JaredPayne

Jared Payne’s versatility and inside knowledge will make him a key tourist for The British & Irish Lions in New Zealand this summer.

In earning selection for the Tour, Payne returns to his country of birth having been born in Tauranga, New Zealand, on October 13 1985.

After being educated at Nelson College, Payne started his career playing at Waikato and in his early career played Super Rugby for the Chiefs, the Crusaders and the Blues – all of whom will be Lions opponents on Tour this year.

In 2011 however, Payne signed with Ulster, making his debut in September of that year against the Cardiff Blues.

In the 2012/13 season he helped Ulster reach the European Cup quarter-finals we well as the Guinness PRO12 showpiece final, which they lost to Leinster.

Having represented New Zealand at Under-21 level, Payne made his Ireland debut in November 2014 against South Africa, a game they would go on to win 29-15 in Dublin.

Payne was then selected for the 2015 RBS 6 Nations campaign, starting all five games as Ireland became champions for the 13th time.

The centre – who can also play full-back – then played four games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup as Ireland reached the quarter-finals and in the summer of 2016 twice donned the No15 jersey against South Africa.

However, he was back at outside centre for Joe Schmidt’s side’s famous win over the All Blacks in the autumn of 2016 in Chicago before suffering an injury in the victory over Australia later that same November.

He returned in time for the end of the 2017 RBS 6 Nations and was at full-back in his one and only appearance, helping Ireland to victory over England in the final round of games.