 36 man squad in London on Thursday. Hawick's Stuart Hogg will make the trip and is expected to make a strong case to be the starting fullback in the first test.
He's joined by prop and fellow Hawick man Rory Sutherland and Carlisle's Chris Harris whose performances for Scotland in the Six Nations has earned him a seat on the plane.
Scotland head coach and Borders legend Gregor Townsend is part of backroom team for the upcoming tour.
Speaking after the selection in London on Thursday, Warren Gatland said: “We believe we’ve picked a squad capable of winning a test series in South Africa.
“This has been the most challenging selection I have been involved in. Over the course of the last three weeks the coaches and I have rigorously debated each position.
“We saw some outstanding performance in the recent Six Nations, so competition for places has been tough with some incredibly tight calls to make.
“We’ve left out some very talented players which gives an indication to the strength of this squad and we know how important that stand-by list will be."